Brit Briyut

Rabbi Yohanan, a renowned healer, fell ill. When his colleague, Rabbi Hanina came  to visit, he asked if Rabbi Yochanan wished to be healed. Rabbi Yochanan said. “Yes.” Rabbi Hanina said, “Give me your hand.” When Rabbi Yohanan gave him his hand, he was uplifted (healed). Why was Rabbi Yohanan, who was so powerful at healing others, unable to simply heal himself? The rabbis explained: “Prisoners cannot free themselves from prison.”
                   -Adapted from Talmud Berachot 5b

This teaching points to a fundamental and timely truth: our health and well-being depend on our taking care of one another. As our congregation prepares to resume gathering in-person in this new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be guided by this wisdom.

We ask that every CBH member enter into a Brit Briyut, a covenant for mutual well-being. A covenant is a sacred and solemn mutual agreement. Brit Briyut is based on these Jewish values: 

• Pikuah Nefesh/ Preserving Life
• Kol Yisrael Aravim Zeh Lah Zeh/ Mutual Responsibility
• Shivyon/ Equity
• Shalom Bayit/ Communal Harmony

We affirm our obligation to:

• Protect one another by promoting public health policy and encouraging vaccination 
• Act responsibly for our own well-being and that of our fellow congregants, guests, and staff
• Ensure that connection and participation are accessible to members of our community who are not able to join in-person

We therefore covenant with one another to ensure our mutual health and well-being.

Congregation Bet Haverim’s board and staff commit to:

1. Continually solicit expert advice on measures to protect life and minimize risk to the health of our community.
2. Implement that advice through congregational Health and Well-Being Protocols that will be updated as needed in response to changing health conditions and scientific understanding. These protocols will be accessible on the CBH website.
3. Do what is necessary to make our physical spaces safe, and to facilitate multi-access experiences in which members can participate fully either on-site or online.

As a congregant, I shall: 

1. Keep myself and others safe by following CBH Health and Well-Being Protocols.
2. Hold myself and others accountable for following Health and Well-Being Protocols.
3. Strive to maintain positive attitudes and speech regarding CBH’s Health and Well-being Protocols, even when they pose an inconvenience.
4. Voluntarily assume all risks related to potential exposure to COVID-19 at CBH, holding the congregation harmless.

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Download the Brit Briyut to sign and return to CBH here.