What do 5,000 Jews Have in Common?

I shouldn't go away for five days - I have too much to do.  I have work, home, & Temple things to get done.  This is what I was thinking as I was getting ready to fly to San Diego last week for the URJ Biennial. 

Boy was I mistaken!  My time at the Union of Reform Judaism Biennial was worth every minute away from my responsibilities in Vermont.  Mary Markle, Ginny Greenblott, my wife Paula, & I flew across the country together to share ideas and learn from other congregations.  I truly enjoyed spending time with these three women and getting to know Ginny and Mary better.

We heard from other congregations about their successes, their challenges, & their goals.  We learned that we are doing some things really well and got ideas from others for the areas that we want to try.  It was helpful to get perspective that we are way ahead on some areas and that there are ways to grow in the places we want to grow.  We worshipped in small groups and with 5,000 other.  The music, D’var Torah, and praying was a unique experience.

One exciting program is the URJ "Communities of Practice" that "Reimagine" areas of Temples.  These communities are facilitated by an URJ person and consist of representative from 15-25 congregations across the country.  Over 12 the last 12 months, these communities explored ways to improve the B'Nai Mitzvah education, Financial Support, & Membership for their Temple communities.  The participating congregations are changing the way they think about these areas.  We will benefit from these "Communities of Practice" as we learn from them and work to improve each of these areas.

The music, the presentations, recognition of achievements was very uplifting.  Did you know that WRJ (Women of Reform Judaism) is celebrating its 100th anniversary?  President Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Prime Minister Netanyahu had a conversation during one of our sessions.

So, what is next?  At the Friday January 17th service, Mary, Paula, Ginny, & I will be sharing the exciting things we learned.   I hope that you will come.  We are providing Oneg after the service.  The next Biennial is early November 2015 in Orlando.  It is our hope that many from our congregation will attend to share the excitement and bring back ideas and action for our Temple.

Temple Annual Meeting Remarks - 12/8/13

Welcome to our 47th Annual Meeting.  Throughout these years we have had some very challenging times.  I think of how difficult it must have been to build our first building, hire our first full time Rabbi, expand our building, and have our friends leave when they move away from Vermont.  Whether times are easy or difficult, it is being together as a congregation, that makes all of these experiences better.  No matter what we face, we face it together.  Thanks for coming this morning to share your thoughts and to participate in leading our congregation.

We are off to a good start, by having breakfast with the members of the College Street Congregational Church.  They are worshiping in the Sanctuary until 11:00 this morning and will be with us until their church is repaired from the fire damage. Thanks to Linda Retchin and her breakfast crew for your hard work this  morning.  Thanks to Rabbi for your prayer and opening remarks.  After my remarks, we will elect our leadership for the upcoming year, wrestle with the budget for the upcoming year, & hear from some of our committee chairs.

In the past year,  your Board has engaged in some very difficult conversations.  I am thankful that they have voiced "their opinions," that we had in depth discussions, and when a decision was made each member stood behind the decision, whether they agree with it or not.  We learned to speak with one voice and to face each challenge from a fresh perspective.  At the beginning of the year, I asked our Board to do two things.  I asked them to help me to look at all aspects of Temple through a new lens, to ask why we do it this way, and can we improve it by doing it differently. I also asked our Board to consider the needs of not just one member with each decision they make, but to keep the needs of all our members in mind all the time.

We looked at new uses for our building, including renting the kitchen to a caterer, renting the building for a summer camp, renting classrooms for pre-school and after school programs in order to provide new revenue.  We have made our building available to other non profits at nominal fees, including the church, AA meetings, and others.  Please let us know if you think of an organization that might rent our building.

For any organization to be successful, even a synagogue, sometimes you have to face the brutal truth.  Decreasing enrollment in our religious school and changing demographics among school age children caused us to take a hard look at our education programs.  The Board, working in concert with the Personnel Committee and staff, crafted a new position description for our Director of Congregational Education, that we feel better addresses the needs of our congregation as it stands now..  We wrestled with our philosophical belief that education should be available to all ages without any income barrier.  So, we took the bold step of moving to tuition free education at Temple Sinai.  As a side benefit to our congregation, three families became members as a result of this policy.

