After weekend of joy and sorrow, words of thanks

Dear Friends, 

I am reaching out to say thank you.  I was deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support that I have received from all of you this weekend.

It was a roller coaster of a weekend. The beautiful tribute Lisa and I received in our celebration of 10 years in the shul this past Shabbat was both touching and exhilarating. I returned home after Shabbat to learn that my family had experienced a loss. Again, I cannot express how precious it was to me having so many people reaching out, sending emails, texts, WhatApps, and participating in shiva meals to show they cared and were thinking of me and my family.

As a rabbi, my most important role is to be there for people, to be there for you. Nobody is always successful, and I know that is true of me, but that is always my goal; and it is my treasured privilege.   

This weekend has been a role reversal for me. I cannot tell you what it means to me to feel my community there for me in all the ways I try so hard to be there for you. It shows me you value as deeply as I do the avodat hakodesh, the sacred work, we do together, and it reinforces for me that you care about me and family as much as I care about you and yours.

In the next 10 years I hope to be there for all of you at all of your semachot, be there for you when necessary during difficult times, and be there for you on a daily basis as we work together to build a strong family of service to HaKadash Baruch Hu. May the joyous outweigh the challenging; may the challenging add meaning to the joyous; and may our community, our shul, and our family of friendship continue to flourish.

With sincere gratitude,

Yehuda Septimus, Rabbi, Young Israel of North Woodmere