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July 19, 2024 - 13 Tamuz 5784 Parasha Balak: My Psalm of Thanks
I hope this correspondence finds you doing well and enjoying a relaxing summer. Please be careful in the heat and make sure to wear sunscreen and drink lots of water. I look forward to welcoming you to Shul this Saturday morning for Shabbat services, which will be followed by a festive Kiddush. This Shabbat, the Kiddush is being sponsored by Bruce Minkoff, in memory & honor of his late father, so we thank Bruce. As always, services will take place in our beautifully renovated sanctuary and be available on the regular Zoom prayer link. As Operation Charvot Barzel continues and we enter day number 285, we continue to direct our prayers, hearts, and thoughts towards our brothers and sisters defending the Holy Land, we yearn for the immediate return of the hostages, the safe return for those displaced from their homes, and complete healing for those injured both physically and psychologically. With my time as Rabbi at CBIOTP winding down, as I compose this Rabbinic Reflection, I pause to reflect on our holy work together over the last seven years. One of my favorite Psalm texts is taken from the daily liturgy. Psalm 100 is only five sentences long, but it contains many important themes. The Psalm begins as follows: A psalm of thanks! Raise a shout for the LORD, all the earth.
Allow me to work backwards, as I meditate upon the personal meaning I derive from this text. Serving Hashem in joy and happiness is the greatest calling of any Jew, any human being, and for sure, any Rabbi. No Rabbi, however, can simultaneously generate, nurture, and exponentially increase the spirit of full joy in the prayer space, or in the congregation, without the support of devoted energetic congregants. Joining together each Shabbat, we have celebrated milestones such as anniversaries & birthdays; life cycle events such as B’nei Mitzvah, Aufrufs, and weddings; and we have also fully embraced our spiritual gift of the Sabbath with enthusiastic song, deep learning, and a profound uplifting sense of community. For me, our time together has always been amazingly joyful! I remember back a few years ago, when Rabbi Stern would join us on Zoom, periodically popping onto the screen, and he would comment, “Wow, it sounds like they are really singing! How many people are there?” Similarly, I recall Hazzan Zim often sharing, “Wow, they really like to join in!” Your voices have joined in magnificent melody and unintended harmony to make each congregational piece a true petition to God, and an uplifting rendition for all of us sitting in the confines of our sanctuary. Your voices, I will miss, and I am thankful for every prayer we have recited together. Over the years, I have taken much joy in the Torah that we have learned together. Whether through our incredibly creative Zoom lecture series (authors, films, irregular rabbis, Israel update programs, etc.), formal classes, communal Seders, Shabbat morning “fireside” chats, or Shabbat interviews with special guests, you have been responsive, engaged, thoughtful, and motivated learners. I have learned from you and hope that you have learned from me. Your questions, I will miss, and I am thankful for each curious probing question you have asked and each insightful comment you have shared. Mostly, as I reference the first sentence above, I humbly give thanks to Hashem for offering us all these years together. I cherish each of you. My list of personal thanks is long and detailed, and if I were to name names and specifics, it could not even fit in the ether of the eternal iCloud. So, in brief, I thank you for your daily and weekly support. I thank you for your patience. I thank you for your nurturing. I thank you for your feedback. I thank you for listening, learning, and singing. I thank for your willingness to try new things. Mostly, I thank you for being YOU, a committed, devoted member and a caring unique Jewish Neshama (soul). May the future lead us, the people of Israel, these United States, and all of humankind to unbridled joy, mutual support, understanding, compassion and care, forever grounded in gratitude and service to Hashem. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon DM.
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