Presidentâs Message 8/22/14
Teach The Children
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…” Deuteronomy 6:6-7. These words, spoken by Moses, follow the Shema and we say them at every service. It is our
responsibility to teach the Torah to the children. A large part of the mission of Congregation B’nai Israel is to pass the Torah to our children, for this will insure the continuation of the Jewish Community .
This subject is on my mind because of the B’nai Mitzvot we have and will be celebrating. Our Congregation celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Melissa Schuplinsky in May and the Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Sousa in August. In September we will celebrate the Bat
Mitzvah of Jasmine Anderson and in January Sara Kallman. These are great blessings for our community. Our Religious School is doing a wonderful job preparing these students for their big day.
One of the most meaningful parts of being President of Congregation B’nai Israel is the honor of sitting on the Bima during these Services. There is such joy on the Bima as relatives and friends come up for their honors. Each is so proud and happy. Everyone is touched by the effort made by the young person performing the ritual that leads them to becoming a member of the Jewish Community. We all enjoy hearing the speech on the Torah portion and the speeches of parents and siblings. The Service, led by Rabbi White, is so moving and meaningful. Since I have the honor of being on the Bima throughout the Service, I am
enveloped by the joy and happiness of the ceremony and so again I say this is a great part of being President of B’nai Israel. Thank you for giving me this honor.
B’nai Israel must continue to maintain our responsibility to pass the Torah to our children. As Rabbi White often says, “It is all about the children.” My hope is that when our Religious School starts the new semester in September there will be lots of students preparing for their B’nai Mitzvot, because I will be so happy to be there for the celebration.
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children…” Deuteronomy 6:6-7. These words, spoken by Moses, follow the Shema and we say them at every service. It is our
responsibility to teach the Torah to the children. A large part of the mission of Congregation B’nai Israel is to pass the Torah to our children, for this will insure the continuation of the Jewish Community .
This subject is on my mind because of the B’nai Mitzvot we have and will be celebrating. Our Congregation celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of Melissa Schuplinsky in May and the Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Sousa in August. In September we will celebrate the Bat
Mitzvah of Jasmine Anderson and in January Sara Kallman. These are great blessings for our community. Our Religious School is doing a wonderful job preparing these students for their big day.
One of the most meaningful parts of being President of Congregation B’nai Israel is the honor of sitting on the Bima during these Services. There is such joy on the Bima as relatives and friends come up for their honors. Each is so proud and happy. Everyone is touched by the effort made by the young person performing the ritual that leads them to becoming a member of the Jewish Community. We all enjoy hearing the speech on the Torah portion and the speeches of parents and siblings. The Service, led by Rabbi White, is so moving and meaningful. Since I have the honor of being on the Bima throughout the Service, I am
enveloped by the joy and happiness of the ceremony and so again I say this is a great part of being President of B’nai Israel. Thank you for giving me this honor.
B’nai Israel must continue to maintain our responsibility to pass the Torah to our children. As Rabbi White often says, “It is all about the children.” My hope is that when our Religious School starts the new semester in September there will be lots of students preparing for their B’nai Mitzvot, because I will be so happy to be there for the celebration.
Fred