Rabbi's Corner

Message from the Rabbi

“I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.”  (Genesis 12:2)
 
In convincing Abraham to leave the only place he has ever known, God promised Abraham two concrete and two abstract benefits.  He will be the father of a great nation and experience extraordinary renown.  He will be blessed and he will be a blessing to others.
The first two are easy to understand.  Being blessed and being a blessing to others is a little more difficult to define. But as Justice Stewart said in another context, “I know it when I see it.”
Feeling blessed and being a blessing to others is a feeling that can motivate.  It can challenge us to be better, it can drive us to build a better world.  The feeling of gratitude  for what we have and the equally substantive feeling of knowing our value to others is immeasurable. 

I am interested in teaching a class that would meet weekly to look at the adult lessons of Genesis on Wednesday evenings at 8:00pm. We would spend time reevaluating the Bible stories we may have learned as children or may have overlooked entirely.  Would anyone be interested in that?