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Rabbinic Vision
Synagogues developed in America as a partial reaction to Jews being excluded from other cultural clubs and organizations, and today, in a country in which near total acculturation has been achieved, the nature of the synagogue must be radically re-imagined. People are no longer going to show up to synagogue because it is the only game in town (thankfully). Jews will enter the synagogue because it offers them something meaningful. If the synagogue is not doing this, then it is nothing more than a glorified museum documenting what was. A synagogue that facilitates valuable Jewish experiences will necessarily need to offer a variety of things, and at times, knowing what these things are may be mysterious. Defining precisely what animates one’s religious life is an arduous process, one that requires significant commitment.
With some confidence I can say that a synagogue that swallows people up and forces anonymity will be insufficient for the needs of the contemporary Jew. Though we each come searching for something specific and unique, we all need a synagogue to break our world down into a space that is intimate and sacred. For some this is through prayer, for others it is through study. Some are moved by melodies and music, others through ideas and culture. Some are searching for opportunities to act in earnest to heal our broken world; others simply yearn for a space to be known by others. Helping Jews find their connection to Judaism and teaching them how to nurture it is the task of the contemporary American synagogue- a daunting mission indeed.
Our synagogue must first and foremost, reflect the magnificence of Jewish tradition and custom. In the year 2005, we are picking up a story that has been told in exquisite detail, though it is still being written by folks like you and me. It is the story of our world, our God, our laws, our ideas of morality, our pain and loss, our paths to meaning, and the ritualization of memory. The story begins with the Torah and continues to be unraveled today. It is written by rabbis and scholars, novelists and painters, musicians and dramatists, and regular people just living their lives with their eyes open. In order for us to impact this story, to have a say in how it is told, we must learn and internalize its beginning; our narrative begins with our traditions.
My rabbinic vision is to help people connect to this story in ways that seem both natural and strange to them. For the intellectual, I want to help expose him/ her to the fantastic depth of our intellectual history and textual traditions of philosophy, halacha (Jewish Law), and Bible and Rabbinic study, a virtual paradise for the person seeking intellectual stimulation and growth. Yet I also want to challenge him to connect to Judaism in other ways, perhaps through prayer or ritual observance. Our synagogue should be a haven for experimentation with Judaism. Cutting edge ideas, creativity, love for ritual and halacha (Jewish law), song, and serious study are the voices that I want to fill our halls.
The Pelham Jewish Center is blessed by its size. It is important to me that I have the opportunity to build serious relationships with congregants and their families. It is my hope that we will connect to one another in ways that are meaningful, that cut through the pleasantries and formalities of the rabbi congregant relationship. A rabbi must study with the kids who prepare for their bnei mitzvah, not interview them hoping to dig up clever factoids to present later. The PJC is the perfect size for congregants and the rabbi to work together to discover a Judaism that is true, that does not feel forced and distant. I look forward to the opportunity to be challenged by you and to facilitate unfeigned religious growth.
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