I write this message coming off of the excitement of a 4-day educator’s conference that I just returned from, which took place in Evanston. I joined 300 Reform Jewish educators and early childhood educators for an opportunity to network, learn, and of course, have some fun as well! It was truly an amazing experience, and I am grateful to Temple Jeremiah for the opportunity.
Entering the conference, I knew what our weather would be like here, because I was experiencing it first-hand. I saw the fear in the posts of our Florida and Arizona participants, as they looked ahead to what would end up being only one day of -17 degree weather. While they purchased winter coats, it’s made me appreciate the sacrifices we go through every Winter in Chicago!
For those who attended Kabbalat Shabbat, and those who joined our livestream, you experienced an amazing evening. As part of the conference, we had the honor of hosting 50 of the conference participants at Kabbalat Shabbat. I want to highlight the fact that Temple Jeremiah appreciates collaboration and growth, so much so that Cantor Mendelson and Rabbi Debbie Helbraun also attended the conference. We were one of the only congregations with that much participation. But back to Kabbalat Shabbat……
In this week’s Torah portion, Bo, we experience some of the plagues and the start of the exodus from Egypt. During these moments, the Israelites experience a new perspective, seeing hope on the horizon. While not as drastic as seeing “hope on the horizon,” having all of the educators visit our building offered so much perspective for me.
When the educators arrived, they were led on a tour, rotating between myself, Rabbi Heaps, Danny Glassman, and Rabbi Helbraun. Watching the educators take pictures of our walls and spaces, enter our sanctuary in awe of its beauty, and hearing their words of amazement in our collaborative spirit, made me remember what it was like for me seeing Temple Jeremiah for the first time.
My lesson from this, and my takeaway from our portion, is that in times when our lives can easily fall into routine, and when the beauty of the things in our everyday lives can lose their “wow factor,” do not forget to stop and think back to your firsts in each moment. To take it one step further, next time you enter the Schreibman Sanctuary space, or even the front lobby at Temple Jeremiah, pretend like you are seeing it for the first time….we are truly blessed and fortunate to have the space, the leadership, and especially the people that we do.
Shabbat Shalom,
Matt Rissien