Two Blessings
When Rebecca and I moved to Jerusalem for my third year of rabbinical school, we joined a CSA group that delivered a box of farm-fresh produce each Thursday. As the weeks built into months and seasons changed, the contents of the box would change subtly, and by the time Hanukkah rolled around the weekly delivery had faded to the background, one more part of the rhythm of our life.
I didn’t fully appreciate the significance of these fruits and vegetables until we started preparing for our return to Los Angeles, now a family of three. It was August again, nearly a year after we had arrived in Israel, and one Thursday evening as I unloaded our box it hit me: the CSA box contained all the same items we had received in our first weeks. Seeing the produce brought home for me that a full year had passed and the agricultural cycle had come full circle. I was filled with a sense of wonder at the rhythms of life; we had arrived in Israel as a couple and were headed back to America as parents, with infant Odelia laughing and rolling around on the floor as we packed our bags.
Life goes like that: new experiences eventually become part of “normal life” and fade from our attention; only later, when we stop to reflect, do we notice how far we have traveled. Yesterday marked the final day of my first year at BZBI; today, a new year begins for me. The Talmud suggests that we should mark these moments of transition with two different blessings: one that expresses our gratitude for the past, and another that asks God to fulfill our hopes for the future.[1]
A year ago, with another infant — Yonah, our third — in tow, our family packed up and moved again. In the midst of another Philadelphia summer, with the parks full, sidewalk tables set for dinner, and the temperature soaring, my heart fills with gratitude for the BZBI family who welcomed us last year and continue to make Philadelphia feel like home.
As I begin my second year, I want to take this opportunity to offer my two blessings. First, in gratitude: to Cantor Grainer and Rabbi Goldman, about whom I can truly say “Two are better than one, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken;”[2] to Rabbi Stone, who built so much strength in his tenure at BZBI and has supported me since my first day; to Donna, who is my right hand and probably the left also; to Cindy, Brooke, Terri, Phyllis, Denine, Gregory, Joel, Brian, and Alicia, who keep things moving forward no matter how hectic it gets; to Arlene Fickler and BZBI’s board, for the hard work, creativity, and vision that makes it all possible; and to the entire BZBI community for the love and compassion you show one another each day. וַֽאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ, “Through Your great love I come into Your house.”[3]
A year begins as a blank canvas. Summer brings a certain quiet to BZBI’s halls, but beneath the tranquil surface your board and staff have been hard at work giving shape to our aspirations for next year. Our plans stretch beyond programs and classes to encompass the relationships we hope to build with you and among you; enhanced and expanded options for worship and study; and broader inclusion for all segments of the Jewish community, of all Jewish backgrounds, family structures, and sexual and gender identities. I pray that, with God’s grace and each of your support and dedication, we will achieve all this and more. וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וּמַֽעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵינוּ וּמַֽעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ, “Let Adonai our God’s favor be upon us, and may the work of our hands be established; indeed, may the work of our hands be established!”[4]
With a heart full of gratitude and anticipation, I thank each of you for making my first year so warm, exciting, and successful.
[1] Cf. Mishnah, Berakhot 9.4 and Maimonides, ad. loc.
[2] Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12.
[3] Psalm 5:8.
[4] Psalm 90:17.
