What better way to greet the whole congregation than in this book which has us gathered here together… I am honored and excited to be the new rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom, a congregation that provides something of a home and family for so many members. Certainly, while we all have our work cut out for us, fostering a spirit of openness and welcome seems to be a quality that has long been achieved here, and is a spirit I hope we will continue to cultivate.

  As a rabbi, I certainly view our community and our building as a home – a home, that is, for challenge, comfort, reflection, expansion of our souls, learning, and a springboard towards a more sustainable world, for meaningful tikkun. For me, that often comes in the form of Jewish time (think holidays, life-cycle moments), Jewish culture (music, cooking, literature), the interconnections between Judaism and the natural world, learning & communal obligation, and certainly in the richness of relationships developed over time.

 However we are drawn to Jewish life, we are certainly a people blessed with an abundance of mitzvot, with openings to holiness, in our lives. Shabbat dinner can be yet another item on a to-do list – or it can be an opportunity to take the phone off the hook and eat dinner without distraction, whether it is roast chicken or take-out pizza. Tutoring a child can be yet another good deed crammed into a busy schedule – or it can be an opportunity to help turn around the cycle of poverty, one family at a time.

 I hope that in the year ahead, we will each and together have many opportunities to elevate our lives, wherever we each are on our life’s journey. What I love about Jewish tradition is that our teachers and communities have written and spoken tremendously about the myriad ways in which we can enter Jewish life, and as you may have already heard me say, I want TBS to be a community with multiple points of entry: a Rosh Hodesh group, a service in the woods of New Hampshire, a re-invigorated youth group, an adult education series on health care, or a class on the meaning/ practices/ roots of Jewish holidays.

 Finally, while I am so glad that this is a home for so many, we are also a coalition of many different groups and interests. If you have a concern or idea that could use a bit more attention, please do not hesitate to drop me a line or call. In whatever ways our community continues to evolve and unfold, my hope is that we will be an expression of vibrant Jewish life in the year ahead.

 B’shalom,

 Rabbi Emily Mathis