PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

As I sit down to compose this piece, we are not even halfway through Sefirat Ha’Omer, the annual counting between Passover and Shavuot of the 49 days that led from the exodus from Egypt to the moment when the recently liberated Israelites witnessed the revelation at Mount Sinai. In counting the Omer, we do not count down, as we traditionally do when marking the days until an event that is highly anticipated (I still recall the countdown clock my mother had in her kitchen when Lisa and I were planning our wedding; actually, my father planned our wedding, but that’s a story for a different day). Instead, we “count up.” There are many reasons for this tradition, but a common one is that counting up represents the fact that we are growing in spirit and walking a path to greater heights.

By the time you see this item, Shavuot will likely be upon us, or just about to be. Many will be counting down the days until a graduation, a long anticipated summer vacation, or just more time to relax outdoors. Kids will be counting down to camp (especially those lucky enough to be enrolled at Beth El Day Camp) or perhaps trips to Israel. But as I write this, I am counting up to some eagerly anticipated Beth El events that I know will take me and my fellow congregants to greater spiritual heights and a greater level of awareness of how much Beth El enriches our lives. A few days from when I am submitting this article, we will have our Yom Ha’Atzmaut event, which, with a “raise the rafters” Hallel helped along by a dedicated group of Beth El prayer leaders, and a concert by Nava Tehila, will surely lift the spirits of the hundreds gathered to celebrate the launch of the Shoresh Halev Center for Jewish Music at Beth El. I am also counting up to June 10, when we will finally have a chance to install and celebrate our beloved Cantor Gaby Schvartz with a musical Kabbalat Shabbat service that pays tribute to the way Cantor Gaby has elevated the beauty of prayer at Beth El, followed by a delicious Argentinian dinner. I am also counting up to our annual Kallah (retreat) taking place on June 17-19, at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, a spirit-filled Shabbat experience in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains that will include lively outdoor services and singing, delicious food, numerous activities for children, a more-competitivethan-necessary softball game, and, of course, hours in the company of Beth El friends. Finally, I am counting up to this year’s High Holidays, which, believe it or not, are already in the planning phase. The Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services are inherently spiritual, but Beth El’s clergy are already hard at work devising ways to raise our spirits to even greater heights.

Whether you are counting down to the slower pace that the summer months hopefully will afford you, or counting up to the events I listed above or other things that will lift your spirits, I wish you and your loved ones a safe and enjoyable summer. Chag Shavuot Sameach! Onward and Upward!