Send-Off Shabbat

My sabbatical renewal started with a really lovely send-off Shabbat service and dinner. It was a very special evening. And I was especially touched to see so many members of our Temple family there and to hear so many heartfelt well wishes for our family! I feel blessed to have a supportive group who have helped to plan this renewal time for our congregation while I’m on sabbatical and to have this great opportunity. The last few weeks have had a very rushed and busy feel as I’ve been trying to get everything taken care of, and remember what details others might need to know. Even though I have been looking forward to this time, I was surprised by the challenge of letting go. In one of my books I used to prepare for my sabbatical leave is a list of “The Top Reasons for Not Taking A Sabbatical”. Among the reasons are:

• You can’t stand all the free time with family and friends
• The congregation might be able to function without me
• You don’t have anything to wear except work clothes
• Maybe people in the congregation will forget my name
• I might forget how to lead services
• Too much rest, prayer, travel and renewal
• Won’t be able to use burn-out as an excuse anymore

So I read this list and I had a good laugh, and then serendipitously into my mailbox popped a message that said “Trusting the Process” . I didn’t really need to read further – like, whoa, there’s a message! And I realized this was a message for me –it said “take some time for meditation and reflection, the moments of introspection are important because they allow me to see my life in a broader context. The activities then take on greater meaning because I feel more conscious and aware of WHY I am doing them.”

That’s after all what a sabbatical is about. In the Torah portion for that Shabbat it even says “On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a Shabbat of complete rest, a sacred occasion. You shall do not work; it shall be a Sabbath of God throughout your settlements” (Lev. 23:3) And next week’s portion tells us about the sabbatical year: “When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a Sabbath of Adonai. Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. But in the seventh year, the land shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, a Sabbath of the Eternal.” Leviticus 25:2-4

So, sabbatical is sacred time, time for rest, renewal and reJEWvenation. I look forward to returning, renewed and refreshed.

I am deeply grateful to Temple Israel’s lay leadership for their willingness to grant us this time away. And my great thanks to all who have worked hard on planning our renewal programs, and have volunteered to provide coverage for Shabbat services. Thank you so much for making this possible! And second, I am especially grateful to have received a Lilly grant, which makes it possible for me to take this sabbatical. So, thank you to the Lilly Foundation.

So, at the onset of this journey, I pray for all of you that God’s blessing be upon you while I am gone from you, that you may experience growth and learning, a renewal of spirit, of new connections to one another and to our Jewish tradition, through study, music, and community.

In the words that we as Jews pray at the beginning of every journey, the words of Tefilat Haderech, the Traveler’s Prayer (this is the setting by Debbie Friedman):

May we be blessed as we go on our way
May we be guided in peace.
May we be blessed with health and joy.
May we be sheltered by the wings of peace.
May we be kept in safety and in love.
May grace and compassion find their way to every soul.
May this be our blessing. Amen