Rabbi's Corner
Rabbi Avi M. Schulman's Corner
This page contains Rabbi Avi M. Schulman's Weekly "A Word from Rabbi Schulman" included in the TBT-Weekly email and Monthly "A MESSAGE FROM OUR RABBI" in the Temple Beth Torah Bulletin
I will never forget our service last Shabbat evening when we celebrated our 50th anniversary. As we began our Torah service, I shared the following:
“The Torah does not specifically have any commentary on marking an anniversary, let alone celebrating a fiftieth anniversary. However, it does say in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25, Verse 10, that the Jewish people should follow this mitzvah: V’kiddashtem et Shenat Hachamishim. . . . and you shall sanctify the fiftieth year. The root of the word V’kiddashtem is Kuf Dalet Shin, which means to set apart, to make holy. Hence, to sanctify our 50th anniversary we have to do something unique, something that makes this service unlike any other. The most sacred part of our service is when we read Torah, which chronicles the history of the world and how it came into being. The Torah tells the story of humanity; and accounts for the formation of a unique people, the Jewish people.The Torah tells us of our ancestors and the establishment of a covenant that binds us to God. So to commemorate our 50th anniversary we need to connect with the Torah, not only as an account of our past, but as a means of binding ourselves to one another and to God. Our sanctifying must involve memory. In Judaism, to remember is a mitzvah. In Torah we read: Zachor et Yom HaShabbat – Remember the Sabbath day and make it kadosh, holy. Memory has the power to uplift us from the humdrum of everyday life. Recalling our past reminds of our core values and traditions and informs us not only where we have come from but helps guide us toward our future. So sanctifying our fiftieth year as a congregation must involve memory. Lastly, to sanctify the fiftieth year, we have to share stories. There’s an old saying that goes: “Why did God create human beings? Because God loves stories.” Since our beginnings, we have been telling stories, some factual and other stories are somewhat embellished. To sanctify this special occasion we all have a story to share about our own connection to Temple Beth Torah.” So, to fulfill the mitzvah V’kiddashtem et Shenat Hachamishim, you shall sanctify the fiftieth year last Shabbat evening we did something completely unprecedented. We consecrated that night as Simchat Temple Beth Torah. We unrolled an entire Sefer Torah, and invited everyone there to array him or herself around the scroll according to when he or she joined the congregation. Our fifty year members stood near Genesis, at the very beginning of the story of creation. Then everyone – whether a long time member or not; young or old; male or female, had an opportunity to tell a story, responding to the question, “At Temple Beth Torah, I remember when . . . .” Oh the stories that were told last Friday night! They were precious and touching, humorous and inspirational, poignant and uplifting. After everyone had a chance to speak, there was only one action we could possibly do, and that was to recite the Shehecheyanu, thanking God for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and allowing us the privilege of reaching this momentous occasion. To which all who were there – and even all who were not at that anniversary service - can respond by saying: Amen. Rabbi Schulman’s High Holy Day Sermons are posted on our Temple website http://www.bethtorah-fremont.org/sermons/ Rabbi Avi Schulman
February 2012 Bulletin: A MESSAGE FROM OUR RABBI
Normally, when I arrive home, I can expect my wife, Eve, our daughter, Rebecca, and our dog, Buddy, to greet me in some fashion. Ok, to be truthful, only Buddy licks my hand, but at least there is some semblance of welcoming me home after being away all day.
However, when I arrived home on a Tuesday night, no one acknowledges me, not even Buddy. Ma Nishtana HaLaila Hazeh? Tuesday night is Glee night in the Ben-Ora/Schulman household and I have learned to accept that this television show preempts my homecoming. Eve and Rebecca love watching this show together. It‘s a mother-daughter bonding experience as they watch this teenage comedy/drama taking place at McKinley High School. They enjoy the comic antics of Sue Sylvester and the gallant attempts by Mr. Schuester to resurrect the glory of the glee club. On the few occasions when I‘ve watched the show, two things have really grabbed me. The first is the phenomenal singing and dancing of the cast. Secondly, the inclusive nature of the show‘s characters: gay kids, handicapped students, teenagers with Downs Syndrome are "normalized" and are part and parcel of the program. So what does all this talk about Glee have to do with us at Temple Beth Torah? In case you haven‘t heard, our Purim spiel this year is based on the program. Its not much of a stretch to cast Sue Sylvester as Haman and Mr. Schuester as Mordecai. But more importantly, the youthful energy of Glee has infused our entire cast with excitement. I readily admit that when we first started rehearsals, I was unfamiliar with songs like Teenage Dream, Born this Way and Katy Perry‘s Firework. But the teenagers in the cast all knew the songs inside out—and having Greg Ravenscroft, our wonderful producer, record the songs and reworked lyrics on a CD really helped. Laura Golden, our creative and enthusiastic director, along with Janette Buechler, our imaginative choreographer, have kept rehearsal stress to a minimum and rehearsal fun to a maximum. That is one of the joys of our Purim spiels. The process of getting ready, the camaraderie of the cast, the occasional unexpected moment of hilarity, and the involvement of all ages from toddlers to seniors, are truly remarkable. I know of no other congregation in the country that puts as much effort into its spiels as Temple Beth Torah. There will be two shows of "Glee—the Spiel." The first will be on Saturday night, March 3 at 7:30pm and the second the following afternoon at 1:00pm. Whether you‘re familiar with the television program, or not, I guarantee that "Glee—the Spiel" will have you laughing and smiling. L‘Shalom, Rabbi Avi SchulmanIf a member of your family or a friend from the temple is in the hospital, or ill, please call the temple office to let the Rabbi know.
For security reasons, hospitals in the area are no longer permitted to tell us when they have Jewish patients.