Saying Goodbye...

After five wonderful years, this evening, I said my final goodbye to Temple Sinai of Roslyn.  This was my last Friday evening service with this wonderful congregation.  As I travel forth to Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore, I can't thank everyone in the congregation enough for all of their support and love.  As we say in Judaism, l'hitraot, not goodbye, but see you soon!

I’m not sure if you know this… but, I don’t like long goodbyes!  Now, most of you know me.  You know that I love to schmooze. I love to meet people.  I love to talk and hear about what’s happening in our lives.  But … when the party’s over, the check’s been paid, the final bow has been taken, I like the quick kiss, hug, and a very quick “goodbye.”

That’s not the JEWISH goodbye.  We Jews have to say goodbye to everyone!  There’s so much hugs and kisses happening!  And once we’re ready to leave, we have to do it all over again.

So… you can imagine that this month has been a little bit challenging.  There have been so many goodbyes and celebrations, lunches, dinners, and brunches as I prepare to become the next rabbi at Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore, MD.  It has been truly incredible, heartwarming, amazing, and overwhelming.

When I began rabbinical school, I dreamed about what my impact would be.  Would I be a good teacher?  Would I be a comforting presence?  Could I help guide those who were looking for substance, meaning, and spirituality?  What I’ve learned from all of you is that I’ve fulfilled my wildest dreams.  I’ve put my heart and soul into my rabbinate… and I’ve been utterly grateful to learn that it’s been appreciated.  Thank you for your thank yous and your goodbyes.  It’s been an incredible gift to me as a person and as a rabbi.

As I conclude my final Shabbat service at Temple Sinai.  I thought deep and hard about what this final goodbye would look like.  What words did I wish to share with you all?  I wanted these words to have substance.  To explain my role as your teacher and your role as MY teacher.  And I decided the only fitting words were those from the Kaddish d’Rabbanan.

You’ve heard Kaddish.  The Chatzi Kaddish, the Mourners Kaddish.  But Kaddish D’Rabbanan is a unique Kaddish.  It’s pretty much unknown and unfamiliar to many of us.  It’s words are situated towards the very beginning of the morning service.  Must traditional Jews aren’t yet at synagogue when this prayer begins (they filter in a little bit later) and most Reform synagogues don’t often recite this prayer due to time constraints.

Yet, there are a handful of other times when Kaddish D’Rabbanan is recited.  When a community has completed a book of study, a volume of the Talmud, or a major endeavor together, Kaddish D’Rabbanan is read.  It’s word are a conclusionary blessing.  A bridge from the place we’ve been to the place we’d like to travel to.  A bridge from the past to the future.

  

There’s a reason why these words are recited after the completion of study.  It’s this extra paragraph found in the middle of Kaddish D’Rabbanan.  It reads:

God of Heaven and Earth, grant abundant peace to our people Israel and their rabbis, to our teachers and their disciples, and to all who engage in the study of Torah here and everywhere.  Let there be for them and for us all, grace, love, and compassion, a full life, ample sustenance, and salvation from God, and let us respond: Amen.

These words are all about study.  About teachers and students.  About the completion of Torah and future Torah study.  And it’s a blessing for us all: compassion, love, life, sustenance.  What a better blessing, what a better Jewish goodbye than this?

Today, as I stand here, on this final Shabbat, I recognize that I have blessed to be your rabbi for five wonderful years.  And seated here today, are a group of congregants from Scarsdale Synagogue, where I was your rabbi for four wonderful years.  I’m deeply honored to have you all here.  You’ve all been my students and my teachers.  I’ve been blessed to comfort you, teach you, guide you, pray with you, study with you, and change the world with you.  We’ve completed so much Torah together.

And yet, there is much Torah to learn.  We might not learn Torah together each and every day going forward, but we’ll still learn from each other.  Whether it’s through e-mail or facebook or times together in person, we won’t be strangers, we won’t be apart. 

And, we will learn more Torah from new teachers and new students.  Part of the Jewish way is making sure we don’t go grow bored, we don’t grow stale.  It’s important to learn from new teachers to challenge us, inspire us, and push us to think differently.  In our congregations, we will continue to grow and learn and make our world a better place.

You know I don’t like long goodbyes.  And that’s why, in Judaism, we never officially say “goodbye.”  Instead, we say Shalom – meaning we’ll be saying Hello in the near future.  And we say l’hitraot, meaning, see you soon.  To my teachers and my students, Shalom, l’hitraot.  Blessings, kindness, and peace, until we see each other next.  Amen.

Thank You Temple Sinai of Roslyn

A few weeks ago, Temple Sinai of Roslyn, honored me for my five years of service as one of their rabbis.  It was a true honor and gift.  These were the words I shared in gratitude for all of their support!  It has been a true honor.  From strength to ever greater strength as I journey forth to Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore!

One of the greatest gifts, I’ve been given as a rabbi, is to be welcomed into your lives at moments of great holiness and intimacy.  I’ve been invited to sit alongside you at the hospital room, to listen and hopefully bring a little bit of comfort.  I’ve been honored, to stand alongside side you at a funeral or shiva minyan and hear the stories of your loved ones.  And, I’ve been overjoyed to officiate at B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, baby namings, and countless services, to see the mazel and happiness in your lives!

These sacred stops alongside the journey of life have become an incredible gift to me.  Over the last five years, you’ve constantly reminded me about what matters most: family, friendship, love, dedication, making an impact on the world.  You’ve invited me into your lives, and through that invitation, you’ve changed me for the better.

With all of these blessings, there is one moment, that occurs often, yet not too often, that for me is the pinnacle experience, the most holy and sacred moment of my rabbinate.  That is when I’m able to share words with you from the Birkat Cohenim, the priestly benediction. 

