My wonderful history professor at Hebrew Union College, Dr. Ellis Rivkin, z”l, once made a comment about the destruction of the second Jerusalem Temple and its sacrificial cult, and the rise of the synagogue. To paraphrase Dr. Rivkin, “On Monday, the Temple was destroyed; on Thursday we already had garage sales in the social halls of shuls.”
While synagogues in a primitive form were around even during the time the Temple stood, the prime means of worship were the various animal offerings brought to the priests, the kohanim. With the synagogue we switched over to prayer, repentance and acts of lovingkindness as our new offerings. But more than that the function of the synagogue changed as well.
The synagogue became a Bet Midrash, a House of Study, a Bet Tefillah, a House of Prayer, and a Bet K’nesset, a House of Meeting, all of which remain the basis of today’s congregations. Now as important as the study and prayer were – and are – especially during this period in our lives, perhaps the role of Bet K’nesset, the House of Meeting, is the most important. I’ve mentioned previously that the title of the best book on the nature of the shtetl is Life is With People. We’re not living in Anatevka-like shtetls anymore, but the congregation has become a shtetl-like substitute. It’s true in large congregations so how much the more so in small congregations!
The reason the idea of a virtual Oneg Shabbat is so appealing is that it’s a people-to-people experience. At a real Oneg the food makes it more appealing for sure, but I wager to say that even without the balm of our folk, we would still manage to get a great deal out of shooting the breeze with people we’ve known in the synagogue context for a long time, even for a short time.
Now don’t get me wrong. Far from negating the value of the synagogue as a Bet Tefillah and Bet Midrash (after all, “bread and butter,” as they say), I’m affirming that as important as the Bet K’nesset is in general, it’s even more significant when conditions make it dangerous to gather. In the past it’s been pogroms and inquisitions; today it’s COVID-19.
That’s why I encourage you to be tuned-in to our virtual worship tonight; and if it’s too late to register for tonight, then there will be other occasions, probably in another two weeks to be exact. And if it’s in the cards to actually stop virtualizing and start reality-izing again (from my mouth to God’s ears, in a manner of speaking of course), then you’ll appreciate even more how much the “gathering” can mean to you and to your congregation.
(Speaking of God’s ears…God is talking to one of the angels, and says, “Do you know what I have just done?” The angel replies, “No idea. What?” God says, “I have just created a 24-hour period of alternating light and darkness on Earth. Isn’t that good?” The angel says, “Great, but what are you going to do now?” God responds, “I think I’ll call it a day.”)