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Rabbi's Reflections, by Rabbi James A. Gibson Where did four years go? Is it really four years already that Rabbi Ende showed up at Temple Sinai with his wonderful smile, his unstinting energy and boundless enthusiasm? Is it really four years since little Achinoam was virtually a baby? And Avshalom, Aviya and Ithamar, who came to us so shy, yet charming? I guess that four years really have passed. But they seem to have gone like the wind. Rabbi Ende has made himself such a part of our congregational family that we expect to see him almost everywhere we turn in the life of our Temple. You and I, so many of us here at Sinai, have found a place in our hearts and lives for Rabbi Ende. He was there for us at celebrations like bar and bat mitzvah as well as difficult times in the hospital or at funerals. It is hard to imagine our bimah on Erev Shabbat without him! And Avigail, of course, is the one who, ever so quietly, made everything possible for Ezra, by making sure that he had time to learn and to do. To see her so comfortable and at ease at Mostly Musical Shabbat is a joy! I will tell you that Rabbi Symons, Sara and I will be losing a colleague and a friend whom we have come to love and trust. We have come to appreciate his sense of humor, sometimes sly and sometimes over the top, as well as his appreciation for football in general and the Steelers in particular. As his friend and (hopefully!) mentor, I will tell you that Rabbi Ende has grown immensely in his work here at Temple Sinai. He has grown as a rabbi, as a man and as a caring friend to us all. He has learned to share of himself from the pulpit, which would be fine if English was his first language and is extraordinary because it isn’t! He opened his home in a way that was unique. It was as if he was telling so many of us that learning in the classroom was only half of what mattered—it is the experience that gives us joy and brings the lesson home. His work with the B’racha Center since its inception has been outstanding. He knows in his heart that our claim to being a “family of families” only stands up to scrutiny if we finds ways to touch people in the heart of their lives, whether they are sick or well. His legacy in this area is something on which we hope to build for many years to come. Four years. More than 200 Shabbatot. More than 100 Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Weddings. Funerals. New melodies, new thoughts, new insights – Rabbi Ezra Ende has given us these and so much more. He has given us himself and his heart without limit or reservation. Even as Rabbi Ende and his family leave, I am delighted and honored to announce that our Cantorial Soloist, Sara Stock Mayo, will be increasing her hours at Temple Sinai to help with the pastoral work of the B’racha Center. She brings a wonderful caring attitude, a professional certification in drama therapy and her recent completion of a demanding course on clinical pastoral care based at UPMC Presbyterian. We are expecting her to be a wonderful addition to our pastoral care team. I am also delighted that Rabbi Ron Symons will be expanding his role in the life of the congregation. He will head the Tikkun Olam Center for Jewish Social Justice as well as appear more often on the pulpit both Shabbat evening and morning. He will also be working with me to fulfill the Life Cycle needs of our Temple Sinai Family. Have a wonderful summer everyone! See you for Shabbat! L’Shalom, To wake up in the morning with a new song in our hearts! — Naomi Shemer Sometimes the party is over Wake up tomorrow I never thought that this would be so hard… The toughest thing that I have had to do since I got here is to say good-bye. I have grown close to so many of you. You have opened your hearts to me and we were fortunate to truly get to know one another. “Today we live next to each other rather than as a true community. Sometimes when we truly see one another, we experience the essence of Kedusha (Holiness).” — Martin Buber For me our relationships are holy. We shared many meaningful times together. We cried, we laughed, and we felt… we brought together God’s presence. These moments will remain with me forever — and you just call out my name, and you know wherever I am... I’ll do what I can to be with you again — whether it’s by writing, calling or visiting, we are bound to stay in touch. Leaving Pittsburgh and the United States will be different from when I left Israel. I know that this is for good. My family and I never intended to immigrate to this wonderful country and we are following our original desire of returning to our homeland — but we feel torn. Part of us doesn’t want to let go of what we have here. I was never good with endings and separations. It’s very hard for me to say goodbye but at the same time, avoiding it means avoiding the depth of our relationships and not honoring the companionship we share. For the first time in my life I want to face this hardship (at least in writing…) because you matter too much for me to avoid it. What we have here is very special. This is an ending of one kind of relationship and a beginning of another. It is a beginning of our