rs,” is to offer High Holiday seats at low or no cost. Most Chabad centers follow one approach or the other. And quite a few mainstream congregations, in recent years, have set aside some seats for distribution at no charge. The altruistic reason for such a policy is to provide places for those who cannot afford payment. The more strategic reason is to draw newcomers to the synagogue in the hope that when they have the means, they will join."} 66:T4ae,

These High Holiday arrangements have considerably eased the pain of the “pay to pray” blues often heard at this season of the Jewish calendar. At their best, however, synagogues are religious communities offering rich benefits for members prepared to pay in the currency of sustained commitment. Most such communities now offer low-cost or, as one advertisement puts it, “free, walk-in High Holiday services for those who are searching.”65:{"position":10,"content":"$66"} 67:{"position":11,"content":"But, as the slogan implies, the lunch is not really free, at least in a moral sense. Those who avail themselves of such opportunities have an obligation to be actively “searching,” not passively expecting service. Synagogues should not be spiritual department stores or transient, once-a-year gathering places."} 68:{"positi

Pay to pray?

Synagogues should not be spiritual department stores or transient, once-a-year gathering places.