kiddush - Boston MomsBefore COVID-19, pretty much every Saturday morning my family and I would be at temple. Today, almost 15 months after the initial shut-downs began, we still aren’t back to in-person services. But in our previous life, after we gathered for services it would be time for kiddush. Depending on the week, it would be light snacks or an elaborate lunch. This may be the part of my family’s week we looked forward to the most. And it was not about the food. (Although don’t get me wrong — the food was pretty great.)

Kiddush was the time to catch up with our friends, talk about our week, celebrate the highs, and give hugs for the lows. Yes, my girlfriends and I tried Zoom calls and have group texts. But it’s not the same. And don’t even get me started on how much I miss hugs.

At Kiddush, we were guaranteed that weekly banter and camaraderie in a room where cell phones were not used because of the Sabbath. And we could pretty much always count on having “adult time” while our kids were running around the room, the building, or the courtyard.

Kiddush is when my kids may have been found trying new foods they wouldn’t at home. It’s also where my kids learned to sit and eat independently at their own table while my husband and I watched from a distance. Kiddush is where we could see who our kids were with their peers.

Kiddush is where we would see those special people in our lives who mean so much to us, but who I don’t feel close enough to call or text. Of course, some of these people are my Facebook friends. But we all know that isn’t real connection. I have not really spoken to many of them in over a year, and I miss their once-constant presence in my life.

Kiddush is the place where my kids got to chat with their community grandparents — those sacred members of our temple who have a special place in our hearts. The people who, I hope, help my kids see that they are part of a world greater than themselves.

Of so much I have lost during the pandemic, kiddush may be one of the things I miss the most.

Lindsay Goldberg
Lindsay Goldberg is a working mom who then comes home and works there, too. She loves finding quick, healthy recipes to make for her family and lives for her Sunday morning escape to the gym. She has given up on trying to find balance, and is, instead focused on surviving and being Good Enough. Likes- books, family dance parties, morning snuggles, and drinking coffee when it's still hot. Dislikes- recipes with more than 10 ingredients or 10 steps, winter, and deadlines