Know Before Whom You Stand

During this past month, during the Jewish high holidays (Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the two holiest days of the year), I have spent many hours staring up at the bimah (the lectern at the front of the synagogue). I was looking into the ark where our Torahs stand and wondered about the holiness of God and myself as Rabbi. I have been wondering about the phrase etched above the ark that states in Hebrew Da lifney mi atah omed “Know before whom you stand.” This is a line from Perkey Avot or Ethics Of Our Fathers that was put forth from the great sages to our people. It means that when we stand together in prayer we need to focus on the Almighty when we pray. We are to recognize that when we pray it is a conversation that we have directly with God and we need to better understand who we stand before in that moment of prayer. The request is one that demands respect for our God but also respect for ourselves and our actions when we pray so that we know that we Jews are worthy to stand before God and offer our requests and pleas.
“Whom do I stand before?” is something I first asked myself when I decided to enter the Rabbinate over 25 years ago. I remember being in Israel, looking over the fields of a kibbutz wondering what place I had in this world and what good I could do. I loved my faith and my people but I always felt that my people, so drenched in tradition, needed to feel a sense of compassion and love and acceptance for all. I was fortunate to have grown up in a community where no one hated me because I was a Jew and I felt it was my calling to bring a sense of love and acceptance to all in my faith.
I decided to become a Rabbi, one not only steeped in tradition but hopefully also full of compassion. I was brought up to see each person before me as a unique gift from God with so much potential to better the world.
I came to Beth Judah Temple in 2008 with a dog and a cat and a very pregnant wife, hauling our dreams from California to Wildwood with the Bobby Rydell song “Wildwood Days” playing in the background. We wondered what kind of community would be awaiting us and whether they would embrace us with the love that I was so eager to show them. Being a congregational Rabbi is a special gift because we Rabbis can share so much of our lives with all of those around us and accept the blessing that comes with an open community. Our son, Ari, was born that summer and three years later our son, Alex, came along and all of Beth Judah welcomed them as special members of their family.
I cried with Beth Judah when my father died in 2010 and huddled together with my wife and children as we faced scary storms and an uncertain future of where our community is headed. I stood by the bedsides of so many in our community who have now left this earth and mourned with them at their passing. I have celebrated the joys when others were born into our tradition and with those who became Jews by choice in conversion. Beth Judah has been so much of a blessing to me as a Rabbi that there is not enough room to say what I have been given by this special synagogue. Now, I again ask that question that is put before us in our sanctuary, whom do I stand before?
This past week, the members of Beth Judah Temple voted to have me stay as their Rabbi for another term. I have never felt so honored to be a part of such a remarkable community that I felt I had to write my gratitude in this week’s column. I want to share with everyone how special I feel that the people of Beth Judah chose me to be the leader of this unique faith community. I wish I could express in words the great love I have towards all in my community. The overwhelming support has given me such a boost of confidence.
Cape May County is a place I will treasure for many years to come and I will always have great affection for this unique island called Wildwood. There is another line from Perkey Avot that sticks in my mind this week, “Who is rich? The one who appreciates what he has.” I knew when I became a Rabbi that I would never be rich but finding such a special place as Beth Judah in Wildwood has made me feel very rich at this moment. Beth Judah is about to turn 100 this year and I am honored that I will be here to celebrate this centennial with this proud synagogue in the great community it serves in Cape May County.
Do I know before whom I stand? The answer is that I stand before a great Jewish community that has so much history and so much potential and I believe there is still so much good that can be done for the Jewish people within these hollowed walls. I am so glad that I can continue to help this community embrace that good and build their connection with God and with each other. May Beth Judah grow to another 100 great years.
Rabbi Jeffrey Lipschultz is the spiritual leader of Beth Judah Temple in Wildwood, NJ. He welcomes your comments at dvjewish@rof.net