Beloved Friends,
This Shabbat, we begin the book of B’midbar—the wilderness—an apt name for a book that chronicles our people’s journey through the unknown. The opening chapter finds God instructing Moses to take a census of the Israelites. But this is not bureaucracy for bureaucracy’s sake. Each person is counted by name, family by family, tribe by tribe. The Hebrew phrase “se’u et rosh”—“lift up the head” of each person—is far more than a command to count; it is a call to honor.
To be counted is to be seen. To be named is to be known. To be part of the community is to be cherished.
This week at Temple Jeremiah, we celebrate Gratitude Shabbat—a sacred pause to recognize the countless ways our members show up for one another. We lift up the heads of our volunteers, board members, donors, and everyday mensches who make our community flourish.
You teach in our classrooms, you sing in our choir, you lead and you follow, you set up chairs, and you set up vision. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, each of us helps carry the sacred burden of community. And just as the camp of Israel was arranged in an intentional, beautiful formation around the Mishkan—the Tabernacle—we too gather around something holy: a shared purpose, a living Torah, a Jewish life of meaning.
This year’s Gratitude Shabbat will include a very special moment of sacred beauty. We will dedicate seven new Torah mantles, honoring our founders and our emeriti rabbis professional staff, that will be used during the High Holy Days. Each mantle bears a Hebrew word from the powerful verse in the book of Jeremiah, our namesake prophet:
“Hashiveinu Adonai eilecha v’nashuvah, chadeish yameinu k’kedem.”
“Turn us to You, Adonai, and we shall return; renew our days as of old.”
Seven words. Seven mantles. Seven reminders that return and renewal are always possible—that even in the wilderness, there is a path forward, lit by hope, memory, and community.
At its heart, Bamidbar is not just about wandering—it’s about belonging. And this Shabbat, as we install our board, honor our volunteers, and dedicate these magnificent new mantles, we remind ourselves: we are not alone in the wilderness. We travel together. We hold one another up. We are each counted because we each count.
Thank you for the blessings you bring to Temple Jeremiah. May this season of gratitude lift your head, warm your heart, and renew your spirit.
Shabbat Shalom,
