Dear Friends,
After day camp on Monday, our two older children were quite anxious to speak with Warren. After ten-year-old Benjamin had his turn to ask about Warren’s first day at his new job, it was his sister’s turn. I overheard seven-year-old Lillian inquire, “Did you make any new friends today, Daddy?”
From the perspective of a child, the idea of being in a place without friends is unthinkable. The rabbis shared the same notion. Rabbi Hillel taught al tifrosh min hatzibur – do not separate yourself from the community. So devoted were the rabbis to the idea of individuals coming into relationship with others, they instituted the concept of a minyan.
The word minyan, meaning “number,” is the minimum number of people necessary for public worship. Since public worship occurs three daily times and at least ten Jews are required for public worship, our Sages established a legal necessity for community, preventing the adventurous among us from going off and settling in far-flung places without benefit of community.
Today, we need community more than ever. A 2006 study reported that Americans feel more isolated than they did twenty-five years ago due to fewer personal relationships with neighbours and members from their voluntary organizations. One significant cause of this social isolation is the rising and wide-spread use of new technologies such as the internet and mobile communication devices. Though more recent research indicates that our discussion networks are wider, it is clear that online interactions are no substitute for face-to-face interactions.
We want to see you. We need to see you. Without your presence, it is as though part of our community is missing. This Shabbat offers two opportunities for us to be together. Our Family Service this Friday begins at 7:00pm and will conclude with a delicious ice cream sundae bar. Saturday morning is our monthly Traditional Service. Come for one, come for both. We look forward to delighting in Shabbat together.
Kol Tuv,
Rabbi Rebecca Yaël Schorr
www.frumesarah.com
