Dear CBO Family,
Have you ever contemplated your own unique contribution to the world? We oftentimes are curious about our purpose in life. To better understand this concept, we can see that the word in modern Hebrew for “contribution” is teruma, and happens to be the name of this week’s Torah portion. In modern Hebrew this word can be used to describe the contributions someone has made in the form of leadership, time, and money. In Ancient Israel, it described the offering one would make to the Temple to connect with God.
When we contribute our gifts for the sake of something bigger than ourselves, we can feel a spiritual interconnectedness and this is what happened to me in the last 6 weeks. Throughout this blast, I will share what I experienced during the first section of my sabbatical and how I am bringing it to our community.
Between January and February, I deepened my skill set to serve, and expanded my prayer experiences. I got a chance to explore different minyanim throughout the world from Argentina, to Minnesota, Manhattan, and California (all virtual). It is helpful to see some pieces that others weave throughout the service. I also participated in prayer and meditation experiences with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.
After davening, my passion in life is to help individuals find the most meaning, satisfaction, and connectedness possible. I always felt that because the universe is ever-expanding, it is my job to draw people together and help them feel a sense of belonging. This comes into play every time someone new walks into the sanctuary (or Zoom room) and I see an opportunity to make them feel welcomed.
So, I spent much of my sabbatical solidifying some skills to really help members of our community create the lives that they want and lift themselves up. I was certified in a leadership diagnostic tool called the ELI (Energy Leadership Index) which can help people discover how they deal with stress and what small changes they can make to live with a deeper sense of freedom and purpose.
My rabbinic training mixed with this tool has led me to create an experience for our members called “Neshima” (Breath) that helps us find freedom and purpose, and shift the ways we feel stuck and overwhelmed. We will be doing this work in preparation for Passover, our escape from Mitzrayim (Egypt), which can also mean (constriction).
Life can feel like it is closing in on us and during COVID-19, our community needs to continue to offer each other the kind of experiences that elevate us. Our Kehillah (community) helps us live beyond narrowness.
Neshima will be a 3 week experience, once a week on Mondays, March 7, 14, and 21. Depending on who is interested, we will do a lunchtime experience so people working can take a break or meet at 7:00 PM so they can wait until they come home. This will be a workshop and each individual will be able to get a blueprint to their own personal reaction to stress and how to shift it if that is what they want, all with the wisdom of Judaism flowing throughout. This will be an experience not to be missed. If your stress is overwhelming and you are looking to find more light, reach out to me to see if this experience is for you (rabbi.bernstein@cbohr.org).
For those of you who read Newsday, you may have seen an article of mine about the way studying Torah elevates our community. (CLICK HERE to read the article). I have another piece coming out shortly in a different publication about how “impostor syndrome” is harming Jewish leadership, which I will share when it is published. (CLICK HERE to read article)
The sabbatical has also enabled me to reflect on my growth and the growth of our community. So much has changed since I arrived in 2013. When I began, we were 175 families and almost 8 years later, we have grown to over 300. We are a much larger family now. Our leadership has made hard and rewarding choices and our renovation is in full force. Cantor Diamond has brought a vibrant energy and has infused our service with light. I think back to my installation and realize that I could not have conceived of these changes.
I continue to serve our shul with great pride and excitement for all we have accomplished already and the surprises that we cannot even imagine.
May we go from strength to strength. Chazak v’ematz.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Bernstein
