Here’s a video of this week’s Torah Thoughts read by the Rabbi if you’d prefer not to read it: Torah Thoughts
This week, in Parashat Emor, we learn of the downside of being a priest. Not only are there restrictions on who they can marry (no divorcées), attending funerals (the High priest cannot even attend those of his immediate family), and how they can wear their beards (absolutely no shaving), but they also are at God’s beck and call all day, any day of the year. It is a difficult job and one I do not envy.
The position of rabbi can also be a difficult one. A combination of teacher, religious exemplar, counselor, and community organizer, being a rabbi requires one to inhabit multiple roles simultaneously. And, this is what I like most about it. Some days I may move from officiating at funeral, to visiting a new baby in the hospital, to attending a board meeting at night. For me this is what makes my job exciting, you never know what any day or week holds. There is only one thing I know for sure, on any given day, I have an opportunity to impact people in powerful ways, and strengthen not only our own Jewish community, but the larger world as well. And, for this I am profoundly grateful.
In my third year of rabbinical school, I was given the purple book. Published in 2001, the title of the purple book is a long one – The Rabbi-Congregation Relationship: A Vision For the 21st Century. It begins with the line, “the relationship between rabbi and congregation is ideally understood as a sacred covenant in which the partners share in the nurturance, guidance, planning and programming of the synagogue.” The purple book is a guide to creating healthier relationships between rabbis and congregations, with the understanding the rabbi is no longer simply the Ma’areh D’atre, or sole arbiter of Jewish law within community. Going back to the portion, the title word in the portion, “emor,” is an emphatic command meaning, “speak,” given by God to Moses to convey to his brother Aaron. Perhaps, at one time this type of authoritative language was comforting. And, while it is harder in practice, I am glad to live in a world where the creation of a Jewish community lies in all of our hands. Thank you for letting me be your rabbi and I look forward to continuing to build community together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 05/12/2017 by wpadm