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Fifty years ago, I walked up the stairs of my synagogue’s religious school and entered
Mrs. Tilles’s classroom. Something happened to me that day that changed the course of
my life forever. My love for God, Torah, and Israel were all born when my family joined
that synagogue. More than anything else in my childhood, the synagogue saved me, inspired
me, brought out the best in me, and gave my life meaning and purpose. I still have the
baby Torah I hugged the night of my Consecration, celebrating my entry into the world of Jewish
education. My Bat Mitzvah certificate sits framed on a shelf in my office today, even
though my Bat Mitzvah took place on a Friday night without the Torah. I remember learning
how to roll the Torah in secret, because girls weren’t allowed to participate in that sacred
task. To this day, something magical takes place every time I touch a Torah, roll a Torah,
and study Torah.
Thirty years ago, I was ordained as a rabbi, because I wanted the synagogue and the Torah
to be the center of my life’s work. Every day, I honor Mrs. Tilles, and all of my teachers,
as I stand in my classroom sharing Torah and Jewish values. Our tradition transports me
to the Jewish past, enriches every day of my personal present, and daily inspires my
dedication to vision the Jewish future. I love placing baby Torahs in the hands of our
newest students, and the real Torah in the arms of B’nai Mitzvah young and old, and
in the arms of those who choose to embrace Judaism.
For me, the synagogue is so much more than a building with a bimah. The synagogue is
a magical place where Torahs are hugged, stories shared, lives matter, and people are transformed,
empowered, and inspired to embrace the living Judaism they seek. In the synagogue, I name
babies, hold crying congregants in my arms, tell sacred stories of our tradition and of
those who have died, and share our magnificent tradition in prayer and song, word and deed.
Together, we create a holy place devoted to lifelong learning, to creating a caring community,
and to repairing our world, one mitzvah at a time. My precious new grandson will inherit the
Judaism I have dedicated my life to preserving and sharing.
My Pearl only becomes a necklace when it joins with yours – Join me in the blessing of
belonging, building, and sustaining all that is “Jewish” in our lives.