January 2009: If Not Now, When?
At this time of year in our Torah
cycle, we read the story of our
liberation from slavery in Egypt, as well
as of the mystical moment when we
gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai to
receive the Torah. Whether these
events happened or not, or unfolded
in the exact way they are told in the
Bible is not that important. What is
important is that it is around these
events, these acts of Redemption and
Revelation, and their endless telling and retelling, that we
begin to cohere as a people.
Who could have imagined thousands of years ago that we, a tiny group of clans and tribes, would disperse across the globe, spreading our stories and teachings, as well as absorbing many of the ideas and customs of the surrounding cultures in which we lived? From Jerusalem to Baghdad, from Paris to Shanghai, from San Francisco to Santiago, from Moscow to Tunis, we Jews come in many shapes and sizes, and with as many variations in ritual and practice. Yet, through it all, two things have remained constant: our sifrei torah, or torah scrolls, and our batei knesset, or synagogues, in which our torot have been housed. For centuries, we Jews have been gathering together in our synagogues to pray, to study, to socialize, and to chant Torah. Notwithstanding the vast architectural variations over time and place, and aside from the layers upon layers of interpretations and commentaries, our synagogues and our Torah have been the centerpiece of our communities for two millennia.
Last month, two very important letters went out from Congregation Kehilat Shalom. One was from the Religion Committee Chairs and myself regarding one of our torah scrolls which was recently damaged in a fall. Since it is customary when such a mishap occurs not only to repair a damaged torah, but also to take measures to honor it and what its teachings stand for, we will be undertaking as a community an exciting program combining study, fasting, and tzedakah in order to rededicate our torah scroll. On Sunday January 25th, please join your fellow members here at CKS as we share a potluck luncheon and learn through video, music, and hands-on experience about how torah scrolls are made. Sign up this month in the CKS lobby for one day to fast during the week leading up to the program. Plus, bring in your canned goods or other non-perishable food items to be donated to those less fortunate than ourselves. I strongly urge you to participate in any or all of these activities. As we say before each Torah service begins: Tnu chavod latorah, “Let all give honor to the Torah.” Let us honor ourselves, our Torah, and our precious community, CKS.
The second letter was from our Board President, Matt Rosenthal. This letter involves the other constant in Jewish history, namely, the synagogue… in this case, our synagogue, CKS. As Matt stated clearly, CKS still needs substantial donations in order to bridge a budget gap. This budget gap was not unanticipated. It was approved by the congregation as a necessity to balance our budget at our last annual meeting. In these troubled economic times, it is difficult to ask for additional funds. But, it is in these same troubled times now more than ever that we need to turn to each other for comfort and support, in celebration and in sorrow.
CKS is now thriving and bustling with activity: whether it’s adult education on a Sunday morning in the sanctuary while our children learn to bake challah in the kitchen; a group of dedicated committee members planning for the next holiday on a weekday evening while our teens socialize and learn about their heritage in our balcony; or our trope tutor chanting torah with one of our bnei-mitzvah students while our hard-working Board meets late into the night. Whatever the activity – movie night, Shabbat service, or car wash – CKS is our spiritual home. We need our community right now as much as our community needs us. As Rabbi Hillel said nearly two thousand years ago: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But, if I am only for myself, who am I? And, if not now, when?” Please help us balance our budget. Give what you can. Every little bit helps.
B’shalom uvracha,
Rabbi Susan
Who could have imagined thousands of years ago that we, a tiny group of clans and tribes, would disperse across the globe, spreading our stories and teachings, as well as absorbing many of the ideas and customs of the surrounding cultures in which we lived? From Jerusalem to Baghdad, from Paris to Shanghai, from San Francisco to Santiago, from Moscow to Tunis, we Jews come in many shapes and sizes, and with as many variations in ritual and practice. Yet, through it all, two things have remained constant: our sifrei torah, or torah scrolls, and our batei knesset, or synagogues, in which our torot have been housed. For centuries, we Jews have been gathering together in our synagogues to pray, to study, to socialize, and to chant Torah. Notwithstanding the vast architectural variations over time and place, and aside from the layers upon layers of interpretations and commentaries, our synagogues and our Torah have been the centerpiece of our communities for two millennia.
Last month, two very important letters went out from Congregation Kehilat Shalom. One was from the Religion Committee Chairs and myself regarding one of our torah scrolls which was recently damaged in a fall. Since it is customary when such a mishap occurs not only to repair a damaged torah, but also to take measures to honor it and what its teachings stand for, we will be undertaking as a community an exciting program combining study, fasting, and tzedakah in order to rededicate our torah scroll. On Sunday January 25th, please join your fellow members here at CKS as we share a potluck luncheon and learn through video, music, and hands-on experience about how torah scrolls are made. Sign up this month in the CKS lobby for one day to fast during the week leading up to the program. Plus, bring in your canned goods or other non-perishable food items to be donated to those less fortunate than ourselves. I strongly urge you to participate in any or all of these activities. As we say before each Torah service begins: Tnu chavod latorah, “Let all give honor to the Torah.” Let us honor ourselves, our Torah, and our precious community, CKS.
The second letter was from our Board President, Matt Rosenthal. This letter involves the other constant in Jewish history, namely, the synagogue… in this case, our synagogue, CKS. As Matt stated clearly, CKS still needs substantial donations in order to bridge a budget gap. This budget gap was not unanticipated. It was approved by the congregation as a necessity to balance our budget at our last annual meeting. In these troubled economic times, it is difficult to ask for additional funds. But, it is in these same troubled times now more than ever that we need to turn to each other for comfort and support, in celebration and in sorrow.
CKS is now thriving and bustling with activity: whether it’s adult education on a Sunday morning in the sanctuary while our children learn to bake challah in the kitchen; a group of dedicated committee members planning for the next holiday on a weekday evening while our teens socialize and learn about their heritage in our balcony; or our trope tutor chanting torah with one of our bnei-mitzvah students while our hard-working Board meets late into the night. Whatever the activity – movie night, Shabbat service, or car wash – CKS is our spiritual home. We need our community right now as much as our community needs us. As Rabbi Hillel said nearly two thousand years ago: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But, if I am only for myself, who am I? And, if not now, when?” Please help us balance our budget. Give what you can. Every little bit helps.
B’shalom uvracha,
Rabbi Susan
