Any effort to condense a machzor – the prayer book that contains some of the most cherished tefilot in all of Jewish liturgy – can be implemented only with a great deal of humility and trepidation.
Yet a deep sense of responsibility to protect the community from illness during a global pandemic demands such an undertaking.
“It is in this spirit that we created this print-friendly machzor for the unique experience of Rosh Hashanah 5781/2020,” wrote Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, president and dean of Yeshiva Ohr Torah Stone, and Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein, Director of Training and Placement at Ohr Torah Stone’s Straus-Amiel Rabbinical Emissary Program.
“Rooted in a firm commitment to halakha, all aspects of this machzor are the fruit of serious research, which can be seen in this document,” they wrote.
“We pray that this machzor empowers communities that will be conducting multiple minyanim; helps those who will need to pray outdoors in the heat; and allows people to develop their relationship with God while wearing a mask and socially distancing.”
To download the special COVID-19 “condensed” machzor, click here.