I’m sure you’ve heard these words, probably countless times.  At B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, baby namings, even the High Holy Days.  May God Bless You and Keep You.  May God’s face shine upon You and be Gracious to You, May God’s face be lifted upon you and grant you peace.

When I stand upon this bima or at a beach, or a catering hall, or your home, when I look at the face of a wedding couple, a young thirteen year old, a tiny baby, a congregation filled to the max, and recite these words, I feel a sense of great joy.  I watch your faces as I bless you with these words.  And I reflect upon all of your hopes and dreams to come.  In its truest sense, it is an honor and a blessing to be given this great responsibility to share these words with you all.

And how fitting, that on this Shabbat, as I say goodbye, as I reflect upon my five years at Temple Sinai of Roslyn, that these words, the Birkat Cohenim, are found smack dab in the middle of this week’s Torah portion.  It is besheret, meant to be!

I’ve been thinking about why these words matter so much to me.  And I believe it connects to two different aspects that have been at the forefront of my rabbinate: Teaching AND Relationship!

This prayer was first recited by Aaron, Moses’ Brother, the first Cohen Gadol, High Priest of Israel.  He blessed the people three thousand years ago, yet amazingly this blessing continues to be given today.  As a rabbi, I have the great privilege of passing on the words of our tradition that have become the foundation of who we are!  When I offer this blessing, I think back to all of the other rabbis and leaders who have blessed our people and how from generation to generation, we continue to learn, grow, and strive. 

It has been my greatest honor to teach, to learn, and to continue to share the words of our tradition with you all.  It gives me great comfort to know that I stand upon the shoulders of all those who came before me, and to know, that others will continue this path after me.

But, most importantly, is that this blessing is offered face-to-face!  As the blessing is given, we look into each other’s eyes.  At that moment, we are not strangers, but we are in relationship.  And, it is the relationships that I have built during my time here that have been most important to me.  It is these relationships that have helped me flourish.  It is these relationship that matter the most.  I’ve been honored to be a part of this community, to learn from you, to grow from you, and be a part of you.  I have so many thank yous to be given, which I’ll share later at dinner, but I want to thank you all for all that you have done for me.  Todah Rabbah, it is so much appreciated.

Thank you for opening up your lives to me.  Thank you for making me one of your rabbis, your teachers.  Thank you for all of the blessing and kindness you’ve given me.  And thank you for being you, for your friendship!  I know that there will be many blessings and thank yous given to me, but now I have the opportunity to thank you all one last time.  I ask you now, to please rise:

May God Bless You and Keep You

May God’s Face Shine Upon You and be Gracious to You

May God’s Face be lifted Upon You and Grant You Peace.  Amen.

Lech Lecha: Our Journey Together

Beginning on July 1st, I'll become the next rabbi at Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore, Maryland.  Below are the words I shared as part of the Summer Chaverim, the Summer Bulletin at the congregation.  I'm excited about the next phase of my rabbinate and our upcoming move to Baltimore.  Enjoy!

Here I sit, surrounded by a sea of boxes that beckon me.   I’ve just begun that arduous process of packing my clothes, dishes, and all of my son’s toys!  In only a few weeks, the moving truck will arrive and bring all of our worldly possessions from Long Island to Baltimore.  It’s a challenging, yet exciting moment, to embark upon this new journey from the place I’ve known to the place I wish to become.

I am keenly aware of Abraham’s first encounter with God.  “Lech Lecha: Go forth to the Land that I will show you!”  God calls Abraham to journey forth to a new place, a new life, a new spiritual experience.  My journey is a similar one.  I’m not just moving to a new city, I’ve taken the first steps to become Bolton Street Synagogue’s next Rabbi. 

My journey thus far has been an exciting one.  At the young age of ten, my teacher, Rabbi Edward Garsek, saw something in me and said, “You’ll be a great rabbi one day!”  Those first words continue to propel me and have brought me all the way to Baltimore! 

After graduating from the University of Michigan, I spent a couple years working as a Youth Director at Temple Emunah, a Conservative Synagogue outside Boston.  Afterwards, at the Hebrew Union College, the Reform Rabbinical Seminary, I spent my formative years learning, experiencing, and understanding what it truly means to be a rabbi.  Since my ordination in 2008, I’ve been honored to serve as an Assistant Rabbi at Scarsdale Synagogue and later as an Associate Rabbi at Temple Sinai of Roslyn.  Alongside me, on my life path, are my husband, Brian ten Siethoff, and our four year old son Caleb.  They are thrilled to be joining the BSS Family! 

As Abraham journeyed forth, he didn’t travel alone.  Beside him were his wife, Sarah, his nephew, Lot, and seventy souls.  I’m always struck by the Torah’s use of the word souls to describe the people that travelled alongside Abraham.  We are reminded that a spiritual journey is sacred and should never be taken alone.  It is through the power of community that we have the courage to take the first steps towards a new place, a new experience.  It is through the strength of community that we have the audacity to join together and create anew. 

As I begin this journey, I can’t help but think about all those that helped bridge this transition.  I’m in sincere gratitude for all who put in countless hours and late night meetings to build Bolton Street Synagogue’s next chapter.  Thank you to Harold Weisbaum, Paul Levine, and all the members of the rabbinic search committee for your hard word.  To Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum and all of the members of the transition committee for welcoming me so warmly.  To Russ Margolis, Melissa Zieve, and all of the members of the board for your leadership.  To Erin Felsen for your help and assistance.  And finally, to Rabbi John Franken, for your advice during these moments of transition.  I wish you ever greater strength in your journey forward.

On July 1^st, I will officially begin my new position at Bolton Street Synagogue.  I am honored and humbled to become your next Rabbi.  Lech Lecha, together, may we go forth to ever greater spiritual heights.