Since I’ve been President, I often hear Board Members, and especially past-Board Members complain that they never found their “voice” while they were on the Board. This also holds for congregants who are looking to find community here at Temple. Well… after almost 20 years as a member, 6 years on the Board and 2 ½ years as President, I have the answer. VOLUNTEER. JOIN. BE HERE.
I too spent some time as a “drop-off” parent. You know who you are. You drive by, open the door, let your child into the building and then drive off. You can’t get involved that way, and you can’t complain about not getting connected if you never enter the building. Each week we send out an email that lists activities in the building. It also has information about committee meetings and events that need workers. If you want to get something out of your membership, you have to put something in. In you want to find a support system within the congregation, you have to be where others are. If you work on a committee you meet the other members, same thing with helping out cooking a dinner or organizing an event. We currently need committee chairs and volunteers to organize events for Tu B’shvat, Purim, Pesach, and the up-coming 150th Anniversary of our congregation. There’s a Used Book Sale in January that needs lots of help, too. The more you do, the more you get. Yes, you can just drop off your kid, but there is so much more we have to offer. We can’t go to your house and drag you in. And once you are in the building, we need to know who you are. Are you a great organizer, a great cook, can you decorate like Martha Stewart, or do you just take directions well. We need to know what you can do and what you want to do before we can get you to the right place. And sometimes things don’t work out exactly as you thought they would but so what, you tried. Try again with another group if you don’t like the first one, or even the second or third.
So when you get that email that says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
When someone calls you and says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
When someone comes to you and says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
Or stop kvetching that you can’t find your place… We really are talking to YOU!
Written with hope,
Lauren Levrant
President
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Find your talking donkey
And now a story…
During a Friday night service this summer, Rabbi Weiss did a sermon on Balak and Balaam. For those of you who missed it, and that means most of you, I 'd like to give a brief recap.
The Israelites are traveling thru the desert, despite popular belief, they are actually battling there way thru populated lands and they’re winning! Balak, king of the Moabites, is afraid of them and tries to hire a powerful prophet, Balaam to curse this powerful group who has come out of Egypt, so that his army can conquer them. Balaam talks to god and god tells him “Don’t do it”, so he refuses. Once again, Balak sends officials to Balaam, this time with the promise of great rewards. Balaam once again asks god what he should do. This time god says its ok for him to go with Balak’s officials, but he can only do what god tells him to do.
Without giving him a chance to do more than saddle up his donkey, god gets angry seeing Balaam on his way, and sends a sword bearing angel to block the donkey’s way. The donkey veers off the road and gets hit for his troubles. On they go, and this time the angel forces the donkey against a wall and Balaam’s leg gets scraped. And the donkey gets hit again. The third time the angel is right in front of them, and the donkey lays down. Once again, smack.
Only this time, the donkey asks Balaam “Hey, why are you hitting me?” I repeat, the donkey says “why are you hitting me?” Imagine that, a talking donkey.
Now our rabbi is a great story teller and while he is telling us this story, it truly sounds like a Disney story, complete with a talking donkey. I'm there, thinking Shrek. Then I remember, this was the very first story I read when I joined my Torah study group back in 1993.
Can you imagine? Before that day, I'd never read the bible, and I walk in and they're reading a story featuring a talking donkey! I was hooked!
Of course, its not always that much fun. Sometimes we read long lists of names, we never skip a word. Sometimes its a travelog naming all the wells and stone alters the Hebrews passed on the way, but then you get something amazing...something that reads like a movie script... mothers bewailing that their sons are marrying shiksas. More variations on incest than you can imagine, battles, angels, god gambling with satan, and don't forget that talking donkey!
Now, in my torah study group we each read from whatever version grabs our attention on that day. Some of us use the Plaut version that you should all be familiar with, or the King James. There are versions written by Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox jews, poets, scholars and many more. But they all tell the same story. The thing to remember is that they are all translations of the same scroll that is housed in the Ark right behind me.
This morning you've heard several of our congregants chanting from that scroll. I've had the honor of doing that on several occasions, and I can attest to the power of that experience. The scroll is a work of art. It is hand written with an incredible amount of reverence.
