As in all things Jewish, there is a debate.  I’m willing to bet most have heard the expression “All beginnings are difficult”.  The quote is attributed to Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, a sage of the 1st Century.  And some (like Rav Google) also credit the Jewish American Rabbi and author, Chaim Potok with the expression. Whoever you attribute it to, surely we can agree on the wisdom of the expression.  If you learned to drive on a car with a manual transmission you knew the need to begin in Low or 1st gear, because it is hard to get the car moving from a standing start into gaining speed and getting up to speed.

For me, the expression could be modified to say, “all beginnings have lots and lots of details”.  In my case, it is taking the needed time to learn all the details, one by one, about Congregation Am HaYam.  These are details as small and so very important  as, everyone’s name and remembering the deadline for the article for the Migdalor.  Also something as basic as, ‘what is the offramp from the 101 I need to take for the shul”?  It also means, stepping into a role that had another very qualified Rabbi in it.  I’ve known Rabbi Ben Goldstein for years, going back to seminary and other places in the larger Jewish community where I’ve seen his dedicated work first hand.  Recently, I had the opportunity to have a video call with Rabbi JB Sacks.  What a pleasure to meet such a kind gentleman and one so focused on service to the community.  Clearly I have some very large shoes to fill.

I look forward to meeting everyone, both in person, on the phone, at Shabbat or other programs.  For me one of the most interesting things is to hear the story and history of another person.  This will be a major part of my beginning at CAH.  While you might be curious about me, I promise I’m at least as curious about you and your story.  Sharing together is a pleasure I hope to engage in with everyone.  It is my hope and goal that between meeting the community at Shabbat, business meetings and phone calls, to have the chance to ‘meet and greet’ with you and start a relationship.  To that end, let me share with the community my email information-

RabbiRon@CongregationAmHaYam.com

I strive to be responsive to email and do check my account a few times a day.

In this first article I’d like to share some of the things I consider important and that I want to focus on and have be significant parts of my rabbinate at Congregation Am HaYam.  This is absolutely not ‘all inclusive” and in future articles, sermons and teachings, I’ll share others.  Your feedback and observations are vital and I look forward to hearing them.   The first is G-d and our relationship with the Divine.  I am a bit ‘old school’ so I spell G-d this way.  You will find I often will use the Hebrew names or substitutes like השם-“the name/HaShem” and similar.   I want to explore together what is our communal and personal relationship with G-d? How do we communicate  with the Divine?  Do we feel like we get answers?  What do we feel when we pray?  Is there a proper way to pray?  How do I feel praying in community vs in solitude?  Have I ever felt the presence of השם??    These questions and more are things I hope to explore together with you.

Another very important topic and practical matter to me is community.  What does it mean to be a קהילה קדושה-‘a holy community’?  What does it mean to be part of and to be a contributing part of a holy community?  And community is both local and global.  That is to say, we are part of the Jewish community of Ventura, of Ventura County and of the larger Jewish community in Southern California.  How are we part of those groups and what is our role? What is our relationship with the other branches and movements in Judaism?  We are a faith community, how does that interact with other faith traditions and communities?  What is our relationship with other faith communities in our local area?  That of course leads to how are we part of much larger Jewish world, in Southern California, the United States, and our relationship with Israel?    Israel is very important to me, do others feel the same?  These are topics and programs we will explore together.  Again, I have my ideas and thoughts and goals.  But I very much want to hear yours also.

I want to close this first article with two thoughts/themes of mine.  1) I can fail by myself, I need your help to succeed.  That is to say, even a rabbi is not a ‘one person team”.  It takes a village, it takes a community, to reach success, to reach new heights.  As rabbi to the CAH community, I very much want to work with you all.  My hope and prayer is that we all work together to make the world just a bit brighter and just a bit better, because together we can do exactly that.  2) The other theme is something you will hear me say over and over again.  “I want to leave the room smarter than when I entered it”.

I fully believe when we gather for worship, for learning, for fellowship and service, I’m surrounded by people with lifetimes of experience and learning.  Just as your rabbi, I teach, so too as your rabbi, I learn from you all.  Our tradition in the Perkai Avot teaches, “who is wise?  The one who learns from everyone”…  I seek to live that and I much look forward to learning with and from you all.

Rabbi Ron