Beverly and I continued our transition from New York to New Mexico this
past quarter, swapping out New York-style pizza for green chile, as we
embarked on the arduous task of unpacking hundreds of boxes, many of
them books, which had been stowed in our Los Alamos garage during our
nearly month-long drive across country. I discovered yet again that I
am not as capable of handling change as I once was; I’m still adjusting
to life without a daily National Laboratory routine. My focus is now on
rabbinic activities, primarily in Santa Fe at HaMakom where I serve as
rabbi, and in Los Alamos where I’ve often led Friday night services.
One of things I admire about our Jewish texts is that the characters,
even the most heroic and laudable among them, are all human with flaws
as well as notably positive traits. Think of Moses (on occasion
quick-tempered), King David (uncontrolled lust), and Jacob (deceitful).
King Saul is particularly flawed at times, and the case can even be made
that he shows evidence of manic-depression. I find it helpful to
realize that we all experience emotional ups and downs, and our move to
New Mexico challenged my mental health more than I anticipated. Through
this period, I’ve been blessed with the support of my brother, Ted, my
son, Dov, my primary care physician, and most of all, my helpmeet,
Beverly.
Before we recite the central passage of the morning Jewish worship
service, the sequence of blessings known as the standing prayer or
Amidah, we invoke the Divine as Tsur Yisrael, the Rock of
Israel. Perhaps the rabbis recognized that the Amidah, our opportunity
to converse with G_d, forces us each morning to examine our lives, lives
which can often seem bewildering or filled with change, sometimes
driving anxiety. The image of the Rock of Israel, steadfast and
unchanging, provides us with a degree of constancy and consistency that
offers us comfort.
During our road trip back to New Mexico, we stopped to join
congregations in Roanoke, VA, Memphis, TN, and San Antonio, TX, and each
experience was wonderful in its own way. We met lovely people, learned
new Shabbat tunes, and look forward to visiting those synagogues
again.
Despite the chaos of the move, I’ve been immersing myself in rabbinic
activities. Within the first two months of our return to the Land of
Enchantment, I was privileged to conduct several lifecycle events
including a Bar Mitzvah ceremony (kvelling over the fact that Dov served
as the Bar Mitzvah tutor), a wedding, and a funeral, each of which
represented a transition for those present. Our Jewish traditions can
provide that same comfort as we recite words from generations of
teachers who draw on our rich text library. I drew on that library to
teach a mini-class on How to Lead a Seder and then led or co-led seders
for the HaMakom community in Santa Fe and the Los Alamos community.
There are many ideas for classes I’d like to teach to the Jewish
communities of Northern New Mexico and beyond, and I welcome suggestions
for topics from potential participants. In the meantime, it’s back to
unpacking boxes and discovering books I never knew I owned!
B’shalom,
Rabbi Jack
Last quarter’s reading list is below, with highlights denoted by an asterisk*
My
reading list for the past quarter is artificially inflated by several
short works, but now that books are reappearing on my shelves, I promise
to return to lengthier works – honest!
The Sages (Volume 1) – Binyamin Lau; tr. Michael Prawer
Moneyball – Michael Lewis (no Jewish content but all I could find at one point on our journey)
Alfred Stieglitz (Jewish Lives series) – Phyllis Rose
