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Thoughts to Nosh OnJune 2006From the Desk of Rabbi Sharff“R. Simeon said: If three have eaten at one table and have spoke over it words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten from the table of God.” (Pirkei Avot 3:3) Can you believe it has already been one year since I began serving Temple Emanu-El as the Assistant Rabbi? As I look back at this time last year, I can still recall how Joy and I were painting walls and unloading boxes. We were also having our air condition repaired, and I was taking on the most formidable of opponents I had ever encountered – our of control oleanders. We were also experiencing for the first time the mild sensation known as summer in Tucson. But as I look back over this past year, one of the strongest memories I have are of the meals we shared together with you. So many of you took us out to lunch or dinner during our formative days. We also had the honor of dining with you at pre-High Holiday meals, at Hannukah with the great brisket, and at the annual Janos Dinner with the delicious food and the fabulous sunset. Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the delightful pre-T’fillot buffets as well. Yet it was not the food that I look back so fondly upon. It was the company. To gather together with all of you and discuss the stories in your lives and in your children’s’ and grandchildren’s lives as well, was a tremendous experience for me. These meals served as a rare moment where we could remove ourselves from the outside world and just enjoy each other’s company. It was a time where we could simply be Jewish together and spend quality time with one another. For in doing so, it was as if we were creating a smidgen of Torah over a little bit of chicken or couscous. Our people have always placed a strong emphasis on breaking bread together. That is because meals are one of the few times during the day where we can sit, relax, and encounter each other. That is in part why we find so many blessings to be recited over the evening meal. By reciting these blessings and pausing to reflect over all that has happened during the week, our dining experiences become so much more than the mere act of eating, it is as if they become holy endeavors. So as the summer season descends upon us, I invite you to continue to gather together to pause from the daily craziness and just enjoy those who have gathered together at your table. For when we gather together and share our traditions and our lives with one another, we also are inviting God to dwell among us. Rabbi Ben Sharff |
