Hebrew schools have moved online and rabbis are using email and websites to stay connected with their congregants while their campuses are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But livestreaming isn’t an option for Orthodox Shabbat services. Jewish law prohibits the use of technology during the Sabbath, a 25-hour observance that begins just before sundown on Friday and ends at nightfall on Saturday.
Instead, rabbis are encouraging their congregants to pray at home with their families.
“The concept of prayer is a discussion between you and God, and you can do that from anywhere,” said Rabbi Arele Gopin of Chabad of Boca Raton. “Obviously doing that with the congregation is more powerful, but we’re encouraging people to pray at the same times that we generally pray for our services at the synagogue.”