The Yom Kippur services were engaging. The “core” service this morning was pre-recorded at the synagogue, with the Rabbi, Cantor, our pianist, and a few choir members (plus a song which brought in the entire choir from their homes); the rest of the services were live on Zoom.

In some ways, it was more engaging than our usual services at Sacred Heart Church because it was just us and the screen – we could sing along without fear of distracting anyone else who wanted to hear the Cantor or choir. And there was no traffic to contend with, and no rest room lines. And there were some opportunities for small-group discussions, which doesn’t happen in the big service. And we could set the air conditioning to our own preferences.

On the other hand, most of the service was without the choir, and I missed them. And there wasn’t a chance to have an informal chat with friends between pieces of the service, and I missed that. And the final shofar blast of the evening was just one person and one shofar instead of shofarot scattered around the building with each shofar blower trying to hold the note for the longest time.

I hope we can go back to services in person next year.

I’m going to write today’s entry early so I can be off social media well before Yom Kippur starts.

In a normal year, my goal would be turning off the computer for Yom Kippur, but this year, the computer needs to stay on so we can watch and participate in services. Kol Nidre was pre-recorded but won’t be streamed until the right time; services tomorrow (except for the “base” morning service) will all be on Zoom.

It will be different – perhaps not as different as taking a tour of Berlin on Yom Kippur, but definitely not the usual experience. Fasting will be about the same, I guess!

May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.