Being different

Being different is a fundamental reality of the Jewish condition today in America. Living in Hunterdon County emphasizes this. Different, though, in Jewish tradition, is the ultimate condition for anything. In this week's Torah portion, Kedoshim, Holiness is what we as Jews are called upon to achieve. Holiness (in Hebrew, Kadosh), means: set apart, distinct, sacred, and different. That's how we achieve holiness in our lives; that's how we mark time as holy; places are made holy, sacred, by their special nature; people become holy when they behave in a uniquely different manner than those who surround them.

This Shabbat - a holy day of the week - we are honoring those whose actions our tradition considers among the greatest of deeds: teachers. We are going to be reciting a prayer familiar to many of you - the Kaddish. That word, too, reveals the holy nature of its message. Tonight at our Teacher Appreciation Shabbat service we will sing the Kaddish deRabanan, a special Kaddish for teachers who bring to us a sacred gift, that of learning.

Please join us for this unique event - it promises to be quite different. And that's a good thing.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Joseph M. Forman