Feb 1st, 00:00
It is hard to believe that I am in the middle of my ninth year here at TBT. During that time, we have celebrated births, b’nai mitzvah, weddings, and we have also mourned the loss of loved ones and shared tragic events in the world. I often think back to my first year here in Fullerton, which you may recall was part-time as I was still living and working in Ventura County. During that year, I would stay at the Residence Inn off of Placentia Avenue (no, this is not a paid commercial endorsement) and once in a while I would have some free time and a meal on my own. Somehow, during one of my weekends here, I was looking for a pizza place close to the hotel and I came across a small “hole-in-the-wall” joint in the shopping center on Chapman just east of Placentia.
The pizza place was squeezed between the trophy and pawn shops and the discount market. It was a small place seemingly with one employee, more than likely the owner himself. I don’t remember the name of the place and unfortunately it is no longer there, but I do remember being in there, ordering my pizza, and then watching with awe the love and dedication given by the man to making my meal.
Unlike the large, super-volume, name-brand pizza providers, this man made each and every pizza with unwavering care and concern. The dough had to be perfectly placed on the baking tray. The sauce had to be completely even. Every tiny place of cheese had to be in the right place. I often thought, “Why would this man give so much attention to detail to a pizza?” But as I thought about it more, I realized that this pizza shop was much more than this man’s business; making my pizza was his mission in life and he put every ounce of himself into his work.
I still remember this man, whose name I never learned, because he taught me a very important lesson: that every thing we do – no matter how seemingly insignificant – every thing we do truly matters. Every phone call, every hospital visit, every service I conduct and every sermon I deliver, every moment of every day – it all really and truly matters. In the hustle and bustle of daily life this lesson is easy to forget. It is sometimes much easier to “phone it in,” to pretend that what we do or say is insignificant, doesn’t really matter, unimportant, irrelevant, and can’t make a difference. We are, after all, only a speck of sand; our lives are only a moment in endless time.
It would have been much easier and faster, I am sure, for the man to be sloppy and careless with my pizza. I’m sure the taste would have been just the same. But there was something else involved. When he handed me the pizza box, I could feel and see the sense of pride in his eyes. Whatever the taste, good or bad, he knew and I knew that he put every ounce of himself into crafting that product, and for that I was most appreciative and always walked away in amazement and with much admiration.
The Torah, as we all know, contains many lessons for life. It is the structure around which we Jews build our lives. But there are lessons that can also be learned from the simple actions of others, from those who seek nor want any special attention or gratitude, who go about their business and live their lives with internal pride and attention to detail. Such people can also teach us important and invaluable lessons.
I want to take just a moment to express my gratitude to the Men’s Club for nominating me as TBT’s Man of the Year. (Mazal tov to Lisa Brass for being named Neshot Tikvah’s Woman of the Year!) I will receive my award at a regional dinner of the Men of Reform Judaism on February 20th. I know many of you will be there to honor me and for that I am also extremely grateful. My dedication and devotion to the Men’s Club and to the Temple goes far beyond my employee status. TBT is my family’s congregation as well. It is where we raise our children and where we share our joys and our pain. The past 9+ years have been truly wonderful and I look forward to many, many more years as your spiritual leader and your friend.