Today marks 15 years since I stood under a tent in the courtyard of the Jewish Theological Seminary. On that day, I was looking forward to beginning a new life as a full-time rabbi. I would no longer be travelling back and forth from my part time congregation to the academy. I thought my time of wearing more than one kippah was over. Fifteen years later, I see that we rarely wear one kippah or hat at a time. Today I wear the hats of rabbi, parent, husband, teacher, community leader, student, child, amateur photographer, lover of music, literature and cars and so many more. The same is true for each and every one of us. We are not only the titles we hold, but the relationships we build.
Today we stand at the cusp of Sinai. Today has been the 47th day of the Omer, which means Thursday night we will gather here to study Torah at 8PM, have MORE delicious dairy snacks and then pray Ma’ariv, before returning Friday morning to hear the Aseret HaDibrot and Shabbat morning for Yizkor.
Standing at Sinai, we see the relationship, the Covenant, the connection between ourselves and our Creator. We are reminded of the incredible gift of Torah, of being together as the People Israel, of the blessings of community, God, and tradition.
We know this gift was not only given to our ancestors. It was given to all of us. It was given to our children. We share it with all who know us in the way that we live our lives, the way we live our values, the way we stand up and are counted. Our Jewish journeys require continued investment. We cannot give up on our faith--no matter the worldwide environment. We must be proud Jews--which means we must be knowledgeable Jews.
This morning, I finished studying (for the moment) our prayerbook and prayers with a group of committed congregants. We gathered twice a month to look deeply at our written prayers and to consider what they mean to us today. Tomorrow I will join others--maybe even you--for coffee at Sumitra in Gulfport, where we continue to have meaningful conversations on everything from the meaning of life and death, to antisemitism and Israel, to will the Rays ever agree on a stadium.
In the world, it has been a challenging time to be a Jew AND there is no other century or city I’d rather live in. I am so proud to be a Jew, to love our Torah, our God, and this holy community. We have demonstrated that the Jewish people live, Am Yisrael Chai.
We show our pride in our identity, whether we are standing strong at City Council meetings and at daily minyan. CBI has been on top of our community’s security for many years. We continue to consult with Jewish Federation, the SCN, our SPPD, and our CBI security committee. This year, we asked you to support our security needs and most of you answered. Thank you.
This year is a time of great opportunity. We have thanked Cantor Schultz for his dedicated service and are beginning the process of finding what comes next. For the High Holidays, we are blessed to bring an incredible Cantor and colleague from Israel, and we will hear the voices of more of you in the year to come. If you did not fill out my survey about prayer leadership, it is not too late!
I am grateful to everyone in this room, to those who volunteer their time, like our awesome President, Eileen Richman, and her hardworking board. A kehillah kedoshah, a holy community, cannot exist without devoted volunteers and staff. I am grateful to Maci who keeps us all focused on the task at hand, to Maureen who educates our children and community, to Bob who so beautifully and accurately reads Torah each week, to Jackie who brings her compassionate spirit to our office, to Jeremi who keeps everything ticking, to Susannah who ensures that our finances are in order, to Pei who is with us at minyan each morning, and to Michael who ensures that we all can welcome Shabbat and Festivals together.
Let us continue to use God’s name to bless our community, so that we feel that blessing now and in all the generations to come! Every day that I walk through these doors I thank God, I pray the same is true for you. Let us keep up our holy work, #sidebysideatCBI.
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