“Today, I am a man!”
May, 1986

One of my takeaways is the sacredness of interpersonal relationships; and how they operate at the core of the congregation.  Several years ago, I met Morty in a not-so-pleasant first encounter.  In innovating our approach to worship, I moved our Shabbat morning services to the library, a more intimate space.  I quickly received an enraged email from Morty.  How dare I move services from the sanctuary, where they’ve always been!  What had I done?  My intention was to create a more intimate and spiritual worship experience.  Immediately, I reached out to Morty.

The next day, we shared our stories over coffee.  I really listened; I listened to the still small voice in the moment.  Upon Morty’s retirement, he and his wife moved to town to be near their grandchildren.  Our congregation had become their place of sacred belonging.  Morty’s wife died a few years before I arrived.  Morty had experienced so much painful change

Blessing on
the anniversary of
50 years of marriage.

What I learned next, taught me a great relational lesson.  Morty attended services every Friday evening, and Saturday morning.  He always sat in the same seat, on the far side of the sanctuary.  The location of his seat was important to him.  His seat was located next to his wife’s plaque on the Memorial Wall.  Morty sat with his wife during services as they’d done for fifty years.

Morty and I worked together to create a way of honoring the memory of his wife each Shabbat.  Morty and I continued to spend time over coffee, and the occasional bagel with schmear; he served as my wise counsel.  Those encounters evolved into a caring, sacred relationship.  I became a part of Morty’s family.  I supported Rebekah, Morty’s granddaughter, as her parents made the decision for her to attend a Jewish summer camp; she became a Bat Mitzvah at camp, as I officiated, surrounded by her peers, as that URJ camp became her Jewish home.

These relationships are why we engage in Jewish life.  Relationships are my WHY. Since my ordination, I have engaged in a wide array of opportunities to develop the skills necessary for rabbinic and congregational excellence.  I have sought to master the best practices in nonprofit management, volunteer engagement, community organizing, fundraising, interim rabbinic training, spirituality, liturgy, pastoral counseling, and the best applicable practices from the for-profit sector.  These skills strengthen my ability to partner with congregational leadership, to rethink, and to reimagine; all to define the WHY of today’s congregation.