We had some wonderful opportunities for members to connect.  Wasn't the Isaac & Toby Pearlman concert and conversation wonderful?  How about Fun in the Sun or the Progressive Dinner?  People didn't want to leave when Rock Shabbat was over.  Having Dr. Firestone Scholar-in-Residence Program bring together members from other faiths in our building was inspiring.  The list goes on and on.  Please think about sharing this with non-members and you will help grow our membership. Members made that happen. Thanks for all who made these possible - from the idea to the implementation. 

Not much of this would be possible without our staff sometimes backing us up, and sometimes leading the way.  Heartfelt thank you to Rabbi, Judy, Stacie, Mark, & Ibrahim.  We do appreciate all you do for our congregation.

As we look forward to next year, we already have many exciting things planned, starting with Rock Shabbat on Friday, January 24th.  While fun in the Sun is on hiatus, other events will be planned.  Please share your ideas and get involved to bring events or activities to Temple for our community.  One person will make a difference.

One of our biggest challenges is finding non-dues revenue to meet our expenses.  We are very thankful for the four members who joined the Chai Society by contributing an additional $5,000 and the others who contributed above the standard dues level. This group went a long way to funding our Tzedakah Program, which allows people to belong to Temple regardless of the financial resources.  I need your help in this area next year.  If you can afford it, please consider committing to dues at a higher level; Support our Education Funding Campaign; and give to our annual appeal at the end of the year.

One last pitch...The least painful way to raise another $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 for Temple is through the shopping programs established by Marjie Sheppard and Audrey Chafetz.  You won't need to spend one dime extra... just keep spending what you are now, using Temple's programs instead of cash.  If every member redirected $200 per month through these programs, Temple would receive $15,000 - $20,000.  This would cover over half of our dues increase this year.  Isn't it worth giving up some of your frequent flyer miles or gas discount dollars to keep your dues down?  All you need to do is buy some of your groceries, your gas, your books, your clothing using Scrip, Hannaford's, or Amazon through Temple's shopping programs.  In addition to these if you shop at Price Chopper, Morah Judy has set up a fundraising program for Religious School by having you register and keeping turning in your receipts.

Sorry to go on and on, but this is a great job and I look forward to next year.  I don't do it alone, so let's turn it over to Bob Issenberg for the budget presentation.

Know - Good things happening at TS and Board has looked at every opportunity for growth and revenue

Feel - Proud of our present & excited about the future

Do - Step up and get involved & encourage others to join TS

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Action or Apathy - What is the difference?

The difference between these two is caring about something enough to help make it a better place. 

We have many people who have taken action and I am very thankful for them. To mention just a few: Linda Retchin made last weekend's Progressive dinner happen; Stacie Gabert made the Itzhak Perlman concert happen;  Howard Kalfus is making Nominations for the '14 Board happen;  Cynthia Pasackow, Jan Orlansky, Jennifer Hyman, Susan Zimmerman are leading Committee as Chairpersons.   None of these would have happened without the help of others who stepped up to help.  Thanks to all for taking time out of your busy schedule to make good things happen around Temple.

One area that few people have taken action is changing their spending habits just a little to bring more money to Temple.  I am asking you to take action here.  This is very important since by doing this, it will provide non-dues revenue every year with 4% to 18% of every purchase going to our Temple.  We recently started a new program directly with Hannaford's where 5% goes to Temple.  You will need to plan ahead a little to purchase these cards through Temple.  You may use PayPal or a Check to Temple for Scrip.  You may use a Check for Hannaford.

An example - we have 170 members (individual or family) in our congregation. 

·         If 100 members buy $200 groceries a month from Shaws or Hannaford - Temple will get $12,000

·         If 100 members buy $200 stuff from LL Bean a month - Temple will get $36,000.

Please email or call me so I can have someone walk you through setting this up.

Another area that I ask you to take action is becoming or Chair of a committee.  Howard Kalfus is busy filling the open positions right now.

Thanks to all for making Temple Sinai a great place to be.

