Ribbono Shel Olam,
Merciful One of the Universe,
Let us for a moment,
Think about the word “committee”
It sure has a lot of letters …
It begins with C and O
Co – together, jointly
We take on this task.
Next,
It has two m’s,
Bending over backward,
Trying to make it work.
Then, i.
I must show up for this work.
But remember to keep my ego small.
Next,
Two t’s,
Arms crossed, stubborn,
Too entrenched to move.
Lastly,
Two e’s,
Whose very shape
Is a picture of
Embrace.
Now, a prayer for us, we join together and say:
Ribbono Shel Olam,
Merciful One of the Universe,
Our Committee is blessed to jointly take on this holy work.
El Malei Rakhamim, One Filled With Divine Mercy, let us bend ourselves in arcs of love for those in need of our support and understanding.
I need that type of love, energy, and support to show up to this meeting as my full holy self, truly reflective of the Divine, fully gifted with my Torah.
There will be times of transience and times of tension. Let us always remember the holiness of our goals. Let us learn from the momentum that leads to and will lead away from the static.
Every time our hard work is complete, let us proudly embrace. Our warm embrace of tradition, of our ancestors, as we do this holy work of bringing their TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. to life. Our warm embrace of this holy community, enriched and renewed by our work. The promised embrace of our future as we continue to plant seeds that will grow into a blossoming Tree of Life.
May we be so blessed.
Amen
