Rabbi's Reveries

What a blessing and joy it was to celebrate my official installation as TBE’s rabbi last month! It was wonderful to see so much of our community at dinner and services on Friday night and at the concert on Sunday afternoon. I also enjoyed the sweet presentations from our religious education students during Sunday morning’s T’filah Takeover.

Clergy installations serve multiple purposes, from welcoming the new clergy person to the community, to celebrating the covenantal relationship between clergy and congregation, to ritualizing the start of a new chapter in a congregation’s story. What I saw at TBE, leading up to and through the weekend, reminded me of the gifts this congregation brings to the larger community and to its clergy, and reiterated our shared vision of what this congregation can be.

I saw people giving of their time, skills, and resources to bring the community together in a joyous moment. Some gave of their organizational talents, worked on sound and tech, decorated, or babysat. Others took time to call people or write letters/emails, helped with setup and clean-up, cooked and prepared food, greeted people, oversaw security, or provided rides. Still others (and many of the same people) also contributed financially to help support the work of the synagogue.

I saw diverse crowds on Friday and Sunday, with people of different ages, religious backgrounds and affiliations, family structures, longevity in the Tacoma community, and financial wherewithal, among many other categories. It’s that diversity that exemplifies our values of inclusion and welcome, and it helps our community thrive from generation to generation.

I saw the way coming together lifted us all, the way the innocence of youth brought joy and the wisdom of age brought hope, the way the music touched our souls and inspired us. But as much as the melodies, instrumentation, and spirit of Nefesh Mountain elevated our experience, it was the presence of each person in the room (whether they joined in-person or online) that made the weekend meaningful.

I know that not every service or event at temple can evoke the same level of communal celebration, hope, joy, and vision—if there aren’t ordinary experiences then nothing can be extraordinary. But I know that the experience around my installation is just the beginning of what we can create when we come together, support each other, and share our gifts with our community.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making my installation the blessing that it was for me and the whole community. May our blessings continue to grow.

Kol tuv, all the best,

Rabbi Gorban