“Today you are all standing before the Lord your God.” (Deut. 29:9).

“Do not separate yourself from the community”. (Pirkei Avot – 1:14).

I want to continue the theme from Rabbi Maderer’s Rosh Hashanah sermon, and let’s return once again to the writer Robert Putnam, who, years ago, authored the book that really put him and the issue of aloneness on the map:  “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community”. We are a nation that goes to church (and synagogue) less, joins clubs less, and are losing trust in each other and our institutions. These trends have been exacerbated by technology, the pandemic, and now with AI and political polarization. This “separation” from community is an urgent problem; anger,  betrayal,  emotional disagreement on Israel, antisemitism, and politics eat at the core of our community. And most of this vituperation is online, where we don’t actually speak to each other or look each other in the eye.

As Rabbi Maderer shared in her sermon on Rosh Hashanah, RS is pro-actively trying to find meaningful ways to break through this cycle by rebuilding right here in our own community. We have begun a series of small group discussions where we can once again see each other’s humanity – “panim el panim,” face to face. When we  see the humanity in each other, we will reverse this downward cycle and “return” together in community.

With that goal in mind, and fully recognizing this may seem strange in the middle of a Yom Kippur service – please indulge me: find someone nearby you don’t know; introduce yourself, and share what brings you here today – what compels you to come to RS this Yom Kippur. Let’s take two minutes to get to know each other better – true to our vision to create profound connections.

I really appreciate your willingness to spend these moments in relationship with someone new; maybe someone you would like to get to know even better after today. If you are hungry for more, we will have an in-depth opportunity to connect later today before Afternoon Services begins as we launch our “Belonging Project.”

Now I want to briefly shift gears to a completely different topic – but one that’s equally important and close to my heart.

“When Moses’ father-in-law Yitro saw all that Moses did for the people, he said:  What is this thing that you do for the people? The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for this work is too heavy for one person; you are not able to perform it alone.” (Exodus, 18)

We are blessed to have a deep and talented group of leaders in this congregation. While the congregation president may be most visible, one person cannot do it alone. As I complete my final Yom Kippur message to you, I want to lift up and recognize the leaders of this congregation without whom we could not maintain this sacred community. If you’re an officer of the congregation please stand, if you’re a member of the Board of Directors, please stand, if you are a member of our Board of Advisors, please stand up, and if you lead any of our many engagement groups please rise. Please look around at these hard working, often unrecognized leaders and thank them. I personally can’t thank all of you enough for supporting me these past few years and for the visionary work you do.

The Hebrew word for ‘thank you,’ ‘todah,’ is rooted in lehodot — ‘to acknowledge.’ A true thank you is never perfunctory; it is a humble admission: I could not have done this without you. Thankfulness requires humility. It acknowledges that we are not self-sufficient, that our lives are interwoven with the care and support of others. In admitting limitation, we begin to experience a deeper sense of wholeness…We discover that the very boundaries of our strength and control are what create the space for others to enter our lives.”

You renew and uplift me by your presence, your ideas and care, and maybe even some occasional kvetching. I still have 8 months left in my term, and there is much work to do. We are so fortunate to be part of this amazing place. Looking ahead, I will be succeeded by one of our extraordinary long-term leaders, Marsha Weinraub, who I am confident will do an incredible job. Please support her as you have supported me.

May we all go from strength to strength, together, in community, and in relationship. Shana tova.