Speaking to an
Empty Shul
Timeless Lesson from Unprecedented Times
Rabbi Yehuda Halpert

On March 11, 2020, due to the COVID outbreak, the “unprecedented” decision was made to shut down Jewish communal life in Bergen County. By relaying the weekly d’rashos that were delivered in varying degrees of absentia to Congregation Ahavat Shalom in Teaneck, NJ, Rabbi Yehuda Halpert traces the adversity endured during the lockdown and details the spiritual triumph and resilience of a Jewish community as it experienced the pandemic.  In addition to the Torah content of the d’rashos the sefer also functions as a rabbinic diary that describes the historical context of the congregation’s weekly religious experience during the first year of the pandemic. 

 

Rav Moshe Lichtenstein writes that the “sefer records Rabbi Halpert’s adherence to the great Jewish tradition of providing spiritual and halachic guidance in times of crisis. His exemplary leadership is vividly transmitted to us through the medium of his derashot, as delivered in real time, [which] allow us to relive and reflect upon the challenges of those years.” -- Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein, Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion

​

Dr. Jeffrey Gurock writes that HISTORIANS NEED INTRIGUING works like Yehuda Y. Halpert’s compendium of sermons to contextualize how Americans came to grips with the pandemic . . . This valuable book will be a worthy source for scholars and will be of interest to readers of all religious backgrounds. -- Jeffrey S. Gurock, Libby M. Klaperman Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University