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When I was on the cusp of ordination, a retired rabbi came to speak to my class at the Hebrew Union College. He met with us in the sanctuary on the campus and challenged us with statistics: “none of you,” he said, “will stay at your first pulpit for more than 10 years; most of you will be at more than 6 congregations over the course of your career; three of you will abandon the rabbinate.” He then pointed to the eternal light and proclaimed, “The ner tamid (Hebrew for “eternal light”) is a relic of architecture. None of you is a ner tamid, and it is up to you to know when your flame becomes extinguished. Do not damage the Jewish people by staying in your jobs when the flame of Jewish learning and Jewish family life no longer burns inside of you.”

While wise words, they were nonetheless deflating, and hardly the message we needed to hear when we were about to graduate from rabbinical school!

The challenging thing is that he was right, with one exception... one of us has stayed in his pulpit more than 10 years. Now 18 years into my role in your lives, I am elated that the flame burns brightly within me. I don’t fault the retired rabbi for being wrong; I credit you, the members of Temple Sinai, for making us the exception to his narrative.

How it was on display last weekend with the Chai Shabbat, yet how evident it is each and every Shabbat we share. You invite me into your lives each week, we celebrate our joys, we handle our oys, and we dream of futures where the former outnumber the latter. Rabbis burn out, congregations fold and people move on. How amazing it is when our story is the opposite.

My light burns bright, as does that of Ron, and Sam, and Beth; as does your light, Temple Sinai. We grow together, and those shared experiences provide the kindling to keep our mutual flames alive.

So let us celebrate the flame not just on significant anniversaries but every day. Let’s continue to appreciate each other. Let us continue to celebrate our connection. Let us realize that it is not about us in the space today but may this blessing carry forward 100 years from now. For then will our light truly be eternal.

Shabbat Shalom,

Brad