Rabbi's Corner... A Message from the Rabbi “May the Lord bless you and keep you.”
(Numbers 6)
The Priestly Benediction opens with this
entreaty. The rabbis of old understand this, the first line of the three part blessing, as an appeal for God to provide material
sustenance. Without food, shelter, clothing, health, and safety, all other blessings pale in significance. This simple blessing carries a profound message: take care of yourself; take care of your family; don’t overlook the basic needs.
Summer time provides the perfect Petri dish to reconnect with those basic needs, to assure your sustenance and that of your loved ones. While the pace slows down, we have the luxury of a little more time to consider how well we are taking care of ourselves. Is the food we are putting in our mouths nurturing the body, or providing empty calories that drain the soul? Do our homes fall in disrepair as a symbol of the neediness of those living between the walls? The slower pace of summer invokes us to consider how well we are attending to those things that sustain us.
This summer, once again, you have afforded me the
opportunity to attend to my own needs with a two month
sabbatical, beginning the third week of June. With this gift of time I plan to consider those basic needs for myself and my family. One of the essential parts of my own self-care is the feeding of my intellectual and spiritual core. The sabbatical will allow me time to study with colleagues and scholars,
immersing myself in Torah for the sake of Torah. In so doing, attending to those needs of my well being, the well being of my family, and the well being of my intellectual and spiritual core, I hope to refill the well from which I serve Temple Beth Or.
During my two months away Temple will be amply covered by the seasoned care of Rabbi Jurovics. She will be attending to both the scheduled duties of congregational life: worship, teaching, and pastoral counseling, and the unscheduled calls: funerals, baby namings, illness, and community needs.
Zemer Lexie Hallman will be assisting Rabbi Jurovics offering support for bar/bat mitzvah meetings, minyans, and visiting the sick, in addition to the uplifting music she provides in our worship. In their hands Temple Beth Or will continue our lively Sabbath-eve, summer services, with the pre-service oneg, short d’var Torah, and prayers to welcome Shabbat. Shabbat mornings, when there is no bar/bat mitzvah, the
congregation will have opportunities for Torah discussion and intimate worship experiences.
Before my sabbatical begins, Jeffrey and I are celebrating a personal milestone with the Bar Mitzvah of our son Jacob at Shabbat services on June 6th. We hope you will join us for this sacred passage.
Rabbi Lucy H.F. Dinner
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