You may reach me at 238-6569 or timpaula@comcast.net

D'var Torah - 10/15/13

Have you ever had an unexpected visitor whose surprise visit made a big difference in your life?

It might have been an old friend who showed up one day to express appreciation for a long forgotten kindness that you had done for her. Perhaps someone appeared unexpectedly to apologize for slighting you a while ago. Or maybe you have been a hospital patient and a visitor arrived with words of such profound support that they actually helped you heal.

Rabbi Jay TelRav is the rabbi of Temple Sinai of Stamford, Connecticut wrote the following.  Many years ago, when I was a rabbinic student, my father died at the young age of fifty-one while I was out of the country. The shiva took place in Washington, D.C. where my parents had been living. To my surprise, Rabbi Balfour Brickner, z"l, showed up to offer his condolence and support. I had met him only a few times and my parents did not belong to Rabbi Brickner's synagogue, but rather to another one in Washington, D.C. I have no recollection of his words to me, but his presence gave me strength at just the moment that I needed it the most. It felt like a gift from heaven.

You see, it is not necessary to have a deep relationship with someone before reaching out to them.  So, please think about visiting someone who is sick, or inviting someone you recently met at Temple for coffee, or just say thank you for something nice that they have done.  Take the risk, reach out to someone and I guarantee that you will brighten their life and enrich yours.

Thank you Dr. Martin Wennar…

Dr. Wennar was a long-time member of Temple Sinai who passed away a few years ago.   He left money to our Temple in order to create a better understanding between different faith communities. What a great legacy to leave!

We were benefactors of his gift this past weekend with Dr. Reuven Firestone as our scholar in residence.  It was wonderful to sit in Temple Sinai Sunday morning enjoying a delicious breakfast, listening to Dr. Firestone discuss the similarities and differences between the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths.  Our members were joined by members of Christian and Muslim communities.  Our dialogue was much enriched by their participation.

I decided to write about this today since it illustrates so well how we can make a difference with thoughtful planning.  Martin Wennar included Temple Sinai in his estate planning because Temple was important to him.  I am sure that he would have been proud to know how our Scholar in Residence – Dr. Firestone enriched our community through a deeper understanding of one another.

Please let me know if I can help you leave a legacy that is important to you.

Yom Kippur Speech

Have you ever played with Legos?  Most of us have at one time or another - either alone, with a friend, or with our child.  Do you remember putting the Lego pieces on the floor, then picking them up, putting them together, then pulling them apart to put them in a different configuration?  One of the best things about playing with Legos is that each time you get them out, you know you're going to build something cool.  Sure there are the one or two projects that are the coolest, but most of them are something you are proud of. 

Nobody gets excited about playing with one Lego.  You may say, "Look at the Lego I have", (hold up Lego) and when no one looks excited you drop it on the floor or put it in your pocket (drop or put in pocket).  You might be glad that you have that one little Lego with you, but you will not be building anything cool, and it certainly won't help you amass new friends.

Imagine right now - that you have a giant pile of Legos in front of you...all different sizes and colors.  Some of them have things drawn on the side. You have all different Lego shapes, people, flags, wheels...anything you can think of and it's in your pile. 

Our Temple Community is really like this giant pile of Legos - we have many people with very different talents and interests.  When we have the opportunity to learn about, and spend time with these other people, we begin building something really cool.  When we build something really cool, we are excited to build more really cool things. Just look at the really cool things we have built.  We are sitting in a wonderful building, listening to music and readings, looking out through beautiful stained glass windows-all of this from members.  We had an idea of a winter party that became Fun in the Sun.  We had eight musicians that rocked the house two weeks ago with Rock Shabbat (yes there will be an encore).  We have a scholarship fund for our children to go to Israel.  We have hundreds of pounds of food in the lobby going to the food shelf this week.  We have a Havarim Committee providing meals, company, and transportation for members in need.  We have classes and groups that study Torah and Jewish stories.  The list goes on, and on, and on.  We should be very proud of what we have built.  I asked Ari Diamond to build something really cool for us today.  He immediately said "I will have Jacob help so it is very special.  Look what cool thing they built this week!  (Ari hold up for congregation to see).  I could not have imagined this when he agreed to built is for me.  Thanks Ari.

