As we enter the month of March together, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you regarding this calendar Month.

The month of March is a month of transitions.  As you glance at the accompanying calendar that is attached to this email, the first thing that you will probably notice is that the Yom Tov of Pesach falls in March this year.  While for some of us this realization might lead to immediate feelings of angst stemming from the inherent cleaning and preparations involved with this holiday, it is also important to realize that Pesach brings with it an atmosphere of extreme transition.  We will be transitioning from the minor winter holidays of Hanukkah, Tu B'Shevat and Purim, to the major holidays of Pesach and Shavuot.  More specifically, we will transition from the minor redemption of the Purim story; when, after all in its aftermath the Jewish people were still in exile, to the major redemption of Pesach.  As we go through Pesach together, we will all transition to this renewed status of redeemed individuals.

As we proceed through this month together, we will notice that the weather will gradually become warmer and warmer.  Personally, I look forward to the time in the near future when the weather will warm up sufficiently to enable us to begin holding outdoor minyans once again.  I miss the feeling of coming together as a congregation for Friday evening and Shabbat afternoon davening, and as the seasons change we should consider the possibility of holding these services (with masks and social distancing) in community members' backyards.

We will also notice that there will be more and more daylight each evening, and that the candle lighting time to mark the onset of the sanctity of the Shabbat will get later each week.  Most significantly, daylight savings time will go into effect in the middle of March, and this adjustment to our clocks will alter our observance of Shabbat, holidays, and davening times accordingly. Over the course of the month of March we will also be transitioning from a population without a vaccine to becoming a vaccinated population.  We are grateful to the Almighty for bestowing His infinite wisdom upon His creations, and for the wisdom that has accordingly enabled the doctors, scientists, and researchers to develop this vaccine.  We are thankful to the medical community for the time and effort that they put into developing the vaccine, and to the American government for the enormous amount of funds and energy that was poured into this breakthrough.

Let us pray to the Almighty that the month of March should be a month of transitioning one step closer from a world of pandemic, illness, hardship, and fear to a brighter, new, and healthier world.

Wishing you a wonderful month of March,

Rabbi Peretz Robinson