I begin this bittersweet missive with a paraphrase of a passage from the
first major Rabbinic text, the Mishnah, in which Rabbi Nechunya ben
HaKanah composed a prayer (M. Ber. 4). This prayer expresses my own
experience with the Jewish Center of the Moriches. “Upon my entrance, I
prayed that no mishaps should occur because of me; and upon my
departure, I offer thanksgiving for my good fortune in having been among
you.”
In July 2019 it was “Go East, Young Man.” Now it’s “Return West,
not-as-young Man.” I thought the title of this missive was cute, but
it’s not terribly accurate. Technically, of course, Beverly and I were
living for the past two-and-a-half years on eastern Long Island, not in
the boroughs of New York City, and I can’t remember that I’ve ever seen a
Southwestern burro (Spanish for “donkey”) except for the statue in
Burro Alley in downtown Santa Fe. Nonetheless, the title captures the
focus of this past quarter which was our move back to the high desert of
Northern New Mexico.
While still in New York, Beverly and I ventured further out on the island for a weekend getaway in East Hampton where we davened in a gorgeous shul
(Jewish Center of the Hamptons) which we’d Zoomed into on occasion. In
New England, I got to revisit the lovely Boston Synagogue on a brief
trip to visit my niece, Ruby. Both occasions resulted in aliyah honors
for which I am grateful. Closer to home (now our former home), I had
the privilege of delivering a d’var Torah at Temple Beth El in
Patchogue, NY, and TBE also generously offered me the opportunity to
chant Haftarah on multiple Shabbatot.
At the Jewish Center of the Moriches where Beverly and I were indeed
privileged to serve, we held a mixture of Zoom-only and hybrid (Zoom
plus in-person) events including a long-awaited Bar Mitzvah ceremony. I
also represented JCM at a few outdoor civic/public “menorah”
(technically “Hanukkiot”) lighting events over Hanukah. At one of
those, I quoted from George Washington’s letter to the Touro Synagogue:
“The Government of the United States… gives to bigotry no sanction, to
persecution no assistance.” Our first president’s words remain
remarkably relevant today.
Preparations for moving back to the southwest, including packing 85
boxes of books, put a crimp in my reading list (see below). I guess
electronic readers have a few advantages, but I’m still addicted to
print copies on shelves. Please send me your reading suggestions, and
once we’re unpacked, I’ll resume my book-buying mania. Until then,
quoting from the aforementioned August 21, 1790 presidential brief, “May
the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our
paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in His
own due time and way everlastingly happy.”
B’shalom,
Rabbi Jack
Last quarter’s reading list is below, with highlights denoted by an asterisk*
