Jewish Life Digital Edition September 2015 | Page 14

ROSH HASHANAH 5776

Pray or PLAY?

IMAGINE THAT WE TREATED COMMUNAL PRAYER
the way a football team treats a game.
Aside from all of the training, consider the
day of the game. Everyone suits up in the
locker room, and the coach delivers an inspiring pep talk. Then the team members
run from the locker room to the open air
of the vast stadium to the cheers of the
crowd. Just before the start of the game,
the coach and players huddle together for a
moment to settle into the proper frame of
mind. The huddle breaks, and all shout out
a rallying cry, as the starting players run
together onto the field and assemble in position for the first play.

10 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 88

Just like going to shul on Shabbat
morning, right?
Except shul unfolds a little differently.
No locker room, of course, and not everyone suits up anyway. There is no pep talk.
We do not run with enthusiasm into the

sanctuary. And we do not enter it together,
but rather we enter as individual stragglers, some of us in pairs. There is no rallying cry, and no assembling into team formation. If we were football players, we
would be standing all over the field, many
of us engaged in trivial conversation during the game itself. There would be a seemingly constant stream of people walking on
and off the field. Some players would leave
early, missing the end of the game.

IF WE WERE FOOTBALL PLAYERS, WE WOULD BE
STANDING ALL OVER THE FIELD, MANY OF US ENGAGED
IN TRIVIAL CONVERSATION DURING THE GAME ITSELF.
THERE WOULD BE A SEEMINGLY CONSTANT STREAM OF
PEOPLE WALKING ON AND OFF THE FIELD.

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PHOTOGRAPH: MIKE MORBECK

Changing the way we approach attending
shul and davening I BY ALAN D KRINSKY

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