My nine months as your President has reinforced my feeling that we have an engaged, caring, membership. That we are a vibrant and exciting community.  In almost every instance when I have asked one of you to step up and become involved - you said yes.  I am thankful for the stronger connections that I have with many of you.  As a result of this, my Presidency is easier and more rewarding.  For all of this I thank you.

My goal is that each of us in this room today will make more of the same connections in the New Year.  We hear about "Outreach" - letting the community outside Temple Sinai,  know what we have to offer them.  We need to continue to do this to remain an exciting, growing community.  I would offer that if we spend some energy on "In-reach", we will discover that we have more to offer ourselves, not in a selfish way, but in a way that makes us stronger, better, more interesting, and keeps us engaged.  Together, we can build some really cool things that are just kernels of ideas now.

I would like to start really simple.  Let's begin by sharing with others the stuff we individually know, that might interest others.  Wouldn't it be nice to hear

•          Dr. Lewis First share tips on raising our children - live and in-person;

•          Itai Hicken share with us what he learned on his trip to Israel. What does he think Israel will look like in the future?

•          Beth Damon could teach us Japanese flower arranging;

•          Louise Stoll tell us about working in President Clinton's Dept of Transportation+  or about VP/COO of National United Jewish Communities.

•          David Greenberg tell about the history of the Red Sox or Celtics.  Maybe we should have the Yankees and Knicks represented too;

•          Mark Leopold tell us about his journey as a Cantor - our Cantor;

•          The Greenblott's and Leopold's could share the history of Temple Sinai and tell us why they started it.

I could go on because we each have so much to offer, but I will let each of you decide if you are willing to share your passion with the rest of our community. At this time, please take a minute, turn to someone sitting next to you, and exchange an interesting fact about yourself.

  ...Allow a couple minutes... 

You see, these are the things that others may want to learn from you.  In the next couple electronic newsletter, you will see a link asking you to tell us what would be willing to share with others in our Temple Community.  Please look for this and take a couple minutes to compete this.  Who knows, we may have gatherings in people's homes, in Temple, on the top of Mount Philo, or by the lake.  We will let you know by the end of October the response we received.

Oh, one more thing, consider sitting next to other people next time you come to services. Learn a little about them and share a little of yourself.

In closing, I want to thank Ari Diamond for assisting me today. You were very thoughtful in putting our Lego structure together.  It will be on display in the social hall for the rest of the day.

I wish you an exciting and prosperous New Year.  

September 11th

I look forward the High Holidays especially because these are "days of reflection".  Each year since our youngest children were age 6, our family meets on Rosh Hashanah afternoon to answer the following questions.  The discussion around these questions brought happy, sad, & humorous answers.  They always provided reflection that helped shape our behavior in the next 12 months.

Thanks for the book "Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Survival Kit" by Shimon Apisdorf for these questions.

The essential opportunity of Rosh Hashanah is to clarify for ourselves what our truest; “bottom line” priorities are in life.  To reflect on some of the following questions is quite appropriate on this Day of Judgment.

1. When do I most feel that my life is meaningful?

2. Those who mean the most to me … have I ever told them how I feel?

3. Are there any ideals that I would be willing to die for?

4. If I could live my life over, would I change anything?

5. What would bring me more happiness than anything else in the world?

6. What are my three most significant achievements since last Rosh Hashanah?

7. What are the three biggest mistakes I’ve made since last Rosh Hashanah?

8. What project or goal, if left undone, will I most regret next Rosh Hashanah?

9. If I know I couldn’t fail … what would I undertake to accomplish in life?

10. What are the three major goals in life?

11. What am I doing to achieve these goals?

12. What practical steps can I take in the next two months toward these goals?

13. If I could give my children three pieces of advice, what would they be?

I hope answering these questions as a family will bring you closer together. 

Happy New Year!

Jewish Communities of VT

Wouldn’t it be nice for all the Jewish communities of Vermont to work together?  Well this is beginning.  A group is working on this and has named the organization “Jewish Communities of Vermont”.

