Dear Friends:

    Of the many important and exciting initiatives and programs that we have enjoyed together this year as a community, there is one which stands out. It serves as the umbrella under which so much of all that we do resides -- in spirit, in purpose, and in practice. As a community, we have dedicated this year as CNT's Year of The Torah, and a year of Torah it has been indeed.

    We have studied together, we have prayed together, we have celebrated together. We have rejoiced at the births and B’nai Mitzvah Services and receptions of our community's children and we have mourned the passing of our loved ones. We have danced together at joyous Jewish celebrations and we have gathered together at solemn Shiva Services. We have shared together in the joy of Purim, in the serious reflection of Yom Kippur, and in the warmth of our Community Passover Seder. At every turn, we have created together a spirit of inclusiveness, reaching out to one another and finding evermore our own place in our own community. This, my dear friends, is what Torah is all about.

    One of the great metaphors for Torah in the Jewish tradition is that of The Tree of Life. In the Book of Proverbs, our Torah is likened to a Tree of Life. However, the verse in Proverbs continues to point out that Torah can only be so if those to whom the gift of Torah was given hold onto Torah's teachings securely. The way that we must do so is not merely by studying the sacred texts of our heritage. It is not merely by acknowledging the wisdom of our heritage. It is very much about living our lives in accord with the values and teachings of our tradition; opening our hearts to one another and ensuring that the spirit of our relationships, our homes, and our community is one of generosity and decency. In doing so, our communal tent grows larger and sweeter. We are blessed, all of us together, with greater love and understanding. Torah becomes a part of us more than it might be an object or a teaching differentiated from us.

    And thus, our Year of The Torah has been as much about our community's collective rededication to our purposes and values as it has been about our dedication of a new sacred scroll of the very Torah that teaches us these purposes and values. This is precisely why our dedication of our new Torah should hold such great significance for our entire community. Who we are today and how we are continuing to emerge as a community of mutual care and consideration, of commitment to one another and to Jews everywhere worldwide, reflects our passion for the wisdom and charge of Torah. For, as the blessing prior to the Shema indicates, "[The teachings} of Torah are our lives and the length of our days."  Within the Ner Tamid family, this is not idle ritual chatter. This is how we strive to relate to the wisdom of our heritage from the classrooms of our pre-school, to our HaBimah rehearsals, to our greetings of one another in the parking lot, to our sanctuary, to our homes, and to our workplaces. The reason that the dedication of our Torah should hold for all of us great significance is that we understand deeply within our collective soul the importance of living in practice the life-giving teachings of the scroll that we will dedicate. 

    On Sunday morning, June 4, 2006, less than two months from today, we will gather together in sacred and joyous convocation to dedicate and celebrate the great gift of Torah in which countless generations of Jews have delighted. Preliminary information regarding the general schedule for this extraordinary occasion can be found in the ensuing pages. In the coming weeks, we will all receive an invitation to this day of celebration. Please do not miss this unique opportunity to celebrate who we are, who we must strive evermore to become, and the great gift of God's wisdom that guides us in our quest to share together as a community and as a People in the blessings of life and love. 

B'Shalom -- With Blessings of Peace and Wholeness,

Rabbi Isaac Jeret

Spiritual Leader