"CHOOSE LIFE!"

 
Much of Deuteronomy is occupied with Moses' farewell address to the Israelites who, by those final passages of Torah, were painstak-ingly forged into a cohesive and journey-hardened Nation by the greatest Jewish leader that ever lived. Drawn out in a poetic mix of wisdom and sadness, Moses’ goodbye to the clan he has repeatedly called “a stiff-necked people” is also an unmistakable renewal of the covenant made earlier at Sinai – his farewell is, it seems, a covenant ratification, of sorts. 
To be candid, I have studied Moses and I have studied Abraham Lin-coln, both in absolute awe. Not that I ever imagined myself anywhere near their caliber – I only hoped to glean the slightest morsel of in-sight as to how these ultimate leaders approached their jobs. Midrash too has spent no small amount of energy studying the words of Moses, not only offering interpretations, but constructing idealized leadership principles based on what he said and did. Three compo-nents stand out: his views on what a leader must avoid (abuse of power); on the necessity of many people sharing leadership tasks (ideal leadership is not a solo act); and on the core attributes of a leader (ability, reverence for the Divine, honesty, hatred of injustice, wisdom, understanding and knowledge). 

Two years ago, I somewhat understood (or thought I did) what I might have to put into the job of temple president. But quite frankly, I was caught completely by surprise by just how much the presidency would give to me – how much it would change me as a person and as a Jew. To every member of Temple Sinai, and to my dear friend and Rabbi Seth Bernstein, I offer great thanks for this gift – the honor of serving as this synagogue’s president has changed me forever. 

In his exit monologue, Moses issues to the Jewish Nation an order that is both injunction and proposition: “Uvacharta b’chayim – choose life,” he tells them. “L’ma-an t’chiyeh, atah v’zar-echa – so that you and your descendants shall live.” I will paraphrase Moses’ words, “choose life,” by borrowing from my own previous columns and speeches to this congregation: “Keep Judaism Alive.” Two years ago, I asked us to form a partnership dedicated to personal spiritual growth and to the renewal of our sacred community. I asked us to forge a covenant aimed at providing for the intellectual, social and spiritual needs of every individual in our synagogue wherever they are on their spiritual journey. In these, my own expressions of fare-well, I invoke these same words, and ask us each to “choose life” for a renewal of our covenant to Keep Judaism Alive here at Temple Si-nai, for us and for our descendants. 

We are blessed at Temple Sinai with a talented and dedicated Board, filled with exceptional leaders who will carry us forward into the sec-ond half-century that follows our Jubilee milestone. To each of you who step forward to lead, I wish upon you the same deeply rich ex-perience that has blessed me during my time as president. And I give you the words of Moses, “Chiz-ku v’imtzu – be strong and coura-geous!" 

Moses concluded his parting by ordering the Israelites to “go up and take possession,” (referring to the land of Israel). I will conclude mine by saying that the ongoing success of this synagogue is likewise ours for the taking, ours for the possession – if we continue to grow our volunteerism, activism, education, financial participation, and per-sonal involvement. For when we go up and take possession of Tem-ple Sinai and of our Jewish future, we choose life and we keep Juda-ism alive – for us and for our descendants. 

Steve Schuster
President, Temple Sinai