Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

As we all know, safety concerns and regulations were made stricter this week in Toronto and elsewhere. In regard to religious services, a maximum of ten people in total is now allowed in our immediate area for religious services. After considerable discussion with Beth Emeth clergy and volunteer leadership, we have decided to enact the following principles for the next two Shabbatot on a trial basis:

1) Services will be conducted from the Sanctuary with clergy only. (On December 5 a Bar Mitzvah boy and his father will complement the clergy).

2) The service will be conducted without the presence of a Minyan. The liturgy will comprise of Psukei Dzimra, Shacharit, Silent Amidah, Full Torah Reading, No Aliyot, Full Haftarah without blessings, Silent Musaf Amidah.

3) This practice will be observed for the next two Shabbatot and then assessed before making further decisions, taking into consideration Ontario and Toronto Public Health regulations and recommendations.

4) Some of the thinking that led to the current decision include the following: 
The requisite maximum number of ten would be limited to men, who comprise a Minyan. As a result, women would be excluded from attending. The ten attendees would have to be identified before Shabbat begins without the assurance that all would attend, such as one not feeling well in the morning. The new guidelines for the next month strongly discourage even ten people from sharing a physical space for a considerable period of time. With all of this in mind, we have decided to err on the side of safety in terms of numbers of people and time spent in the sanctuary.

5) Everyone is encouraged to participate from home via the Beth Emeth livestream.

6) For mourners and those observing Yahrzeits, please access the personal variation of the Kaddish which does not require the presence of a Minyan. This text is available in the weekly schedule on the synagogue website or here - https://images.shulcloud.com/703/uploads/kaddishwithoutaminyan.pdf 
As you can imagine, we are not the only community who is struggling with these challenges. You may find this article by Naomi Baum of interest - Corona Kaddish

I encourage us all to be safe and healthy and to participate in virtual synagogue services and programming.

Sincerely, 
Rabbi Howard Morrison