A Source of Pride

Most of the time, I am proud to be the rabbi of a Reform congregation. I am proud of our liberal ideals and of our diversity. I am proud of our abundance of social action projects and of the numbers of people who are committed to synagogue life. And I am proud of all those who support our congregation – who join as members and who come to Temple to pray, to celebrate, to mark both the good and the painful transitions in their lives.

Yet there is one additional way in which I think we need to grow. There is one more Jewish act that we could do that would immeasurably lift our lives and lift our stature as a community — and that would be to study our Torah and our traditions. In our secular culture we all value learning. We like to be up on the news, on culture, and on the latest good book. While most of us would be embarrassed not to have read the morning paper, we surprisingly feel comfortable not touching our Torah or sacred texts.

I sometimes wonder how literate we are as a community. And I fear that if we do not know enough about our faith, then we will not have enough to pass on to the next generation. The passion for Judaism and the love of the culture that we give our children needs to be coupled with knowledge. As our adolescents become adults and grow to question, they need to know that the vast wisdom of Judaism has the answers they seek.

A man once came to the Chadisic rebbe, Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, and asked how he could encourage his sons to study Torah. The rabbi answered: “If you really want them to study, then you yourself must spend time studying Torah, and they will do likewise. Otherwise, they will not devote themselves to the Torah but will order their sons to do it and thus it will continue… and no one will ever know the Torah.”

In the latest issue of Reform Judaism, our movement’s President, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, addresses the issue of anti-Semitism. He sums up his column to the 1.5 million Jews in our movement saying, “Yes, we do have enemies, and yes, we must remain vigilant. But the greatest threats facing our people today are assimilation, indifference and Jewish ignorance.”

This is a threat to which all of us can easily respond. Temple Beth El has recently published our “Pathways to Jewish Learning” – our guidebook to study and involvement at our congregation. There are classes on weekdays and weekends, during the evenings and at lunch. Rabbi Barras, myself, and the entire educational staff at Temple Beth El are completely committed to teaching all those who want to learn. We urge you to open the many doors to involvement at Temple Beth El… the door to worship, the door to healing, the door to social action and social justice, and most of all, the door to learning.

Jewish learning will challenge you intellectually. Jewish learning will give you food for thought and content for your conversations with your neighbors. Jewish learning will challenge the ways that you interact in business, with neighbors, with your family and with yourself. And most of all, Jewish learning will enrich your life.


Judy Schindler
Rabbi