Membership : : President's Message

Moishe, a good friend of mine, was right in front of me as we were leaving the synagogue after High Holy Day services. As usual, the Rabbi was standing by the door shaking every congregant’s hand as they left.

When Moishe got to the door the Rabbi grabbed him and ushered him off to the side and said to him:

“Moishe, you need to join the Army of G-d.”

Moishe replied: “Rabbi, I already belong to the Army of G-d.”

Frowning, the Rabbi said: “How can that be Moishe, I only see you in shul on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.”

Moishe lowered his voice and whispered: “Rabbi, I’m in the Secret Service.”

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“Wake up, you sleepers from your sleep, and you slumberers from your slumber. Examine your deeds, return in repentance and remember your Creator, you who forget the truth in the follies of time and waste the whole year in vain pursuits that neither profit nor save.”

These are the words of Maimonides (The Rambam) in his law code The Mishneh Torah written from 1170 – 1180. Maimonides’ purpose in writing the Mishneh Torah was to combine the religious law of the Talmud (compiled from 350-700 by great rabbis of the time) with philosophy and serve as a practical guide for how Jews should lead their lives. The Mishneh Torah is written in simple language and intended to be read by the masses, not simply the religious elite as was the case with previous scholarly writings. This specific quotation describes the purpose of listening to the sound of the shofar during the High Holy Days. The sounds of the shofar are G-d’s cry to us. It is G-d’s way of saying what he said to the first humans in the Garden of Eden: “Where are you? What have you done with the life, the freedom and the blessings I gave you?”

The booming sound of the shofar is most definitely one of my earliest remembrances of attending the synagogue and the High Holy Days. We most earnestly invite you to attend (either in-person or virtually) Temple Judea’s High Holy Day Services (including our Rosh Hashanah Seder and lunch and Yom Kippur break-the-fast). A complete schedule, including dates and times, is presented on page 8.

May we all be written in the BOOK OF LIFE for a happy and healthy year,

Arnold Miller, Vice President
Roberta Probolsky, Vice President