September Bulletin Message

For Your Consideration - Rabbi Mark Dov Shapiro

         Early in August, I had an interesting visitor. The man was 48 years old. He actually grew up at Sinai, and for a number of reasons, has been out of our area until this summer.
          Here’s the intriguing part. My visitor had a wonderful experience growing up at Sinai. He was totally involved in congregational life right through to High School graduation. Since then, however, he hasn’t belonged to a synagogue of any kind anywhere at all. “I’ve always felt very Jewish,” he commented. It’s just that for the last 30 years being Jewish hasn’t meant any part of what synagogues offer - no worship, no Torah study, no extended Jewish learning, no Jewish community, no social action, no Rosh Hashanah, no Yom Kippur.
So what does that mean? I think it means at least two things.
First, it’s obvious that Jews choose to express themselves in a myriad of ways. Some Jews pray; some Jews don’t. Some Jews study; some don’t. Some Jews draw strength from being around other Jews; some don’t particularly feel that way. Some Jews find satisfaction and purpose through their synagogue membership; others walk away from that option.
          In one sense this varying approach toward Jewish life is a real blessing for us. We Jews are a fascinating bunch of human beings because we can and do live so differently.
          On the other hand, if you are a synagogue-committed kind of Jew, the absence of other Jews in synagogue does raise some important questions. If you and I are here in Temple, we need to ask ourselves why it matters to us. What makes the synagogue relevant? What makes the synagogue even essential for having a Jewish future?
          During the coming year, we at Sinai are actually going to pursue these questions with special emphasis. As you’ll learn on the holidays, we are going to be developing a Mission Statement for Sinai. We are going to ask as many of you as possible to share your thoughts and feelings about Sinai. By the time June rolls around, we hope to put it all in print. We will articulate how and why Sinai Temple is important to us. As our 75th anniversary approaches, we’ll identify what our goals and purposes need to be for the next 75 years!
As 5766 approaches, I wish you a sweet year. Let it be, for all of us, a year of questions, learning, and growing commitment to the best in Jewish life.