August 2008

Dear Friends,

I write this column very much in the hope that our synagogue's bulletin reaches you amidst an enjoyable and relaxing summer. For Arianna and me, this summer has been a relatively quiet one, with our primary task being the adjustment with which so many of you are familiar; from being parents of one child to being parents of two children. The blessings of children are felt evermore by Arianna and me this summer. Just as the work of parenting exceeds in its sum the mathematical equation of 1+1=2, so too does the sum total of the blessing of two children exceed the sum of this simple equation. And, even as the months of May and June brought to our family great blessings in the way of Judah's birth and Brit Milah, it is a special celebration in Jacob's life, one that is woven annually into the fabric of the life of our Ner Tamid community, that I'll reflect upon briefly in this column.

In mid-June, I watched with pride and in utter disbelief that five years of life and three years of school had rushed by so quickly as Jacob marched down the aisle in our sanctuary at the outset of our synagogue's Preschool Graduation. He was one of twenty-two children who benefited from the love and care, from the extraordinary opportunity to learn and develop, afforded by our Preschool Director, Shelly Shapiro, and her incredible staff of teachers and aides. There are numerous preschools available in our area. However, ours is the only school that offers at all a Jewish education to its children and families, even as its other educational endeavors are pursued with a similar commitment to excellence, while maintaining an environment of warmth and genuine love for each child.

Arianna and I are proud of Jacob's achievements, as I know all of the parents of all of the children with whom he graduated last month are similarly so of their own children. As a past-Preschool parent, as a Preschool parent to be in just a few years, and as your Rabbi, I take equal pride, as does Arianna, in our Ner Tamid Preschool and in its accomplished and talented professionals.

May our community always enjoy its blessings of good people who achieve wonderful Jewish aims with and for our children. May we always know and show the greatest gratitude to those who teach and care for our children (and they are all our children). May we always redouble our efforts to increase and to deepen our commitment as individuals and as a community to imagining, developing, and offering the very best and most meaningful Jewish educational opportunities and programs for the benefit of our children and for our families.

B’Shalom – With Blessings of Peace and Wholeness,

Rabbi Isaac Jeret

Spiritual Leader