麻豆约拍

Harvey Belovski, rabbi at Golders Green United Synagogue:聽
I love the flexibility my professional life gives me 鈥� it鈥檚 definitely a reason I chose to become a rabbi.聽 Every day is different 鈥� an exciting and often unpredictable blend of welfare, teaching, strategy, writing and advice.聽 When an emergency arises, I have to completely revise my calendar at a moment鈥檚 notice.聽 Despite this persistently moving schedule, there are some constants, mostly prayer at my synagogue twice a day, every day, rain or shine. Or at least it was until the current lockdown.聽 In mid-March, in common with synagogues, churches, mosques and other places of worship, services at my synagogue were suspended.聽 Since then I have been praying alone at home.聽聽
My community has a short daily service online, but I find the opening banter with my friends in the community at least as valuable. Initially, I was rather daunted by maintaining a meaningful solo prayer routine, likely for months.聽 But it鈥檚 growing on me, perhaps a little too much.聽 I have bad days, on which I scarcely recall that I鈥檝e prayed at all.聽 But there are many good moments too: it鈥檚 been a joy to savour certain words at my own pace and chew over meaningful phrases in conversation with God.聽 If I鈥檓 honest, I鈥檝e relished praying early on Saturday mornings, walking with my wife and spending more time with my family.聽 For a while, I can pretend to be a congregant: I can choose what time to rock up to my home synagogue, or, ahem, not go at all.聽
Much has been written about how video-calling will permanently change how some of us work and that scaled-down celebrations might become the new norm.聽 Some of us live frenetic lives and I suspect that the chance to experience daily routines 鈥� family meals, entertaining ourselves, keeping fit, as well as prayer 鈥� in completely new ways 鈥� has been welcome to many of us. I love my community and I can鈥檛 wait to get back to our lovely synagogue.聽 When we do, I intend to bottle some of those exquisite lockdown prayer moments before they slip away forever, but it will take work.聽 I hope that as the restrictions begin to ease, we will realise that many of the other simple pleasures we鈥檝e relearned over the past months are truly life changing and worth fighting to keep once it鈥檚 all over.