And this brings me to the reason I’ve just told you about my love story with the torah. This year we have a unique opportunity to participate in the repair of our Torah scroll. The very one that our children read from when they become b’nai mitzvah.
You will be getting information about the project and how you can get involved. Our hope is that there will be 100% participation.
There will be educational sessions with the sofer who will be doing the work. There will be social events celebrating the scrolls, and you will each be given the chance to support the work in a very personal way.
This will be a year long process, so watch for information about how you can be a part of this exciting experience. And don't forget, the torah is a scroll, but it is also our story. Get involved. Think about joining a torah study group, its the best way to be introduced to our book, and we have 3 of these groups meeting every Sunday right here in this building who would welcome you with open arms.
I encourage each of you to find your own talking donkey and follow him into the magical world of our Torah.
During a Friday night service this summer, Rabbi Weiss did a sermon on Balak and Balaam. For those of you who missed it, and that means most of you, I 'd like to give a brief recap.
The Israelites are traveling thru the desert, despite popular belief, they are actually battling there way thru populated lands and they’re winning! Balak, king of the Moabites, is afraid of them and tries to hire a powerful prophet, Balaam to curse this powerful group who has come out of Egypt, so that his army can conquer them. Balaam talks to god and god tells him “Don’t do it”, so he refuses. Once again, Balak sends officials to Balaam, this time with the promise of great rewards. Balaam once again asks god what he should do. This time god says its ok for him to go with Balak’s officials, but he can only do what god tells him to do.
Without giving him a chance to do more than saddle up his donkey, god gets angry seeing Balaam on his way, and sends a sword bearing angel to block the donkey’s way. The donkey veers off the road and gets hit for his troubles. On they go, and this time the angel forces the donkey against a wall and Balaam’s leg gets scraped. And the donkey gets hit again. The third time the angel is right in front of them, and the donkey lays down. Once again, smack.
Only this time, the donkey asks Balaam “Hey, why are you hitting me?” I repeat, the donkey says “why are you hitting me?” Imagine that, a talking donkey.
Now our rabbi is a great story teller and while he is telling us this story, it truly sounds like a Disney story, complete with a talking donkey. I'm there, thinking Shrek. Then I remember, this was the very first story I read when I joined my Torah study group back in 1993.
Can you imagine? Before that day, I'd never read the bible, and I walk in and they're reading a story featuring a talking donkey! I was hooked!
Of course, its not always that much fun. Sometimes we read long lists of names, we never skip a word. Sometimes its a travelog naming all the wells and stone alters the Hebrews passed on the way, but then you get something amazing...something that reads like a movie script... mothers bewailing that their sons are marrying shiksas. More variations on incest than you can imagine, battles, angels, god gambling with satan, and don't forget that talking donkey!
Now, in my torah study group we each read from whatever version grabs our attention on that day. Some of us use the Plaut version that you should all be familiar with, or the King James. There are versions written by Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox jews, poets, scholars and many more. But they all tell the same story. The thing to remember is that they are all translations of the same scroll that is housed in the Ark right behind me.
This morning you've heard several of our congregants chanting from that scroll. I've had the honor of doing that on several occasions, and I can attest to the power of that experience. The scroll is a work of art. It is hand written with an incredible amount of reverence.
And this brings me to the reason I’ve just told you about my love story with the torah. This year we have a unique opportunity to participate in the repair of our Torah scroll. The very one that our children read from when they become b’nai mitzvah.
You will be getting information about the project and how you can get involved. Our hope is that there will be 100% participation.
There will be educational sessions with the sofer who will be doing the work. There will be social events celebrating the scrolls, and you will each be given the chance to support the work in a very personal way.
This will be a year long process, so watch for information about how you can be a part of this exciting experience. And don't forget, the torah is a scroll, but it is also our story. Get involved. Think about joining a torah study group, its the best way to be introduced to our book, and we have 3 of these groups meeting every Sunday right here in this building who would welcome you with open arms.
I encourage each of you to find your own talking donkey and follow him into the magical world of our Torah.
