The last 72 hours...

Here's a quick thought about the power of community (and a peek into the day-to-day of a rabbi).

Over the last 72 hours, we have had the privilege to have conversations with community members about birth, fertility journeys, and conversion. We have paid shiva calls, met to plan upcoming weddings, and arranged meals to send folks in our community as they welcome a new baby or deal with a challenging diagnosis.

It is both powerful and humbling as can be to be entrusted with this work, and every single day brings us in touch with the highs and lows in the lives of people we care about.

This week reminded that even in times of darkness, there is still light, and in times of joy, there also remains sadness. These moments are beautifully, complicatedly intertwined.

Our job in this world is to meet the given physical, emotional, and spiritual demands of the moment with the ancient response of our ancestors when confronted with the magnitude of their spiritual mission: הִנֵּנִי "Hineni ". "Here I am". No more, no less is asked of us than this - to bravely proclaim that you are here, ready to step into and embrace the moment.

During Pride Month (and all the time), we are proud to be in this community with you, and honored to see how you respond daily to the Divine call with conviction, zeal, and inner strength.