STAYING ON A BY RABBI CHAI POSNER
“Are you still on a high?” That’s the question many have been asking me in the past few weeks since the installation. And the answer is, ABSOLUTELY … and I intend to stay there! But it isn’t only me. I’ve heard from so many people who have told me that the Installation Weekend Shabbat and evening were “magical.” That’s a unique word to use — not one I would expect. And yet I’ve heard that very same word from several people. And I agree. In fact, I’d love to simply bottle that magic and sprinkle it on everything we do at Beth Tfiloh. While we certainly can’t host another rabbinic installation any time soon – at least I hope we don’t! – I do believe that there were several key ingredients that contributed to the special experience, that can and will be recreated.
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BETH TFILOH BULLETIN
Joy. There was palpable joy in the air. From the singing and dancing, to the hugs and congratulations, it felt so good to be celebrating together. While this would have been true at any time, after two years of social distancing and restrictions, we were all so primed to come together and celebrate with each other. I felt very much like the celebration was a fulfilment of the verse “”עִ בְדּו אֶ ת־ה’ ּבְׂשִ מְ חָ ה, serve God with joy. And we all need more of that. God. I felt God’s presence with us as we celebrated. I chose to speak about God’s presence in my life, and stressed that God’s presence in Beth Tfiloh will be a priority of my rabbinate. It wasn’t by accident that the very first words we sang and danced to were “Thank You Hashem.” I asked Rav Shlomo to play that song because I wanted it to be very clear that Hashem is the source of our joy and our gratitude. I still have chills and smiles when I think about
how the entire sanctuary broke out in song and dance, with the words “Thank You Hashem.” That was one of best moments of my life. We all need to feel God’s presence in our lives more often and to speak about God more openly.
Inspiration. How can we describe inspiration? I’m not sure. But I know I felt it that weekend. I think this is actually what people are referring to when they say the experience was magical. There was a feeling in the air of something holy, something important, something beyond just us as individuals. On a deep level we all want to connect with something bigger than ourselves that makes us want to be even better versions of who we are. We are all looking for inspiration, and Beth Tfiloh is the place to go to find it.
APRIL-MAY 2022 A IYAR-SIVAN 5782
