Dear TBD Community,
I am very pleased to be writing to you today in the first of what will be regular messages from the Rabbi accompanied by the response from me as the Temple’s President. In reading the Rabbi’s message, I am particularly struck by two sentences:
“Whether you believe in God or not, believe in capital “G” Good or not, one thing is clear: we are a religion that believes not in waiting for Divine providence, but rather in giving and receiving help where and when we can.”
“In the words of [Rabbi David’s] father-in-law, “Sometimes, as Jews, we have to help our luck along.”
TBD is a small Temple. But our size is belied by our sense of community, our level of engagement, and our vibrancy. Our community’s ability to come together in support and loving kindness when the need arises never ceases to amaze me. Whether it is in times of tragedy, need, or joy, our Temple has a strong history of coming together to support our members and the larger Temple community. These are turbulent, conflict-ridden times in the larger world. TBD can and does provide a safe and welcoming place for all those who seek it. It is something that I as both President and a member of TBD am quite proud of and it is my sincere hope that we continue along this path for a long time to come. In reflecting on Rabbi David’s words; I think of how we, as members of the TBD community, as Jews or those connected to Jews, and as members of the larger community can continue to enable TBD to provide the services that we do, represent the values that we treasure, and be the Temple that we are. And so, in closing, I pose this question to you: How can TBD further our mission of helping others and helping ourselves; how can we “help our luck along”?
Shabbat Shalom