Representing Temple Sinai, I attended the first meeting of this group on August 11^th.  Other members of our congregation also in attendance were Judy Alexander, Bruce Chalmers, & Susan Leff.  Over 40 attended in total from 17 Vermont Jewish Communities.  Louise Stoll serves on the planning committee and Susan Leff it the newly appointed Executive Director.

The goal of this group is to “increase communication and understanding between the many diverse Jewish Communities”.  In our six hours together, we spent time exploring what we have in common, our hopes and dreams, and what we will do in the next 12 months.

Our goals for the next 12 months are: create a Statewide calendar, produce a monthly newsletter, create a logo, create a directory of VT Jewish resources, create a way to communicate i.e. a list serve, begin a statewide Tzedakah project, create a database of Kosher Foods available in VT, & host a Jewish immersion experience i.e. weekend retreat.  More to come – I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks for the Oneg

Thank you to Linda Retchin for coordinating the Oneg's.  Thanks also to everyone who has hosted or is planning to host an Oneg.

I love heading into the social hall after service to catch-up with my friends and to meet others.  After one of the last services I attended, I planned to leave right after the service for another commitment.  Fortunately that didn’t happen.  I stopped in the Social Hall to say hi and 20 minutes later finally pulled myself away from the conversations to leave.

I enjoy seeing the care that the Oneg Hosts take in the food and drinks they provide.  You can always count on some fruit and deserts.  I hope to see you at the next Oneg.  Many families host an Oneg with another family.

Linda and the Oneg committee have made it very easy to host an Oneg.  Right on our website is a page with all the details about Oneg's, including the Oneg schedule, instructions, and online sign-up.  Another way to sign up for an Oneg is with a phone call or email to Stacie or Linda.

So if you haven't hosted an Oneg, take a risk and sign up.  Call Linda or me if you would like a family to partner with.  Community is something most of us seek at Temple and this is a great way to connect with others in the community.  This is an opportunity to “create community”.

Away on Vacation

Paula and I are off to Italy for two weeks.  We are leaving Friday and returning on July 8th.

I tell you this not to make you jealous, but to let you know that you should contact Joel Goldberg, 1st Vice President with any Temple matters.   He would like to hear from you with your thoughts, hopes, concerns, or just good wishes.  You may reach Joel at joelMgoldberg@gmail.com or 238-7792.

Have a good rest of July.  Yes, I will bring back pictures and stories.

Where have the young people gone?

Where have all the young people gone? This is my version of the song written by Peter, Paul, & Mary with the title "Where have all the flowers gone". 

My daughter Lindsey was with me in Temple recently and was asked many times by others these questions:   “Where are you now?”,   “What are your plans”, “What is Evan doing” just  to mention a few.   It was nice for Lindsey to see how much our peers care about her.  They genuinely are excited to see her.

It strikes me that once our children complete their B’ Nai Mitzvah and are confirmed, we don’t celebrate them again.  We ask why our youth don’t stay connected to our Temple or for that matter, often are not part of any Temple in their 20’s.  I know that we can change that!  I challenge each of us to find out how to celebrate our youth's accomplishments beyond these two religious accomplishments. 

Here are some ideas off the top of Paula and my heads (two heads are better than one). 

1. A note of congratulations when they graduate from High School. 
2.  Shabbat in a box  to take with them after High School.
3. A call or note from the Rabbi and President when they graduate college or get their first professional job.
4. Send them something when they have their children.
5. Dedicate one of our services each year for our children.

Please join me in establishing some traditions that connect our youth to Temple Sinai in whatever State or Country they are.  Let me know if you are interested in getting together with a few others to settle on some ideas to implement.  Let me know if you are willing to research ideas.  Let me know if you agree that this is important.

Email me timpaula@comcast.net or call me 238-6569.

One person can make a difference - Thanks Louise!

