It was a week before Rosh Hashanah, and we were still assigning aliyot to the Torah and other honors. It is a big honor to open the Ark on Rosh Hashanah, like opening the gate of heaven. We pack all our prayers in and then send them off throughout the High Holidays, all the way through Simchat Torah. And then we close the Ark for the season.
Wanting to avoid crowding the Bima and also keeping services as non-cumbersome as possible during Covid, we decided to avoid this honor this year. Nevertheless, the nature of the hybrid service means that the whole world is open to us. The doors to our synagogue can be like the doors of the Ark, open to all.
A week before Rosh Hashanah, I received a message that my cousin’s husband had passed away unexpectedly on a trip to Florida. When I first moved to New York, Dalia and Gary’s apartment, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was my first address. They were hospitable and welcoming. Gary was smart and accomplished, and was endowed with a calm and assuring demeanor. He was a good role model for me. A few years and a few kids later, they moved to the West Coast.
Since Gary had passed away in Florida, it took a week to bring him to final rest. He was finally buried a few hours before Rosh Hashanah had set in. It was just a few hours before we were to open the Ark. It was as though Gary had received the honor to open the Ark. He went to heaven and, as a welcoming and hospitable mensch, he left the doors open behind him to make way for our prayers.
Three weeks later, right after sundown on Simchat Torah, I standing in front of the Ark, putting away the Torah covers and other accouterments associated with our observances. I was ready to close the Ark for the last time for the season when I received another message. This time it was about the passing of a dear friend, John. John and Dolores were there from the beginning of my rabbinic chapter. They were the first to take the tour to Israel with us; they were there at my ordination, my installation, and on many a vacation. John, like Gary, was a calm and assuring presence, always with a helpful tip and advice.
It seemed to me that, just as Gary had opened the Ark, John had the honor to close the Ark. He entered the gate just before it closed. Like a responsible police officer, he was there to guard the gate. As though God had arranged a way to bypass the social distancing for the opening and closing of the Ark.
Where they have gone, time and space are not measured in days or distance. One way or another, the Ark needs to close before it can be opened again.
A personal message
I would like to convey my deepest condolences to the families of Gayle Kaplan and Thelma Novick, two pillars in our community, who passed away shortly after the holidays. Gayle was a wonderful soul. I enjoyed her presence in Hebrew class for many years. Gayle was joined by her good friend Thelma Novick just a few days later. I had spoken with Thelma only a few days prior to her passing. At 97, she still sounded positive and motivated.
I also extend condolences also to the Rothman family on the passing of Madelyn’s aunt, Myrna Kroff, and to the Goldman family on the passing of Phil’s brother Stanley.
May their memories be for a blessing for many years to come.
Blessings for a peaceful year,
—Rabbi Gadi Capela