Dear Temple Sinai Members and Friends,
When you walk through the front doors of Temple Sinai, you can just feel so much excitement in the air. So many programs are on-going and you know there will be more to come. This past week is but one example of what I am speaking.
Last Sunday was the Brotherhood’s Bingo Brunch with close to one hundred players. On Wednesday, the Social Action Committee, with thanks to Barbara Weinberg and Larry Okun, led a group of over twenty participants through an exhibit of a Holocaust Boxcar held next store at the Atlantic Community High School. On Thursday, Rabbi Marci Bloch taught a class on Ethical Wills to a group of attendees both in person and on-line. On Friday night was the Prospective Members’ Shabbat. Thanks to the Membership committee spearheaded by Harvey Kasper, Sherry Friedman, and Bernice Turner, over forty possible new members attended the event and the Shabbat service after. Postcards really can work to spread the word. Many of the attendees will probably join Temple Sinai. Those who do not, might not do so at this time but will help spread the word as to how welcoming, exciting, and engaging Temple Sinai is. The week was rounded off by an incredible Saturday night “At the Hop.” Over 250 attendees enjoyed, clapped their hands and danced to the music of the 50s. A shout out to Betti Adams, Mark Breitbart and the other volunteers and staff for an absolutely great night.
As I have written before, each of you, each of us, as I include myself, is an Ambassador of the Temple. It is our responsibility and task to spread the word about the wonderful qualities of this congregation. I felt this from my first interview now over three years ago for the position of Rabbi. The beautiful thing about Temple Sinai is that I still have this feeling about the Temple to this very day, and I enjoy sharing it with others. At Temple Sinai, we make the ordinary extraordinary and truly make Jewish community congregational life enjoyable and stimulating. Let’s spread this feeling so others will catch it as well.
This week’s Torah portion is Va-era. It takes us through the first seven of the ten plagues placed on the Egyptians by God through God’s servant Moses to convince Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to let the Hebrew slaves go free. I recall attending a few years ago a Shabbat service at a local synagogue and the Rabbi first offered a scientific explanation for each of the plagues that seemed to defy logic and any rational explanation, meaning that they would be considered miracles. I was wondering where this Rabbi was going to go with this sermon because he easily could have simply dismissed these events in Jewish history, thereby dismissing the Exodus story entirely. This would have been quite surprising coming from a Conservative Rabbi. He, however, then stated that the miracle was that these events happened when they did.
This Shabbat, I hope you will join me as I will give a brief course on Miracles and share with you some miracles I have experienced in my life, or at least events that were perceived as miracles by myself and by others.
Temple Sinai life is contagious. You can ask this of so many members and the large number of them who work so hard to make all of this happen.
On Friday night, in anticipation of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, I will offer a tribute to Dr. King before Kaddish and Cantor Shir will sing a Gospel song.
Shabbat shalom,
Your Rabbi Steve