Jul 31st 2008, 00:00

Yin and Yang. I am not sure what the Jewish equivalent is. Perhaps mazel and tsuris? Whatever terms are used, the concept of balancing forces bringing equilibrium to the universe is comforting to me. Surely we could never truly value all the beauty, miracles of life, and love that surround us were it not for the bad things in life that give perspective to those good things. Conversely, how could we live in a world of constant pain without also experiencing the many joys in life?

However true the above statement is, please forgive me for feeling that tsuris has had more than its fair share of time with our congregation over the last few months. I am always informed by our Temple office or by friends when health issues affect our Temple family members. I have been overwhelmed with sadness by the number of calls I have received these past few months informing me of serious illness or loss of life. I pray for full recovery to all those in need of healing and for strength to our Temple families that have experienced the loss of a beloved family member. I am grateful for the presence of Rabbi Milhander and Rabbi Asa who can help bring perspective to me and to all of us.

The Plans for Project Legacy are moving forward nicely and construction could begin by February, 2009. For more details, please refer to Lila Pesner’s and Henry Cohen’s article in this issue of the Scroll. There is just one “small” detail that I want to address. We still need more money! See, I told you it was a small detail. We are at a point now where we are very confident of the amount of money needed for the Project, and we have successfully raised 80% of the funds necessary to reach our $2.4-2.5 million total. We are pursuing all avenues to get us to our goal.

Your support has been asked for many times by me and by others. Most of you have contributed both generously and to your ability. However, please remember that reaching 80% of our goal is tantamount to reaching 0%. We will not begin construction unless our financial goals and plans are 100% in order. I wish I had the words to say to you that would magically inspire you to contribute more. I do not have those words because, in truth, the correct words must emanate from inside you. The words that come from inside me break down the simplest way I know. If all 250 families at Temple Beth Tikvah contributed an additional $1.10 a day for 5 years we will have raised an additional $500,000 and the Project Legacy dream that started in 2004 will become a reality in 2009. I have raised my family’s modest pledge by $2,000 ($1.10/day). Whether your family has already pledged generously or whether your family has not yet pledged, I pray that you will find the words inside you that will allow you to reconsider your commitment. Doing this together is the only way it will get done.