Shalom Friends,
Happy August!
We are eagerly preparing for our busy fall season. I can’t wait to see you and hear all about your summer!
One of the best qualities of our Jewish calendar is its ability to bring us back together. Traveling and getting away – especially from the hot Florida summer – are a blessing. But having a community to return to is also a gift.
The Talmud teaches that a Jewish community should have these essential elements:
A court of law, a tzedakah fund, a synagogue, a bath house, a bathroom, an artist, a doctor, a butcher, a teacher.
Most of these elements we provide easily in our modern world. But I find it amazing how well-rounded this list is for Talmudic times (approx 500 CE). And even more impressive to me, is the balance between physical and spiritual needs. We need doctors for our bodies and we need teachers for our minds and souls. We need clean food and sanitation for our bodies and we also need synagogues and tzedaka for our spirits.
I wonder what elements of a community are essential to you? What is your balance between physical and spiritual needs?
As we begin a new year, hopefully with a renewed appreciation for the blessings of home, community and time to share – let’s reflect on the balance between our physical and our spiritual needs. Let’s consider the wisdom of our tradition that guides us to be well-rounded and intentional about how we spend our time.
I know it’s not easy! I am guilty of trying to do too much, all at once, and not very well – more often than I like to admit. But this transition from summer to fall, from time away to time back home is a perfect opportunity to try, once again, and do a little better.
Your Neshamah family is ready to welcome you back at our Kick Off Shabbat Havurah, Neshamah School Open Houses and the High Holy Days right around the corner.
Welcome home!
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Amy Rader