Hear Our Voice

Last night was CSK’s 12th Annual Meeting. Our venture began with a group of tremendously enthusiastic individuals seeking something different in synagogue life. Yes, there were many who were disheartened by events that precipitated CSK’s
founding, but that’s true of many “start-ups”—Jewish non-profits and even AI ventures alike. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to launch a rocket, and even more stored energy to break through the atmosphere—through the bounds and limits,
often unconsciously imposed, that restrict vision and possibility.

But once that rocket enters space, it still encounters numerous challenges. Without stretching the metaphor too far, what I want to share with you is the pride I feel—and that we all should feel—that 12 years later, not only are we still flying, but we continue to return “home.”

For CSK, “home” has many locations. It is built upon and inspired by the verse in Exodus where God says, “Asu li mikdash, v’shachanti b’tocham”—“Build for Me a holy space, and I will dwell among them.” The essence of God’s instructions for how to
create sacred space begins with our own acts of building. It is up to us to construct this space of uniqueness and meaning—not through generations of physical rootedness, but through the love and commitment we offer and receive from each other.

As you’ve often heard, CSK celebrates a lot of B’nai Mitzvah—80 by the end of this month since we started! But we do things a little differently. For instance, Friday night Shabbat services are not formally part of the B’nai Mitzvah ceremony. Saturday
morning, when we read Torah, is the spiritual context for the simcha. But Friday night is the beginning of Shabbat, and we invite families to join us then, to host the oneg, to light candles, offer Kiddush, and for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah student to lead a prayer
or two.

That Friday night service is not “under the auspices” of the B’nai Mitzvah family. They are honored and appreciated guests. I insist on this distinction because the joy our community feels in welcoming B’nai Mitzvah families is, quite simply, worth the “price of admission.” I love that our students begin their celebration in community—a community that gathers every Friday night for worship and Shabbat joy.

And still, people ask me—and may ask you as well—somewhat predictably, “When are you going to build a building?” I usually respond with a wry smile. Over the years, I’ve developed a few answers depending on my mood or on the expectations behind the question. But my response is generally rooted in that verse from Exodus: We already have a building. It’s the space we occupy in any given moment. Wherever we go, we are much like the ancient Israelites: “Have ark, will travel.”

In times both joyful and challenging, the world demands that the Jewish people remain dynamic and flexible. A movement is growing within the organized Jewish world that recognizes this need—a movement working hard to dismantle not just
physical walls, but also intellectual ones that may have served the institutional growth of the last 50 to 100 years, but now require re-examination. CSK contributes meaningfully to this reimagining of Jewish life in the Diaspora.

May we go from strength to strength!

Rabbi Scott