Dear Hevreh,

As some of you may have already seen on Facebook, the synagogue has renewed my contract which means that I will continue to be your rabbi for at least the next 2-3 years (and hopefully longer!). Rachel and I are both very excited about staying here at Beth Mordecai and in Perth Amboy, primarily because the community has embraced us with open arms. From the services to the parties and all of the special events that bring us together, our kehillah, our community, makes us feel right at home.

The word kehillah is so important. It comes from the root k-h-l meaning “gather” or “congregate.” In other words, the heart of what makes a community a community is that we gather together as a community. As Rabbi Catharine Clark mentioned in the latest episode of “Around the Torah” (minute: 43:20), “you can’t live stream kiddush.” We need to be together for kiddush, we need to be together for services, we need to be together for special events, because when we do come together, we become that special kehillah that each one of us has experienced.

Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Ari Saks

Category : Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Uncategorized
Tag : kehillah kiddush rabbi's journal shabbat