We are all aware of the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT on December 14.  As many of you know, our congregation raised and contributed $300 to the Newtown’s Adath Israel Temple.  Rabbi Glazier’s March 21^st blog discusses how our congregation planned to help the Newtown community.  Eight members of our congregation drove to Newtown for the interfaith service and speakers that we sponsored.  It was a long day, but no one questioned whether it was worth the sacrifice.

It was clear from the people we spoke with that they were moved by more than just the financial sponsorship. They were moved by knowing that we cared about them.  They were moved that we joined them for the afternoon. 

Our involvement started when Louise Stoll approached Rabbi and me saying that we “need to do something” for the people of Newtown.  Rabbi contacted the Rabbi in Newtown and the result was our sponsorship and trip to Newtown.  Truth be told, Louise did need to nudge us to keep it moving.  For the idea, the caring, and the nudge – thank you Louise!

So I ask that next time you think of another person or community in need, ask how we might be able to help them.

613 Mitzvahs

Here is a good one… the term mitzvah has also come to express an act of human kindness.   In the Jewish Religion, it is a commandment of a good deed and we are asked to fulfill 613 Mitzvot in our lifetime.

My wife, Paula, was in a grocery store last year.  She was standing in line behind a woman in the check-out line.  She had watched this woman for quite some time struggle to get around the store with an identical set of five year old twin girls, one with cerebral palsy, a baby under one, and a hyperactive boy about 7.  The woman was doing her best to gather her groceries, diapers, and paper products while pushing the cart with the baby in it, keeping track of the boy, and pulling one of the twins in a wheelchair while the other one walked along side.  After a short time, the boy's grocery store meter ran out.  He couldn’t contain himself anymore and he started to act up.  The woman calmly moved toward the checkout counter just ahead of Paula.

As the clerk rang up the order and the woman gathered her money and food stamps, she realized that she didn't have enough to pay for her groceries and started to tell the clerk what she had to leave behind.  People in the back of the line were getting frustrated and anxious about how long she was taking to decide. Paula signaled to the clerk silently that she would pay for the woman’s groceries.  The clerk said simply that he made a mistake, took some of the money and food stamps the woman offered, and gave her all of the food and products she needed.   The woman was so thankful and occupied with her four children, she did not realize what was happening.    Another person helped to bag the items and offered to push the cart out to her car so she could better manage the twins.  He gently lifted the seven year old into the cart and gave him “a ride” to the parking lot.  Paula paid for the items along with her groceries without the mother ever knowing a stranger made it possible for her to take her groceries home.  

This story has stuck with me and shows how one small deed can make a huge difference in the lives of others - whether it is a phone call, a visit, giving up your seat on a bus, or a gift.   One of the key ingredients to a happy life is performing these acts of kindness.  Maybe this is why Mitzvot is at the core of the Jewish faith.

How will you make someone's life better this week?  What will your "acts of human kindness" be? 

Shalom

Holly Issenberg Bat Mitzvah on April 13, 2013 - Board Presentation by Tim Cope

Holly, one of the nice parts of being on the Bema during your Bat Mitzvah is watching how proud your parents are of you as you led the service today.  You did an outstanding job.

When we spoke earlier this week, you mentioned that you are the youngest in your family of cousins to have a B'Nai Mitzvah.  You mentioned how you were motivated by seeing them on their Bar or Bat Mitzvah.  Holly, I am sure that you will be motivation to others today.

You mentioned that you are proud to learn and understand Hebrew.  Listening to you today, you clearly learned it very well. 

I asked you what excites you about becoming a Bat Mitzvah.  You said that you are excited to read Torah at other B'Nai Mitzvah's, to attend Chai School, & to be an active member of YJ.  With your mom YJ advisor, you will be able to keep an eye on her.

Holly, I believe that a full life comes with being involved and giving.  With all you do for others, you will have a very full life.

Congratulations on doing a wonderful job today.  We are proud to have you as a member of our Adult congregation.

On behalf of the congregation, I have three presentations for you.  First is your own High Holiday Prayer Book.  Second is a $250 gift certificate to be used toward a NIFTY trip to Israel.  Finally is a certificate of your Bat Mitzvah.  The inscription reads:

“In becoming a Bat Mitzvah Holly Issenberg has accepted the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew: lifelong Torah study and the keeping of Mitzvot; Shabbat, holy-day and life-cycle observances; participation in the life of the synagogue, the Jewish community and Israel; dedication to Tikun Olam, the perfection of our world.”

