Building the community…

If God does not build the house, the workers labor in vain… (Psalm 127).

There is an ancient Jewish tradition: when building a house, to leave one corner, one tiny bit unfinished. To let a little bit of brick show through plaster in the corner, to have something left not fully painted. Our ancestors did so in order to remind ourselves that the world is not complete, that there is far too much suffering and destruction in the world for us to sit comfortably in our home and think that all is good…

Over the course of this summer there was a lot of renovation activity at Temple Emanuel – the new floors were laid in the social hall and the entrance, ceiling was painted in the swing space, a new layer of shingles was added to the Sanctuary building roof, new gutters are being added to both buildings – wonderful, exciting, much needed actions to upkeep the TE physical ‘body’. This is perhaps the biggest number of projects undertaken in quick succession over the last few years – much of it delayed or scheduled maintenance. There are still things that need fixing – the social hall ceiling and acoustics, the board room in the ‘house’ that suffered major water damage and will need to be almost fully re-built to name but a few – but many of the things we did, like the floor and the roof, allow us to ‘tick it off’ as completed – a great feeling of accomplishment for TE leadership – and for all of us! There’s still plenty of ‘unfinished corners’ around TE, of course, but at least the projects that have been completed give us a sense of – well, completion!

The buildings are important, no doubt about that. Yet they are merely the tools in our real efforts: the building of a community! The relationships that are forged, the learning that takes place, the prayers that are offered, the traditions observed, the caring and the deeds of loving kindness performed daily by members of Temple Emanuel… That’s what we are REALLY building – the fabric of our Jewish present and the foundations for our Jewish future. Thanks to the generous vision of the Second Half Century fund we are also supporting our school and educational programs through new curricula and exciting initiatives, the school building is buzzing with excitement! New members join and past members are coming back – what better testament can there be to our community-building efforts?

This kind of building is at times harder to see, unlike the bricks and mortar – but it can be felt and experienced at so many things we do throughout the year! Above all, this is not the kind of ‘building’ that can ever be finished – just as relationships, the community needs what was built in the past as a foundation, but needs continued efforts to keep it alive and well.

I hope you get to see for yourself all the wonderful renovations that took place over the summer and take pride in them. I also hope that you will take an active role in being a part of the community-building that we do and find a way to engage and lend a hand. I look forward to seeing many of you as we build the sukkah on October 9th, a temporary structure that reminds us of the fragility of our lives and our buildings, and of the strength of our human bond with each other and with God. I also look forward to continued celebrations of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, (Oct 12th and Oct 19th), extending the special season of High Holy Days with the joyful celebration of our heritage and our Torah!

Wishing you all a shanah tovah u’metukkah, a sweet, happy and fulfilling new year 5772!