Shalom Aleichem,
It was a wonderful and memorable day! Thank you to everyone for making my formal installation at B’nai Emunah such an amazing event. Not only was it personally meaningful, but it was also a historic happening in the history of our synagogue home. Thanks as well to those who were able to make it to our Open House – it was great to begin our Hanukkah celebration with you, and our home now feels truly blessed and “dedicated” because of your presence.
So, nu, Rabbi, what’s next? This coming month we are looking forward to opening the doors to B’nai Emunah’s Judaism University – an opportunity for continuing our Jewish education. It seems that more and more people want to pick up where they left off and to strengthen their Jewish roots. Indeed, we are taught that our physical sustenance of earning a living, and our spiritual sustenance of growing, depend upon our commitment to continued learning.
We learn that Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: "If there is no Torah, there is no worldly occupation; if there is no worldly occupation, there is no Torah….If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour” (Pirkei Avot 3:21).
That is, not only do we need to work and eat in order to learn, but we also need to learn in order to keep up our work, and our physical and spiritual well-being. We can do this as a community -- by connecting, reconnecting and plugging-in together, on a Jewish learning journey.
See you soon (and in class),
Rabbi Mark
