Shalom Shaarei Kodesh,
I have to be honest, I was not hopeful that our in-person Shavuot night of learning, which we brought back after two years of the pandemic, would actually happen. Most of the Conservative synagogues canceled their programs due to the Tropical Storm, and I thought no one would be leaving their homes. On Shabbat morning, one of our congregants suggested we change the Torah reading from BaMidbar/Numbers to Parashat Noach because of the flooding!
I walked in on Shabbat morning and only four people were there! My worst fears were coming true. But about 30 minutes later, we had around 30 people, a shockingly high number considering the time of the year and the weather. Jackie Klein gave a powerful farewell Dvar Torah before she moves to Clearwater, Florida, to fulfill her dream to become a full-time Jewish educator. The rain kept coming, and I thought to myself, would people come back at 9 pm for Shavuot?!? Not a chance! But there was a sign that changed my mind. On Shabbat afternoon, the rain stopped, the wind calmed down, and a huge double rainbow appeared in the sky (FYI, this is not the double rainbow we saw but it was pretty close!).
On Saturday evening, close to 50 of us came together as we learned about Holy Space in Jewish Thought, hearing from teachers Rabbi Ed Bernstein and Nachshon Carmi and of course, Karen Zampa Katz, the co-chair of our Beautification and Sanctification Committee, who explained and unveiled the designs for our new Ark, Torah Table, and Torah holders. One of the things I am most proud of in our congregation is our all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot. To my knowledge, we are the only non-Orthodox shul in South Florida that holds one. After two years, and despite a Tropical Storm and floods, we came back for our evening of learning. We made it until 4 am and then ended the evening, coming back at 9:30 am for our Shacharit service led by Cantor Yakov Hadash with a powerful Dvar Torah by Steve Laskowitz on the Ten Commandments and how it relates to the gun violence we're experiencing in this country. On Monday morning, we gathered for the 2nd day of Shavuot, with the reading of Megilat Ruth and Yizkor. And of course, delicious food all weekend thanks to Matt Weiss, Kim Beame, Nan Berkowitz, Judy Richman, and others. Of course, we have to thank all of our Torah, Megillat Ruth, and Haftarah readers who transformed us all back to Sinai!
I want to return to the rainbow we saw before Shavuot began. On Shabbat afternoon, our family went outside and recited the Bracha upon seeing a rainbow:
Baruch Atta Hashem Elokenu Melech HaOlam Zocher HaBrit, (Ve)Neeman Bivrito, VeKayam BeMaamaro
Blessed are you, Hashem Our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who remembers the covenant, is loyal to the covenant, and fulfills God’s word.
The covenant that God made during the Noah story was with all humanity. The sign God used was a Keshet, or rainbow.
The rainbow, according to the 19th Century German Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch “in the midst of overcast, threatening clouds announces the presence of light...a reminder that God’s preserving grace is still there.” Rabbi Hirsch correctly notes in his commentary to Genesis 9:17 that a rainbow is really one white light, or alternatively the entire spectrum of color contained in a pure white ray before being altered by water droplets. The covenant was made with the diversity of humanity, all humans. Shavuot is also about covenant, a covenant with the Jewish people connecting us to God and the Torah. The Midrash says that at Sinai, God spoke to each Jew individually. Here we see that although we are a people, each one of us is unique, just the colors of the rainbow. Together, we have the potential to bring beauty to this world, but we must be connected.
I would like to end with the words from Jackie’s Dvar Torah last Shabbat which pays tribute to her experience as part of our congregation:
Our sages ask about why G-d speaks to Moses in the wilderness. They teach that the Torah was only given through 3 things, fire, water, and wilderness. And why through these things? They answer: Just as they are free to all inhabitants of the world, so too are the words of Torah free to them. I'd like to juxtapose Rabbi Gold's explanation with this as I share with this community how much it has meant to be a chaver/member here at CSK.
Fire Shecheyanu, Vitality
I came to CSK at a time when I was really floundering as an adult. I was just out of grad school with multiple Jewish studies degrees to my name and no full-time job in the Jewish world outside of teaching. I grew up in a wonderful community though it was also time for a change to a better fit for the Jew that I've become as an adult over the years. I was met with a life force and vitality. Shout out to Robert Murstein who suggested I come for Shabbat after spending time learning during Limmud Miami. Fire is meant to bring light to the world, and that is what so many of the chaverim here at CSK do, whether it's through providing support during minyanim, teaching as lay leaders, or making sure that no one eats.... (or drinks) alone at Kiddush.
Water, Sustaining, Vikimanu,
While fire brings light to the community, water helps to sustain a community. Just like the well of water followed Miriam where she went, so too there is always nourishment of all sorts here in this community. For me, that sense of sustainment came in two parts. As the years went on, I had a role as an education director in a different synagogue, and not once did I take that privilege for granted to have my own community separate from work. This has been such a privilege that few Jewish professionals get to have, and a privilege that I will miss in my new role and that I've never taken for granted.
Sustaining goes both ways, and it was important to me to make sure I was helping to sustain this community whenever possible whether it was helping provide rides, or setting up kiddish and yes, also providing financial sustainment when I was able to do so. This is what it means to be an adult in a Jewish community or any community. I look forward to helping to continue sustaining in the future from afar and visiting.
Lastly- In the wilderness, Awareness of one small person.
One of the reasons why I have loved CSK so much is that there is such an emphasis on the relationships that are built between chaverim. Each relationship is important to build that fire and the water. A community is built upon many facets. Examples of these are shown from the moment anyone walks through these doors, though don't share too much of your knowledge, or you'll be asked to read torah the very next week!
Truly though- Community is important, and making sure that all are welcomed and find their own space within CSK is crucial and I'm so glad to have been just one small drop in this larger Kehilah physically over the years. I look forward to my visits back, and L'hitraot!