Because we are Jews
Because we are Jews, we are here tonight. Something impels us to worship with our fellow Jews on this occasion. We may embrace it with enthusiasm, or we may not even be sure why we are here. Because we are Jews, we come, knowing that we belong. And being here honors our mothers and fathers and grandparents and all who came before us back into the dim corners of our collective past.Tonight, I am asking you to live a bit more Jewishly. Light Shabbat candles. Collect tsedakah in your home, and distribute it where it is needed. In my laundry room I keep a box by my washer and put in any money that gets left in pockets.
If we can’t be bothered, to remember, to live Jewishly, what message will our children and grandchildren receive? And make no mistake: living Jewishly is not a matter of juggling the schedule. It is a series of actions born of deliberate choice.Once we choose to live more Jewishly we can then work on re-vitalizing our congregation. I have a vision of Oak Park Temple. I see this temple as a vital expression of who we are as Jews. As a place that ripples with the passion for life that is central to what it means to be a Jew. A place that transcends generational boundaries. The more families we have with children and grandchildren, the more brimming with life the Temple will be.
I visualize weekly Shabbat services vibrant with sacred meaning that comes not from sitting back and mouthing the words but from jumping in, heart and soul first. Worship only works to the degree we invest ourselves in it. You can’t sidestep the leap of commitment and expect any meaningful benefit. I invite everyone here to attend Shabbat services at least twice within the coming year. And when you do, take a chance. Participate with kavanah, with spirit. It may take some practice, but you’ll get the hang of it.
I see our education programs stimulating and rewarding for children and adults. Continuing learning is central to what it means to be a Jew. If you crave more Jewish learning and are not getting it, whatever your age, ask. I bet there is someone here who can teach it to you.
Mostly what I see in this vision is our engagement. Yours as well as mine. We each benefit from the gifts of our fellow congregants. If you’ve got something you’d like to share, please come talk to me. Serve this community and help shape it. Be counted.
Finally, when you come on a Friday night, there is a prayer you may hear, that I would like to share:
May the door of this synagogue be wide enough
to receive all who hunger for love,
all who are lonely for fellowship.
May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.
May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough
to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.
May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.
May it be too high to admit complacency,
selfishness, and harshness.
May this synagogue be, for all who enter,
the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.
kanye yehi ratzon
May it be so
If we can’t be bothered, to remember, to live Jewishly, what message will our children and grandchildren receive? And make no mistake: living Jewishly is not a matter of juggling the schedule. It is a series of actions born of deliberate choice.Once we choose to live more Jewishly we can then work on re-vitalizing our congregation. I have a vision of Oak Park Temple. I see this temple as a vital expression of who we are as Jews. As a place that ripples with the passion for life that is central to what it means to be a Jew. A place that transcends generational boundaries. The more families we have with children and grandchildren, the more brimming with life the Temple will be.
I visualize weekly Shabbat services vibrant with sacred meaning that comes not from sitting back and mouthing the words but from jumping in, heart and soul first. Worship only works to the degree we invest ourselves in it. You can’t sidestep the leap of commitment and expect any meaningful benefit. I invite everyone here to attend Shabbat services at least twice within the coming year. And when you do, take a chance. Participate with kavanah, with spirit. It may take some practice, but you’ll get the hang of it.
I see our education programs stimulating and rewarding for children and adults. Continuing learning is central to what it means to be a Jew. If you crave more Jewish learning and are not getting it, whatever your age, ask. I bet there is someone here who can teach it to you.
Mostly what I see in this vision is our engagement. Yours as well as mine. We each benefit from the gifts of our fellow congregants. If you’ve got something you’d like to share, please come talk to me. Serve this community and help shape it. Be counted.
Finally, when you come on a Friday night, there is a prayer you may hear, that I would like to share:
May the door of this synagogue be wide enough
to receive all who hunger for love,
all who are lonely for fellowship.
May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.
May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough
to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.
May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.
May it be too high to admit complacency,
selfishness, and harshness.
May this synagogue be, for all who enter,
the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.
kanye yehi ratzon
May it be so
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