This week’s Torah portion is Shoftim and in it we hear the famous words “tsedak,tsedek tifdof, Justice, justice shall you pursue.”(Deut:16:20).

 

It is not surprising given these words that we are a people who respect and glorify laws. We are a people of lawyers and judges. As Liberal Jews we have all been involved in situations involving the pursuit of justice for all. These words are emblazoned on many Temple walls as well as the walls of our communal organizations. When considering any issue we have always gone back to the words of our Torah to pursue justice.

 

In Shoftim the pursuit of justice is spelled out. Two witnesses are required for evidence and a
thorough investigation is required for any grievance. A scrupulous effort is made to preserve not only the substance but the appearance of impartiality. This very Torah portion has always been a source for my teaching, it is important for all Jews to realize that Social Justice is not a luxury but at the very core of our values.As the High Holy Day season approaches let us remember these words of our Torah, take them to heart and teach them to our children.

If you have been following the Torah Portions in the Book of Numbers, you will notice that many of the stories have dealt with the Israelites’ journey out of Egypt in search of a new home. Throughout Jewish history our people have been cast out and dispersed and left to wander. Home. It’s always the destination … the end to a sometimes long and arduous journey.

When we think of our own home, we think of a place where we feel safe. The word conjures up memories of the home we grew up in, or the present-day home that we have created for our children and their children. Our source of peace … our safe haven.

Here at TSS we have found a spiritual home … a safe place where we are warmly welcomed at the door and are among friends. Immediately upon entering, you experience a sense of community. We are all a part of the Shabbat Service, sharing with each other the many blessings and prayers. We share the recipes of the sweet treats served at our Oneg. We share in the joy of the celebrations of anniversaries, birthdays, graduations and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. And as the bonds of our spiritual community grow deep, we share our sorrow for the loss of our loved ones.

Just like the Israelites of long ago, our search for a new spiritual home has taught us many lessons, brought us closer together and showed us that the journey can be sweet and is just as important as the destination.

More on Shabbat Services . . .
This past Friday, Elliot Gluskin ran services for the Cantor who was away on vacation. We thank Marlene and Jay Plotnick for sponsoring our Oneg, and Jay did double duty by giving us news we can use from the Board of Trustees.

Leadership was the theme of last week’s parsha. Pinhas acts quickly when he finds a love relationship outside the laws of the Israelites. Moses is described as “slow to act” on this matter. And God rewards Pinhas with the Covenants of Peace and everlasting Priesthood.
When God tells Moses he will not lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, the main concern of Moses is not for himself, or his family, but rather for the entire Israelite nation. He asks God, “Who will lead them?”

Leadership plays an important role in this week’s Torah portion. Effective leadership in all organizations is imperative to the success of the social group. The qualities that made Moses a good leader were quite different than those of Pinhas. What this parsha tells us is that for each problem facing a community, you may need a variety of abilities to handle the situation. A blend of honed life skills, wisdom and experience yield the most successful outcome.

Our spiritual community at TSS is blessed with qualified and caring leadership. Our Clergy and Board of Trustees interact on a multitude of issues placing the needs of the congregation before any one agenda. This creates an environment of trust, a courteous respect for differing ideas and agreement in the common goal. What we lack in the physicality of a sanctuary, we more than make up for with our caring leaders whose number one priority is to create a progressive spiritual community that is safe, warm, friendly and respectful.

In just a few short months the High Holy Days will be upon us. This year Temple Shirat Shalom will once again hold the High Holy Days Services at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Hamilton Street in Allentown. We are honored and thrilled that Rabbi Sally Priesand will share the Bima with our own Cantor Sussman.

The following is a Bio on Rabbi Priesand:

Rabbi Sally J. Priesand, America’s first female rabbi, was ordained in June, 1972, by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1981-2006, she served as Rabbi of Monmouth Reform Temple with our own Cantor Sussman, becoming Rabbi Emerita upon her retirement.

Nationally, she has served on the Executive Board of both the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union for Reform Judaism. She also served as a member of the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR, as President of the Rabbinic Alumni Association, and for three years as editor of the CCAR Newsletter. In 2007, she invited her female rabbinic colleagues of all denominations to join her in donating their professional and personal papers to the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati, Ohio, in order to document the history of women in the rabbinate.

Locally, she is an Honorary Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County and President of Interfaith Neighbors. She also chairs the Clergy Advisory Committee of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey and serves on the national Clergy Advisory Board of Planned Parenthood. She chairs the membership committee of the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education at Brookdale Community College and is an active supporter of the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County.

She is the recipient of many awards and honors. The most recent include receiving, in 2009, the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. In 2010, in honor of its 125th anniversary, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE named her one of 125 women who changed our lives and our world.

Rabbi Priesand, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, lives in Ocean Township, New Jersey, together with her Boston Terrier, Shadow.

Please join us at TSS for the upcoming High Holy Days. Here at TSS the High Holy Days are always a special time of year. We look forward to seeing you there.