Dear Friends,

Earlier this week I was in New York City for the Rabbinical Assembly meetings (the international association of Conservative rabbis). I have been a member of the Nominations Committee for the last few years, and this was our first in-person meeting, all the others having been on Zoom. To be honest, I was curious why this particular meeting needed to be in person. It seemed to be a huge expense to fly rabbis in from Israel, France, Canada, Argentina, and locations from all across the US. As it turns out, this in-person meeting was absolutely worth it. Seeing each other panim-el-panim (face to face) was valuable. We were able to forge an identity as a group that we could not before. We ate together, learned all about our eating habits, and took time during breaks to share about our families and the communities we serve. 

In addition to the administrative tasks, time was allotted for learning Torah together. Each rabbi shared in advance a favourite text about leadership. The text I shared was from Pirkei Avot 1:15.

שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה תוֹרָתְךָ קֶבַע. אֱמֹר מְעַט וַעֲשֵׂה הַרְבֵּה, וֶהֱוֵי מְקַבֵּל אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם בְּסֵבֶר פָּנִים יָפוֹת:   

Shammai used to say: make the study of Torah a fixed practice; speak little, but do much; and receive all people with a pleasant countenance.*

I chose this text for a few reasons:

1. When Shammai and Hillel entered into arguments, most of the time Hillel won, so it was a reminder to me to lift up the underdog.

2. While I do make learning a fixed practice, and I am constantly on the go, and I am usually good at listening, sometimes I speak too much. This text reminds me to wait until a prayer leader utters a final syllable before I say Amen.

3. And, while I do my best to smile at people when I see them, there are days when it takes more effort to turn the frown upside down. The final part of this text is the partner to the song “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” from Annie, which was a favourite musical from my youth. 

In a small group of four rabbis, after I explained why this text was meaningful and relevant to me, my colleagues and I dissected the text even more and found other nuances and lessons in the brief and concise language. 

I left the two days I spent in New York City grateful to be a part of the Rabbinical Assembly, where we not only talk about valuing Torah learning, but we actually do it. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin 

*not a literal translation