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Thoughts to Nosh OnMarch 2010From the Desk of Rabbi SharffThe month of March is filled with all sorts of observances, and not just Jewish ones like Passover. For example, March is Women’s History Month. It is also the time when the famous swallows make their annual return to Capistrano. The month of March is also replete with many well known Jewish birthdays including Albert Einstein’s on the 14th. Erik Weiss, better known as Harry Houdini, was born on March 24th, Rachel Weisz of Mummy movie fame came into this world on March 7th, and perhaps most importantly, on March 11th, my brother Micah was born. Speaking of birthdays, the only birthday ever mentioned in the Torah is Pharaoh’s in Genesis 40:20. Yet we Jews were generally prohibited from engaging in the practices of the Egyptians. As a result, for the longest time, Jews did not celebrate birthdays. Also tradition holds that your birth alone is not as significant as the way you live your life. After all, Ecclesiastes says, "The day of death is better than the day of one’s birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). As a midrash explains, ‘When a person is born, it is not known what he will be like when grown and what his deeds will be – whether righteous or wicked, good, or evil. When he dies, however, if he departs with a good name and leaves the world in peace, people should rejoice." Hence the emphasis on Yartzeits rather than birthdays I mention all of this because this month of March we will also be celebrating Temple Emanu-El’s 100th birthday. There will be a gala celebration on March 20th and a special guest at our Shabbat evening services on March 26th, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, and one of my father’s classmates. As we celebrate Temple Emanu-El’s 100th Birthday, we are reminded of how this wonderful institution has influenced our lives in so many ways; be it through worship, education, lifecycles, personal connection, spiritual guidance, and the like. Each and every moment spent with this wonderful congregation adds to our tremendous centennial legacy. However, the only way it can continue to remain the heart of Judaism in Southern Arizona is through your continued support. We may be celebrating Temple’s 100th birthday this month, but what we are also celebrating are those years and decades that lie ahead. So come to our celebrations, but also commit yourself to this tremendous community for only you can ensure that it will be around for another 120 years or more. Rabbi Ben Sharff |
