"All the World is a Narrow Bridge - Fear, Hope, Joy and Gratitude"

Rabbi Nachman of Bratislav, also known as the Bratislaver Rebbe, was known for his many stories and sayings. Among the most well known is one of my favorites: "All the world is a narrow bridge, and the main thing is not to be afraid." Rabbi Nachman, who counseled and taught his community of Chasidim through difficult and challenging times, knew well the power of hope to overcome challenge and fear.

Life is, indeed, often as daunting to us as a narrow bridge, which seems to disappear in the distance across the abyss. We have many options when we are faced with the unknown challenges of what lies ahead: We may be frozen with indecision, unable to act; we may feel like jumping off and avoiding the challenge; we may even decide to turn around and go back, never even facing the new opportunities that we may encounter.

Rabbi Nachman's advice, though, is simple. Do not be afraid. This is the main thing. No matter what, believe in the future. In other words, have hope.

For Rabbi Nachman, this hope came with faith. For a certainty in the power of God, the creative force within our universe, offers us the confidence that somehow, someway, everything will be okay. Building upon what we have encountered along our journey thus far, Rabbi Nachman taught, we can have confidence and hope.

As my family and I face our uncertain future, we are girded by such hope as well. While we are uncertain about our future and what lies ahead as we return to St. Louis, we are confident that we have been blessed with unbounded love and friendship during our past ten years here at Temple Beth El and in Charlotte. Because of this certainty, we know that our future will be blessed similarly as we go on our journey. We cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the incredible gratitude we feel towards so many of you, too numerous to mention by name, who have touched our lives during our more than a decade here. Mere thanks are not enough. We are eternally grateful.

So, too, as each and every one of us encounters the New Year that we welcome during these High Holy Days, may we all be confident that our blessings will continue. May we all have such hope as we cross the narrow bridge that will lead us into our future.

Rabbi Nachman offered one other means of finding our way through uncertainty. He used to say: "When difficult times come, the only thing to do is to rejoice."

And so we rejoice. My family and I rejoice in the incredible love we have found. We know that we are not alone in feeling this way. All of us celebrate the joy and the blessings of our lives: our health, our families, our friends, our community and our nation, our hearts and minds and spirits. May we enter the future that lies ahead with hope and with joy.

James M. Bennett, Rabbi