blogs/rabbi-ed-feinstein

According to the Torah, the ancient wizard Balaam was commissioned by the King of Moab to curse the Israelites to keep them from overrunning his kingdom. But when Balaam stood on a hilltop overlooking the Israelite camp, only words of blessing came to him, words we recite daily in our prayers:

“How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel.”

Standing on ground level, surrounded by the work and strife of daily tasks, there is much to worry about in Jewish life -- much to disparage, many reasons to kvetch. It is only when we climb to the hilltop and gain perspective can we perceive what blessings have come our way. This week, we celebrate with gratitude the blessings that fill Valley Beth Shalom each day. 

We are blessed. Every day, nearly one thousand Jewish children enter VBS to learn and grow and sing. This is our greatest contribution to the Jewish future and our strongest proclamation of hope. This week, at our annual gala, we will celebrate our Early Childhood Center educator, Michele Warner. For 36 years, Michele has been the first face our children meet as they enter into the world of school, welcoming them to the joy of discovery, growth and learning. 

We are blessed. Our community is guided by leaders who devote endless hours of personal time and endless measures of wisdom and energy to assure its future. This week as well, we share our appreciation for Nancy Sher Cohen, our community's president these past two years. Nancy's vision, resolve, wisdom and commitment have moved our community into a new era. Her deep sensitivity to the life of our community and how we support and sustain one another, has kept VBS a place of warmth and welcome.

We are blessed. From early in the morning, when Yossi Dresner begins the daily minyan, through the classes and groups and projects that fill the halls of VBS each day, into the evening when hundreds gather for the “College of Jewish Studies,” “Dinner for Doc's,” “Torah and Tequila,” or Sisterhood Maj Jong, VBS resonates with life. Each day, sacred moments are realized here �" when a child learns an ancestor's wisdom, when a friendship is deepened, when a idea comes to life in great teaching, when a soul is comforted and healed �" and we are blessed.   

This week we celebrate the blessings of our living community. We celebrate Michele and Nancy, and all they have brought to us. We celebrate the sacred moments we have shared, and our shared hopes for a future of blessing.