Eleven years ago, or so, two search parties, AKA merger committees, looked across Sheridan Drive and asked some very key questions: Are the people there nice? Do we share values with one another? Could we work together if our communities were to merge? The answer to all three was a resounding yes.
In this week’s Torah portion, Sh’lach, our ancestors venture over the Jordan River into Canaan, asking a similar set of questions about their future homeland. Just like us, they were scared and unsure of how to proceed. This would, no doubt, be one of the most momentous decisions of their lives.
Our journey and theirs began with questions. Answers always come later, first you must be brave enough to be curious. We owe a debt of gratitude to those original committees, without their willingness to trek out into the unknown, Congregation Shir Shalom would never have been possible.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex