For many years, I have proudly served our community as the chair of the Ritual Committee. It is a position that I have to confess I have enjoyed. It also brings no end of teasing from my family, who think it means I am imbued with a deep knowledge of all things ritual in Judaism and that I can function as a tie-breaker in any dispute we are having about Jewish law.
Call me a nerd, but I love learning about Jewish ritual. After all, isn’t it the rituals of synagogue and family that are our first connection to being Jewish? Whether it’s the rituals of food or sacred symbols, it’s how we initially forge our Jewish identity.
People will often assume they couldn’t possibly serve on the Ritual Committee unless they have a certain level of training and knowledge of Judaism. That is not the case. All are welcome. Ours is not a community that is committed to strict adherence to Halacha (Jewish law), and we are not looking for a Sanhedrin (Jewish court) to make weighty decisions on our behalf. We, as a committee, come to discuss ritual matters with fresh eyes, along with the counsel of our knowledgeable clergy who often lead us in study to come up with solutions that we feel will best represent the needs and values of our community as a whole.
Some important issues that the committee has explored and weighed in on over the years include the decision as to whether the shofar will be blown in synagogue when Rosh Hashanah, as it does this year, falls on Shabbat. Unlike more traditional congregations where it’s not blown at all, we blow it once. More recently, we discussed whether congregants who do not identify as Jewish can come to the Torah for an aliyah. Consonant with our philosophy of inclusion, we decided that anyone who chooses to be a member of our community can have an aliyah. Both these topics required text study, an understanding of our community and its values, and an appreciation of the belief in Reconstructionist Judaism that history has a vote but not a veto.
Being on the Ritual Committee has also brought me close to our Torahs and decisions that we have made as a community as caretakers of these sacred texts. From researching and selecting a female, Reconstructionist scribe to make repairs to one of our Torahs, to determining that it would be an honor to dress our “Holocaust Torah” in a special high holiday mantel in memory of Ilay Nachman, a relative of the Greengrass family, who was murdered in the October 7th massacre, the Ritual Committee has explored these decisions with study and sensitivity.
The Holocaust Torah came to our congregation when the Silberzweig family picked it up from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in the Czech Republic and flew it back to New York in its own airplane seat! The Torah is usually covered with a mantel that was beautifully designed by a commissioned artist and then lovingly created in needlepoint by our congregants. If that doesn’t reflect the values of RSNS, I don’t know what does!
This Torah’s most recent journey in April 2024 took it to the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan for a special celebration. It was accompanied by a dozen RSNS congregants, where it joined 75 other Torah scrolls that are under the loving care of other congregations in the Northeast. It was a beautiful affirmation of the resilience of our people and the honor with which we regard our holy writings.
As the New Year approaches, I reflect on my journey with our thoughtful ritual committee members. I feel so blessed to be part of a community that engages in such meaningful reflection about our rituals and emphasizes the enduring values of our people.
Wishing you all a “good seal.”
Eileen Rosendahl
Ritual Committee
