"We will do, and [then] we will hear." Na'aseh v'nishmah - Exodus 24:8
Hopefully by now you have either just attended or will soon attend our Erev Shavuot service (Tuesday, June 3rd, 7pm at the JCC). Shavuot marks one of the most important and unique events in our history. Much of Jewish history happens to us - we are freed from Egypt, rescued from Haman, etc. - but on Shavuot we remember the moment when we took up the responsibility of being Jews; of freely entering into covenant with God. For that reason, Reform Jews have chosen this holiday for the moment of Confirmation. At this moment, we recreate the myth that all Jews, past and future, stood together at Mount Sinai and, together, entered into covenant. As Jews who have individually marked the beginning of their responsibility by becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah, our Confirmands confirm their acceptance of their link in the chain of tradition (shalshelet hakabbalah). In and out of time, we, too, stand with them.
The covenental moment at Mount Sinai was not the end of a journey, but the moment that our people girded up their loins and prepared to move on in the next stage of our history. The next step to a new home took an entire generation to complete, but in the end, they arrived in the Promised Land - a land both flowing with milk and honey, but with its own challenges as well. This summer, we too prepare ourselves for a new stage in Temple Sholom's centennial journey, as we pack and move into our new home, where we hope to celebrate our 101st High HolyDays, and, next year, a centenary of Confirmation.
When asked to enter into this covenant, our ancestors said, "Na'aseh v'nishmah" - we will do and we will hear. The Rabbis interpreted this odd formulation as meaning that we agreed knowing that we were not completely sure what we were in for. So, too, with Temple Sholom's journey. There are many things that we do not know: How much will our heating bill be? How will we set up the seats for Rosh haShanah? What will we plant in the Children Garden? How will the Purim Carnival fit? Will we soon outgrow our new space? We will discover answers as we go along (and see if we were correct in our estimations), but there are many things that we do know, and that we recommit ourselves to today, as we prepare for this next stage of Temple Sholom.
We are a learning community - committed not only to the lifelong education of all of our members, but to experimenting and learning how to be a better congregation. (Please note the work and recent report of Nan Fechtner and our Long Range Planning Committee.) We are a welcoming community - not only to our membership (made up of all those seeking to build a meaningful Jewish life, no matter what their background, family structure, or income), but to their families and the greater world outside our new walls. We are a spiritual community - offering meaningful and engaging worship experiences, a guided journey through the Jewish calendar, and a place to share sorrows and joys. We are an engaged community - helping not only ourselves but also making the world a better place by going outside our synagogue home to help and once again inviting in those who have no homes.
Na'aseh v'nishmah - we are already doing, and we will continue to hear, as we enter into this new step on our journey, as we renew our covenant to each other - and to the generations yet to be.
