June 11, 2011
Rabbi Meyer's Consecration Service Remarks
Thanks to Rabbi Heyn, to this community and its leadership for inviting me to share this special occasion of consecration and covenant, and allow me to bring along some music as well! And I bring greetings from my congregation in Marblehead, Massachusetts, which I have served for the past 19 years, ever since leaving Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco. And it was there, in my previous synagogue, where I first had the chance to meet your new Rabbi. There we were part of a very unique community outreach program for singles and other young, Jewish adults. What made it exceptional, particularly as a singles outreach program, was that the goal wasn’t primarily to find these folks a partner! Rather, it was the serious Jewish content, the creativity, the seeking, the music, and the celebration of being Jewish that was at the foundation of the program. And Tom came to us as a seeker, looking to establish a meaningful, spiritual foundation for his life. I remember so clearly how, even so many years ago, Tom assumed roles of leadership that helped shaped the experiences of so many in the community. And I know that those same values have shaped his own Jewish journey in the years that have passed, and that he will likewise be a guide for you in the years to come in creating meaning, beauty, awe, inspiration, connection and commitment as a Jewish community of faith here in the beautiful environs of Vermont.
It is, of course, a special honor for me to share in this night's celebration. And again, I loved being asked to add a bit of music to the occasion. I also love the fact that this evening we aren’t gathering with pen and paper to essentially notarize Rabbi Heyn’s election by written contract; an agreement consummated simply by legal instruments to guard against either uncertainty or mistrust. Rather, this is an evening of brit – a celebration of covenant, and like the Covenant that binds our people throughout the generations as children of Abraham with our God, so, too, we should recognize that a brit joins two parties together for common purpose, common benefit, and shared responsibility. The ritual we share and text from which we read tonight expresse beautifully the sacred nature of this relationship, and in many ways, might serve as a model for other congregations and communities to emulate.
But my role tonight is that of rabbinic "mentor", and as such, I want to offer a few brief thoughts to both parties to tonight’s covenant -- to Rabbi Tom and to his welcoming congregation. As we think about what your role as the rabbi of this community might be, it’s helpful to recognize that in general, the role of a congregational rabbi today has become a mixture, a hybrid really, expressing first the personality of rav, the classic authority figure representing tradition, but also the rebbe, the spiritual guide so fully developed in Hasidism, and finally, the pastor, a giver of care and healing through the warmth of personal contact, a function happily adopted from our surrounding, American culture.
We often use the image of a shepherd when speaking of the rabbinical leadership of his or her congregation, and that image, from the days of the Bible, has always evoked special significance. I recently learned from Rabbi Arthur Green, the Rector of the Rabbinical School at Boston’s Hebrew College, who first learned from his teacher, the late, Nahum Sarna, that there are two kinds of shepherds talked about in the Biblical text. Some shepherds walk before their flock, leading them along the way. This is the shepherd familiar to us from the imagery of the 23rd Psalm – yanheni be-ma’agley tsedek; "He leads me in straight paths." So too Moses in the third chapter of Exodus:va-yinhag et ha-tson ahar ha-midbar – "he led the sheep in search of pasture." However, the prophet, Amos tells us about the other sort of shepherd, the one who walks behind the flock, careful to round up strays as they wander: "Vayikacheni Adonai ma-acharei ha-tzon - "God took me from behind the sheep, and told me 'Go prophesy to My people, Israel.'"
From these two styles of Biblical shepherding, I think we can learn some lessons that, Tom, will be helpful to you as you think about your own styles of rabbinical leadership. Sometimes, you'll need to take the lead, to stand in front, to model and to guide the community and its members towards a rich, varied, and meaningful Judaism. But you also will need to realize when NOT to stand in front, and thereby empower others to bring their creativity and commitment, visions and leadership.
So how will you know which sort of shepherding is called for? The answer to that question will sometimes come from your experience, and from your heart. Other times, you may be guided by these very families with whom you enter into Covenant today, as you listen carefully to their needs and concerns. And hopefully, you will also be guided by the Voice of the One who has ever been known as Roeh Yisrael – The Shepherd of Israel. So as you take on the honored title of Rabbi to the Jewish Community of Brattleboro, and Congregation Shir HeHarim, we all pray that you will be blessed with wisdom and insight, and that by your leadership of this community, you will [Note: the rest of Rabbi Meyer's remarks were connected to Rabbi Tom's remarks, and not recorded.]
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