April 3, 2013

Paula and I lost a dear friend, Rob LaClair, last week at the age of 52.  The funeral was an incredible tribute to him.  It was wonderful to see the outpouring of support for his family.

The thing that became clear to me as I listened to the conversations over the last week and at the service celebrating his life, is that he gave so much to others.  Everyone told a story of how he helped them  or how he made them laugh.  This in of itself isn’t unusual, although it does illustrate the point that we get back much more than we give.

What struck me listening to the eulogy was that Rob had three parts of his life in balance.  He always took time for himself.  He gave of himself in so many ways to help people and organizations.  He had clarity about his personal mission – where he wanted to make a difference in our community.  Having these three in balance allowed him to accomplish more in 52 years than many of us will in our lifetime.

So as you begin another day, week, year – take time for yourself, figure out where you want to make a difference in our world, and help others wherever you can. 

I am sad for our loss and thankful for all that he has given to so many of us.

D'var Torah - February 19, 2013

Exodus 27:20-30:10 - Oil for the Lamp

One of the topics last week’s Torah discusses is the people of Israel’s responsibility to bring pure beaten olive oil to keep the lamp burning. This lamp is the precursor of the Eternal Light above the Ark in today’s Temples.  I was struck by the discussion of making the lamp burn continually for two reasons:  the significance of light in our life and the need for community to keep the eternal light burning.

Rabbi Marci Bellows[i] writes about the significance of light in our life.  She asks "Have you ever gone through your iTunes collection and done a search for the word, "light?"  She says that she wouldn't be surprised if “you had at least a dozen songs that use the word light in the title.  There are so many songs with light imagery in their titles: sunshine, fire, brightness, and more.”  She continues with the difference between light and darkness in our culture.  Darkness brings thoughts of suffering, being sad, or alone.  Light represents love, happy, or celebrating good times. Darkness is equated with fear and uncertainty, as any of our children could tell us.  Likewise, light is associated with hope, safety, and peace.

It makes sense then that the building and maintenance of the Tabernacle was a place for the lamps to burn.   Eventually, the lampstand in the Tabernacle became the eternal light that floats above the ark in most synagogues today.  The eternal light is a visual, tangible reminder of God's presence.

Today, in our Temples our eternal light continues to burn with electricity.   Rabbi Loren Lapidus[ii] writes that before the invention of electricity in the mid-1800, it was a communal responsibility to keep the light burning.  Imagine, what it was like to have your turn at your Temple to prepare the oil and put oil in the lamp to keep the light burning. Imagine, how connected you would feel to others in your community being part of fulfilling the commandment to keep the eternal light burning.

The Eternal Light, Ner Tamid, is a symbol of the power of community, for it is through our connections to one another and our willingness to work together that we are able to bring light to others lives. The verse reminds us to participate in community with enthusiasm and dedication.  Thanks to Benjamin Franklin and others that we don't need to fill the lamps to keep light in our homes.

There is no invention that will provide light in people.  We need to bring enthusiasm, inspiration, and dedication to others if we are to have light in our lives.  We still need to care about and help others to have hope, safety, and peace.

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[i] Rabbi Marci Bellows writes the popular column, “Reform, Really”, on The Jewish Week’s Website. She is a regular presenter at Reform Judaism conferences.

[ii] Rabbi Loren Lapidus is one of the Rabbi’s and Atlanta’s oldest and largest Reform synagogue, Hebrew Benevolent Congregation.

Yahrzeit at Temple Sinai

I left Temple Friday night feeling connected to my mother who passed away 15 years ago.  She lived her life with a willingness to try new things.  She was willing to fail and had a belief that things would work out.  I think she liked the adventure of the experience.  I smile when I think of some of the things we tried, even though many didn’t end up as we had planned.

