Thought Of The Week: 3 December 2015

Written by Writings & Sermons by others — 3 December 2015

In Rabbinic life nothing is ever really finished. We live in an constant cycle of the Jewish Festivals, weekdays and Shabbatot, births, B’nei Mitzvah, weddings and bereavements, reading Torah round and round again so that for the twenty fifth year since I became a student Rabbi, I get to introduce Joseph to a community in this week’s Torah portion. This continuing circle provides the bedrock of Judaism, like the world turning, which despite its constant motion appears to be something solid which we can rely upon.

In a couple of days from now I begin three months’ Sabbatical from my regular duties at Alyth. I will spend a great deal of it working on the new edition of Days of Awe, our High Holy Days Machzor, as Chair of its Editorial Committee. This should mean that when Rosh Hashanah comes this year you will have in your hands a full draft prayer book to give freshness and renewed spiritual meaning to the liturgy and traditions of the Jewish New Year.

I have three experiences this week which are beginnings rather than endings because each of them leads on to the future even though they may appear to be the ending of a complex piece of work.

The Alyth Weekend Away just took place creating new relationships, opening up Judaism and the delight of the Alyth community to over one hundred and twenty people. Whilst it was the culmination of months of hard word by a team of volunteers and the Alyth staff, its value is in what it enables after the final minutes as everyone leaves for home, renewed, refreshed and inspired.

The Alyth Action Group’s Mental Health Listening project had its first evening yesterday to hear what the many Alyth members who have answered the call to have a conversation about mental wellbeing have been saying. Through these conversations we can work out what we might do to support each other better as a community and improve services in the wider community. Listening will continue through the coming months, please e-mail Ruth Weiner at ruth@weinerfamily.co.uk if you would be willing to have a conversation to share your ideas and experiences. Another beginning.

Finally on Sunday, my last day before my Sabbatical, Alyth and FRS’s Shofar Day Care Nursery has its Chanukkah opening morning at its Sternberg Centre location. It looks wonderful and a worthy complement to the Alyth Kindergarten, ensuring that we can help young people start life in a nurturing Jewish environment. The first children will come in to Shofar at the beginning of January and so finishing the building is not an ending but yet another beginning.

Thank you to all members Alyth for enabling me to have these three months relieved of the shared responsibility of the Synagogue. I will return on March 7th having grown as a Rabbi. I hope that these months will treat you well and assure you that the support of my colleagues Rabbis Josh Levy, Colin Eimer and Maurice Michaels, together with the whole Alyth staff team will be there for you when you need it.