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Tuesday, 01 June 2010 11:40 |
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By Deborah Bers: Often when we celebrate a lifecycle event, such as a wedding or a bar or bat mitzvah, we choose to honor our closest friends by asking them to perform various important tasks associated with the ceremony. At a wedding we select individuals to be Best Man, Maid of Honor, groomsmen or bridesmaids; at a bar or bat mitzvah we ask our friends and family to read from the Torah or come to the bimah for various other tasks. Our synagogue is blessed with a congregation full of good friends who contribute generously in one way or another to our community. Because of their hard work, monetary gifts, and generous donations of time (our most precious resource), the JCCH is able to offer the wonderful programming, events and services that make our synagogue truly a “community center.” The Ritual Committee, in an effort to commend these friends for their good works, assigns various “honorable tasks” to be performed during the High Holiday services. Some of these honors include carrying or dressing the Torah, or opening or closing the ark. Some congregants, who receive letters asking them to participate in the service in this way, readily return the cards acknowledging their acceptance of the honors. Others, for whatever reasons, are either reluctant to accept this honor, or neglect to return the cards. It is important to remember, however, that while true charity involves no material compensation, it is also a mitzvah to allow the recipient of your charitable deeds a means to thank you for your charity. So if you might be shy about performing such an honor, please remember that it is just another way to participate in the happiness of the occasion and to show honor as well to your congregation. Brought to you by the Ritual Committee
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