Our Strong Sense of Community and Family

by Arliene Botnick, January 9, 2018

So! What’s new? The obvious answer – the secular New Year 2018. Other possibilities; new tax year, new book of the Torah being read on January 6 (Shmot-Exodus), new school term beginning, and so on.

But, at a personal level, what is going to be new in our lives? What plans, hopes and expectations do we have for 2018, particularly when it comes to our Kehillah, our community?

Community, like family, often gets taken for granted. We know it’s there when we need it, but we don’t always appreciate its value or appreciate how important it is, or help it as we should.

Solel is our community. For simchas, for illnesses, for celebrations, it is there for us. If we want to study, to meditate, to pray, to meet friends, it is there for us. Be it on High Holidays, Passover, Tuesday morning minyan, any Shabbat, it is there for us. When our kids get married, our children or grandchildren celebrate a Brit Nerot or Brit Milah, it is there for us. When our students are learning Hebrew, preparing to become Bar/Bat Mitzvah, singing in our Zimriyah, it is there for us.

Now I am asking that we be there for Solel. We take for granted that at each service there will be an usher to greet us, hand us our siddurim and a copy of the Torah, but we need more volunteers. We take for granted that a Shammas will arrive early for any service to set up the coffee and snacks, but we need more volunteers.

We expect teachers to be at school every Sunday and Tuesday for our kids, but they are all volunteers…..are you interested?

Our library has a great selection of books but right now, no one is checking sign-outs, reminding people about returns, shelving books. Is this something you’d like to help do?

Our Mitzvah committee calls, visits the elderly and ill. We need more callers and visitors.

Solel has been there for all of us. Let this secular New Year of 2018 be the year we all step up for Solel and reinforce our strong sense of community and family.

Filed under: Educator's Message

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