I’ve got the music in me. The problem is that I need to figure out how to get the music in you! I have been promoting our upcoming guest musician, Dan Nichols, since September. I can tell you that I had to book his visit two years ago because he is in such high demand. I can give you all the biographical information about his accomplishments and credentials but while unbelievably impressive, that is not the reason you should come to hear him. You should come because his music and his message will touch your soul. If that’s not enough of a reason then you should come hear him sing with our brilliantly talented Cantors, our Teen Vocal Ensemble and Youth Choir. You will recognize many of his songs because they are a part of our liturgy and school music. Dan Nichols is a spectacular human being and performer. We are so lucky to have him coming to Temple Beth El on March 14th.
To make the Shabbat service even more compelling, it is Arthur Tirsun Teacher Appreciation and Education Shabbat. This service is a chance to honor our beloved Religious School and Jewish community educators, as well as our local secular teachers.
Our Jewish educators deserve our gratitude and admiration for the hours and hours they devote to making Judaism come alive for our children. They do it out of a deep love of our children and their own deep passion for Judaism. According to the Talmud, “He who teaches his neighbor’s son will deserve to sit in the Heavenly Academy.” Each of our teachers does holy work. We owe them our respect and appreciation. Please take this opportunity to thank them for the gift they give all of us.
We would also like to thank our community secular teachers for the sacrifices they make on behalf of our children. Teaching is a difficult and often thankless profession. Our students have been asked to extend an invitation to their secular teachers to come to our Education Shabbat service so that we can recognize and thank them. There is another reason why it is a wonderful opportunity to bring your child’s secular teacher to Temple Beth El. Our students often tell us how frustrating it is to be in the classroom of someone who knows nothing about Judaism. Opening our doors to our local educators is a wonderful way to let them share our beautiful faith.
Please feel free to extend this invitation to any community secular educators you would like to join us.
I hope I have convinced you to come to Shabbat morning services on March 14th at 11:00am. You will be so glad that you did. I promise. Really. You will love the music and the joy of celebrating Shabbat.
