Shabbat Message:When joy becomes a choice : Coastside Jewish Community

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Dear CJC Members & Friends,

This week we welcomed Adar, the Hebrew month in which Purim is celebrated. We’ll be celebrating this fun and festive holiday a week from Sunday! (See details below.)

Tradition says that when the month of Adar arrives, we can allow ourselves to experience more joy – not as a form of escape, but as a way of being present in the midst of everything else.

During the week, I spend plenty of time thinking about everything else. If you want to know what keeps me up at night, I’ll defer to Jay Michaelson, who writes about the top six things on his list with clarity and insight. What’s going on in Israel also keeps me up at night. I particularly like what Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Thomas Friedman have to say about it. The situation is dire and getting worse.

How, then, can we allow ourselves to experience joy in times like these? It is especially in times like these that joy becomes a choice and a powerful response. It nourishes, and is nourished by, strong relationships, mutual trust, and a moral grounding that helps us to imagine and work toward a better future.

When it comes to nourishing relationships, I try to show up for people when I can. For example, Philip Chapnick has about fifteen new works of art on display at the San Gregorio General Store through the end of next week. I know he likes it when people come to appreciate his work, so maybe I’ll see you down there.

Another CJC member, Claire Giovannini, sings with San Francisco Choral Artists and is performing next month in their show L’Chaim! A Celebration of Life, featuring Jewish music from around the world. I love Jewish music, but I also find joy when singing the praises of our members and the ways they enrich our broader community.

All the other events you’ll read about below are opportunities to experience the joy that nourishes and is nourished by strong relationships, mutual trust, and moral grounding. Being part of a community like ours that offers opportunities like these is, for me, a source of pride. And joy.

Shabbat Shalom

Reb Moshe

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