no year

“Back to work, back to school; it feels like a new year.” I hear that every autumn. As I remind my non-Jewish friends, fall is indeed the new year, according to the Hebrew calendar. Since we are living in the time of COVID, it was not the usual High Holidays. No family lunches or breaking the fast with a potluck. No pilgrimage to temple. Just hanging with my 90-year-old mum in her condo, attending services via my laptop. I commend religious leaders who adapted with streaming technology, but there was none of the usual mingling and visiting after services. Hard to replicate that virtually. Let’s hope 5781 is better than 5780.