transatlantic relationship. I will always be there for you, even though I will be in Israel. When you are concerned and have a question, you’ll know where to find me. When you come to visit our homeland, please come by and say shalom. When meaningful occasions occur in your life, please drop me a line, include me. We are lucky to live in an age that allows us to keep in touch from afar. I’m already excited about our correspondence and meetings in the future. I also want to thank all of you for the support that you have given me and my family. So many of you have helped us in so many ways. We feel very humble. There is one person, though, that I would like to use this opportunity to thank personally — the one and only, our beloved Rabbi Jamie Gibson. First of all, I’d like to thank you for hiring me, for bringing me to this amazing Temple and allowing me to partake in our family of families. The support you have given to me is a token of your love and dedication to the land of Israel and the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism. My experience here will always guide me. Temple Sinai is my house of study and you are my teacher. I know that you always felt responsible for me and my family. You are a true friend, and a rabbi who took us all under your wings. When I got here I was young and green — you have groomed me into the rabbinate. I have learned from you how to be a rabbi. I watched you preach and tried to practice what I learned. I have seen and heard you turn to congregants and speak to them in a very honest, direct and inspirational way and that makes me thankful that these people have crossed your path. I am inspired by what you turned this congregation into and I believe that although our ways are separating, I will continue to learn from you. So, in the near future when I am back in my old apartment and you are experiencing the beauty of fall, will our togetherness seem like a passing dream? When we are back to our old routines, will the times that we shared seem to us like passing memories? And, is this a bad thing? No! Not necessarily. Thank G-d for the changing of the seasons and for our ability to adapt to changing times with the help of our family, our companions and our communities. May the warmth that we have shared keep us warm when it gets a little chilly outside. May our friendship help us dare to change and grow. May our togetherness open our hearts to our community. I pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds.1 Our tradition ends with the hope of returning: NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM! I also hope to be able to come back and visit! Eternally yours, Ezra (Rabbi Ezra N. Ende) 1 taken from Mishkan T’filah, page 215 Sharing Faith—Sharing Life The Torah commands, “Do not stand idle while your neighbor bleeds.” (Leviticus 19:16) Many of us as individuals have taken this mitzvah to heart by regularly donating blood in order to provide adequate supplies for medical procedures. The Central Blood Bank has embraced this obligation and made it their mission here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Our neighbors in southwestern Pennsylvania have a tremendous need for blood and blood products to sustain health and healing. More donors to fully cover the needs of our neighbors are being sought by the Central Blood Bank. Their goal is that new donors will become consistent, repeat donors (as you might already be, as I have been since the age of majority). Religious leaders of our area are partnering with the Central Blood Bank to identify from their faithful the new donors to enable the blood bank to meet the needs of our neighbors. To achieve the goals of recruiting new donors from our faith communities and sustaining them in future donations, a special event is being planned at Heinz Field for the region on Sunday, June 13. The public witness of faith leaders, athletes and musicians in a celebratory atmosphere will call attention to the need for more donors and provide the religious motivation to respond. Attendees will have the opportunity to donate at the event or to schedule an appointment for a community donation center at a later time. This event will call attention to the Central Blood Bank’s particular need for donations during the summer months. The second phase of this initiative will develop regional interfaith blood drives to sustain the donations by these new faith inspired donors. I would like you to join me in 'not standing idle while our neighbors bleed.' Sunday, June 13, 2010
2 PM – 7 PM, Coca Cola Great Hall, Heinz Field The first 3,000 guests will receive a World Blood Donor Day T-shirt. All will be invited to wear the T-shirt and join with us at 4:30 PM in a record attempt at forming the world’s largest ‘human blood drop.’ This world record attempt will be photographed. Everyone who presents to donate blood on June 13 will receive a coupon for a free chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A and a free, behind-the-scenes tour of Heinz Field. The day’s activities will also include: Blood drive on-site (East Club Lounge) Rabbi Ron Symons, RJE, Director of Lifelong Learning
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