Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
September 1, 2023 • 15 Elul 5783 • Parshas Ki Savo (Deut 26-29).
The purpose of this email is to lead the charge into the new year...please share...
The purpose of this email is to lead the charge into the new year...please share...
It's that time of year again....
Time to debate the pros and cons of selling tickets to Rosh Hashanah.
Is it the right thing to do? What do you think?
On the one hand, a synagogue has a bottom line. And they have a quasi-monopoly or cartel on this commodity known as "High Holidays Experience." And no, merely asking for donations usually doesn't work.
On the other hand, how could anyone turn away a fellow Jew just because he doesn't have a ticket? So he should go home and be excluded? Even though there's an empty seat inside?
A few years ago I was scholar-in-residence for a Yom Kippur program in a major American city. Let's call it Los Angeles.
In our program, run in a hotel conference room, we did not require tickets and we did cajole for donations.
You may know that Los Angelenos rarely experience rain in September. But this particular Yom Kippur night, there was a major storm. We were all so glad to be indoors.
A few minutes after Kol Nidrei, a family arrived — totally drenched. Apparently they had wanted to attend a different service down the road, but had been turned away at the door because they didn't have tickets.
We of course welcomed them and even managed to find some towels for them to dry out a bit.
For me, the way to start the year is with open arms to all, tickets or not. But maybe I'm too idealistic. Maybe I should be more realistic.
What do you think?
Shabbat Shalom
PS - Did you see this review?
Time to debate the pros and cons of selling tickets to Rosh Hashanah.
Is it the right thing to do? What do you think?
On the one hand, a synagogue has a bottom line. And they have a quasi-monopoly or cartel on this commodity known as "High Holidays Experience." And no, merely asking for donations usually doesn't work.
On the other hand, how could anyone turn away a fellow Jew just because he doesn't have a ticket? So he should go home and be excluded? Even though there's an empty seat inside?
A few years ago I was scholar-in-residence for a Yom Kippur program in a major American city. Let's call it Los Angeles.
In our program, run in a hotel conference room, we did not require tickets and we did cajole for donations.
You may know that Los Angelenos rarely experience rain in September. But this particular Yom Kippur night, there was a major storm. We were all so glad to be indoors.
A few minutes after Kol Nidrei, a family arrived — totally drenched. Apparently they had wanted to attend a different service down the road, but had been turned away at the door because they didn't have tickets.
We of course welcomed them and even managed to find some towels for them to dry out a bit.
For me, the way to start the year is with open arms to all, tickets or not. But maybe I'm too idealistic. Maybe I should be more realistic.
What do you think?
Shabbat Shalom
PS - Did you see this review?
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