Rav's Message
Dear Friends,
We feel a
special sense of privilege to celebrate our son Moshe's Bar Mitzvah
tonight. (He becomes Bar Mitzvah tonight, on the ninth of Nissan.) The
Bar Mitzvah celebration will be more intimate than what we had
originally anticipated, but we are reminded that the essence of becoming
a Bar Mitzvah is the joy of becoming obligated in Hashem's mitzvos.
That joy does not require a party, or leining, or any of the other
trappings we normally associate with a Bar Mitzvah celebration. We look
forward to being able to schedule a more public celebration once the
current pandemic is over. Until then, we will try to make the most of
the intense family time we have together to focus on creating an
environment for Moshe to continue his growth in Torah and mitzvos -- now
as an adult. May we all share simchas together!
We will not, of
course, have a Shabbos HaGadol Drasha in Shul this Shabbos. I would
like to schedule a Drasha for 12 noon this coming Monday. More
information will be forthcoming.
I would like to
urge all those who plan to sell chometz through the Shul to do so by
Monday, April 6th. The unusual circumstances of this year necessitate
that you make these arrangements somewhat earlier than normal.
It is now about
three weeks that most of us have been confined to our homes. We are
appropriately socially distanced, but we have learned that we are not
alone. We are a community -- even when we do not see one another. The
power of our connection through conference calls and emails makes us all
stronger. We will use that strength to emerge from this moment of
crisis.
I wish to remind
everyone that no one should be spending any part of Pesach (or any
other time) with people who are not part of their immediate family.
Parents should not travel to children; children should not travel to
parents; no one should be a guest at anyone else's Seder or any other
meal. As counter-intuitive as this is, this is necessary to save lives.
This is even true if you feel you have had the COVID-19 and
"recovered." Minyanim should not be made either, even if all the
participants have "recovered" from COVID-19. We are collectively
fighting a battle against a powerful -- if invisible -- enemy, and we
all need to play our part to protect everyone in our community.
I urge anyone
who needs any help of any type to be in touch with me at
zdromm@gmail.com -- We will do our best to connect you to people who can
help you. Together we will strengthen one another!
With wishes for a wonderful Shabbos,
Rabbi Zvi Romm
