Rabbi Adler Communications during Coronavirus pandemic

Chaveireinu HaYikarim ,

I hope you and your family are well as we approach the Yemei HaDin. But oh, these Yemei HaDin will be very different than previous years (and hopefully future years) and I would like to highlight those differences.
 
A) Selichot. Typically the recitation of the first selichot takes place after midnight. The only minyan where this will take place is the main sanctuary indoors. All the outdoor minyanim will recite selichot before Shacharit as it does the rest of the week. It is inappropriate to daven outside at 1:00 am and run the risk of waking up neighbors.
 
B ) Mikveh. There is a widely held minhag of going to the mikveh on Erev Rosh HaShana and Erev Yom Kippur. However, the Mikveh is unable to maintain the cleaning guidelines for Covid with the type of volume it services on those days. Hence, ALL the mikvaot will be closed during those days. There is an alternate method of maintaining loyalty to that minhag by engaging in what we call Tisha Kabin which is the pouring of a quantity of water over one’s head. This can be facilitated by simply entering the shower before you turn the water on, turn on the shower, put your hands in a downward position near one’s body, and allow the shower to run for four minutes.
 
C) Based on all the recommendations of our doctors, there are two activities which severely heighten the chances of spreading the disease- singing and Shofar blowing. For this reason (and I dread saying this), there will be no singing during davening. I know that this will dampen the spirit and power of the tefilah. For the indoor minyanim, they said no singing at all. For the outdoor minyanim, they were willing to allow a “ little singing." Only R’ Chaim can define what a little means so we will be machmir and have no singing at all (the Litvaks will be thrilled).

D) The Baal Tokeah will place a mask on the Shofar (this is not a joke) and will cover the shofar with their Tallis to eliminate the possibility of spreading Covid.
 
E) In order to compensate for all of this, it will require that we all participate and daven with greater fervor and Kavanah and may HKBH grant us ותקבל ברחמים וברצון את תפילתנו

​​​​​​​Beyedidut rabbah, 
Yosef Adler