Hear Our Voice

My dearest Shma Koleinu,

For all of its spiritual teachings, Judaism is an extremely “this-worldly-oriented” tradition.  We certainly pray for peace and contentment, but we also pray for parnassah (a good living), achalta, v’savata uverachta (you shall eat, then you shall be satisfied and then you shall offer thanks), and for a refuah shleimah (a complete and total recovery of our bodies). 

Jewish tradition recognizes that while it is true that the pursuit of the material aspects of life can lead to folly, it is also rooted in the very nature into which we were created.  We are physical beings and we live in a physical world, so despite the occasional nihilism of our tradition, and the much more common nihilism of others, in the inimitable words of Lady Gaga, “we’re just made this way.”  And so is Shma Koleinu. 

Shma Koleinu is the result of a community that stakes claim to the idea that there ought to be no obvious and even invisible boundaries to access to Jewish life.  For seven years, we have built upon a foundation that is committed to the equal access to Jewish life for all Jews, Jewish families and those who love them.  Judaism is a well-source of wisdom and the more it can be made accessible and learnable, the more it can touch and connect lives, the more that there is Torah in the world, the better off all of us are. 

And as a supporter of Shma Koleinu this year, and over the past 7, you have made this possible.  We aren’t the only game in town, and we don’t seek to be.  But we have brought something new and generative to this Jewish community that has been about far more than Jewish continuity.  As an innovative, flexible, and dynamic organization, we have brought an inventive spirit that has remade Jewish life for us and has created ripple effects far beyond.   So thank you and all the others.  Thank you especially for this year and your willingness to “go with us” on this “virtual” but so very real journey.  Your generosity of time, talent, and treasure have made all the difference and will continue to as we take the next steps into the new year.

In the inimitable words of another great performer and teacher, I encourage you to click this link and then sit back and listen as Debbie Friedman sings us into 2021.

May we be blessed as we go on our way
May we be guided in peace
May we be blessed with health and joy
May this be our blessing, amen.
May we be sheltered by the wings of peace
May we be kept in safety and in love
May grace and compassion find their
way to every soul
May this be our blessing, amen.
Amen, may this be our blessing, Amen.

From my home to yours.  From Natalie, Abraham, Sammy, Michigan (the dog) and myself, Happy New Year! 

Rabbi Scott