Flip Flops and Wellies

I’ve always wanted to lead a service in flip flops, partly because it would signify that we were outside in the warmth, perhaps on a beach, and experiencing prayers in a different way. I probably began thinking about this after an amazing study session in Israel where after we had discussed the parting of the sea, all of us waded into the ocean, to really feel what we had discussed. That physical memory still resides in me today.

The other reason is that I’ve always wanted to visit the synagogue on St. Thomas, also known as the Congregation of Blessing, Peace and Loving Deeds in the US Virgin Islands, which is one of four synagogues with sand on the floor. The reason for the sand, they think, is that it is a reminder of the time under the Inquisition where Jews had to practice in secret, and where the sand muffled the sound of voices, chairs and movement. The sand today has become a living memory of that time, and a reminder of the importance of being able to live freely as Jews. The physical space is a reminder of their story.

The physical surroundings when we pray do matter, as we have seen in how well we have settled into using Eden Primary School’s hall for nearly all our services. And this year will be the same AND different.

For our morning services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we will be at Eden, but in marquees, in the woodland at the very back of the school. We have made this choice so that the whole community can come together for High Holy Days in a safe and meaningful way. The children will be indoors, in their age groups like normal, and they will use the hall for their break times. For all afternoon and evening services we will be in the hall, as the numbers are usually less than the morning, but we do have a cap on numbers. Please sign up to all services so that you are assured a space. We will of course also stream to zoom, so that those who cannot come can join us.
Will it be different being outside for services? I think the answer is yes and no. The liturgy stays the same, the singers will help lift the prayers as they always do (I will wear a mic so that you can all hear me), we will read Torah and hear the voices of the community, and importantly, we will still be sheltered.

But the sounds will be different, amongst the music and the words, we will be hearing the wind in the trees, or birds singing. On the one hand it might feel more ‘exposed’, both emotionally and physically (so bring warm clothes and a raincoat just in case), on the other hand, it might also feel more real, as the origins of our prayers are all agricultural. What will it mean when we say “You cause the wind to blow, and the rain to fall, the sun to shine, and the dew to descend” while being able to see and experience nature at the same time? Or when we read the parasha from the Torah which are all set in the desert landscape of the Middle East? As we are in the UK, there is of course a chance that it might be wetter than your average levantine desert, so perhaps this year it will be less flip flops and more wellies, but no matter the weather, the joy of coming together as a community and feeling safe as we do so, will far outweigh the choice of footwear.

So whether we have grass or sand under our feet, we can use the ‘spaces’ we are in as a way of experiencing our prayers differently, or even anew, flip flops or wellies alike.