From the Rabbi - June/July 1999

Dear Friends,

The month of June brings warmth, sunshine and, for many of us, a respite from the frenzied pace of the past ten months. Here at Temple, the summer months provide us with opportunities for vacation, family time and (especially in my case) a motivation to sort through piles that have accumulated on desks over the past year. Summer is a time for recharging batteries, reflecting on the past year and planning ahead for the next. So many things have taken place at Congregation Albert and in our community over the past year. We have grown - in size and program. We have said "thank you" to our beloved Glenda and are about welcome in Leah Schaer as our New Director of Education. We have ushered in our second century and, sadly, we have bid farewell to a beloved Rabbi Emeritus. Our leadership has begun the process of bringing us to a new threshold of financial stability and commitment to fiscal responsibility. We have demonstrated our commitment to the community at large - through social action and interfaith involvement. We have prayed, studied, sung and celebrated Jewish Life. I look ahead to the new year with a great deal of excitement and anticipation.

For me, this has been a vitally important year. Last month I celebrated my 40th birthday. Despite all of the comments I have received about being "over the hill" - the boxes of Bran muffins delivered anonymously on my doorstep; the reading glasses that have found their place in my jacket pocket and the other signs of physical deterioration that accompany getting older, I have found turning 40 to be a wonderful experience. The Psalmist writes: "Teach us, O God, to number our days, that we might acquire a heart of wisdom." I am just now beginning to understand the power and import of those words. For some, birthdays are times to reflect on moments lost that will never be regained. That is not the Jewish way. The Psalmist teaches us to see each day as a gift - every day a new opportunity to embrace life in all its fullness. My 40th birthday allows me to sit back and give thanks for all that God has given me: A wonderful family, a spiritual home here at Congregation Albert, the ability to teach and counsel, musical gifts that I can share with others, opportunities to learn from mistakes and missteps and the ability to truly make a difference in the life of the community in which I live. To all of you who have sent me birthday wishes, I send my sincere thanks, appreciation and love.

I want to invite you to come to a special concert that I will be giving on June 19th at 8:00 PM. At this concert I will be singing and playing music from my new CD, Leave a Little Bit Undone. I am very proud of this new project and I look forward to sharing it with all of you. A portion of proceeds from the sale of CDs will benefit the newly established Glenda Orchant Scholarship Fund. I hope to see you there.

May you all have a restful summer and may you find moments to sit back, reflect and appreciate all the good that God has given.

B’Shalom,
Rabbi Joseph R. Black

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