Honoring Mom’s Yahrzeit at Temple Friday was a wonderful experience.  Our Temple’s tradition invites families to share something about the person who died.  It was nice to share a little of my mother with others at Temple.  Fran Brock talked about her father Paul and made us laugh.  It was nice knowing I wasn’t the first person who dozed off on the bimah!  I know many others in our congregation a little better as a result of sharing these little known facts and inspiring stories.

Did you know that if you are out of town for your family’s Yahrzeit, Rabbi will help you find a way to celebrate it?  If you call our Rabbi, he will read the prayer with you individually, move the week if needed, call another congregation in the location you’ll be visiting, or find another solution so that you may remember your relative.

Our grandparents, parents, siblings, and children have special places in our hearts and influence how we live our lives.  It feels good to honor them each year with our Jewish community.

Annual Meeting Speech

I remember when I came to Temple Sinai with Paula in 1985. We were soon to be married and were deciding what congregation to join.  Being raised in the Methodist Church, the Jewish traditions were quite different than mine.  It wasn't long before Temple Sinai began to feel like home to us.  For many years, I asked myself why I chose to join a minority that was hated by so many.  Ultimately it became important for me to stand up for the rights of Jews.  It took years before I began to understand our role as Reform Jews in Vermont.  I will speak more about this in a moment. 

We have celebrated Bnai Mitzvahs, my conversion, family losses, and made many friends that supported us through these times.   We have instilled the importance of being part of a religious community in our children and to have compassion for all people regardless of their religious beliefs.  For all this, I am thankful for that time in 1985 when Paula brought me to Temple Sinai and for the warm welcome I received. 

We have a responsibility as Jews to preserve Reform Judaism for future generations.  This responsibility reminds us that being part of our Temple Sinai community is much larger than just meeting our individual needs.  It reminds us that we need to make every effort to make our community as strong as possible.  We must step outside of our daily life at times, to be part of the group that strengthens Temple Sinai.

Judaism is sustained by three things:   God, through worship; Torah, by way of study; and Israel, by maintaining community and tikkun olam (repair of the world).  Each of us chooses how we connect to Temple Sinai.  Some of us feel very connected to all three, some with two, and some with just one.  We all are equally part of Temple Sinai regardless of which of these areas is important to us.  It doesn't matter if you were raised Jewish, read Torah daily, or only help others in need.  What is important, is that as each of us continues through our Jewish Journey, all three connections are available to us at Temple Sinai. 

It is the board's responsibility to facilitate, provide opportunity, and encourage involvement.  When faced with decisions, both easy and hard, we will ask one overriding question, "Is this in the best interest of the congregation at large?"  There will be times when our decisions will not meet everyone's expectations, but we will always try to explain how we came to the decision and why we think it benefits our congregation.

I would like to take a moment to thank each of you that have shown your confidence in me to become your Temple President. Many of you have approached me with ideas, questions, and just support. It has been very uplifting for me seeing how much you care and are willing to step up and be part of making things better.  I ask each of you to continue to share your thoughts and ideas with me.

Please take time to thank the people who have agreed to serve on our Board and committees. We will include an organizational chart in future newsletters and on our New Temple website - Thank you Rachel Ring and Kate Wolinsky for the new website.  It's wonderful.

Over the years, you have asked us to address our financial deficit and take the pressure off dues increases and other financial requests.  We now have the ability to do this with two programs - Scrip and Amazon.  To make them work, I need your help and cooperation.

Please take the time to sign up for Scrip.  It will require you step outside of your regular  routine and change the way you shop.  It takes a little planning ahead.  If every family spent $100 per month in Scrip, Temple will receive approximately $10,000 every year.  Paula & I just picked up our scrip for the month of  December. We spent no more on our Scrip than we would have spent in our monthly budget and $38.25 went to Temple.  If all 180 families spent what we did for 12 months, Temple would gain $82,000!

The beauty of this is that it is the gift that keeps giving. With your involvement in Scrip, our Amazon program, and growing our endowment - we will reduce the dues and fundraising pressure that we are all feel. 

I am honored to serve as President of Temple Sinai for the next two years.  Please speak to me with thoughts or suggestions that you feel will make our Temple a better community.