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Love That Lasts: Shabbat Shuva and Celebrating Those Married 50 Years or Longer
Mazel Tov to our couples married 50 years or longer. As this piece goes to press, we have heard from Diana and Rick Clewett, Jo and Bob Belin, Connie and John Loventhal, Susan and Austin Cantor, Betty and Lowell Nigoff, and Alan and Eva Kaplan that they will be at tonight’s service. We hope you will join us as we honor these couples with the candle lighting, kiddush, an anniversary blessing and the singing of Siman Tov u’Mazal Tov. Please make a special effort to attend so you maay rejoice with them and express your congratulations in person.
The High Holy Days, including Shabbat Shuva, the Sabbath of Repentance, are serious business. TAI’s practice of selecting this specific sabbath for this purpose is a reminder that love, commitment and devotion are serious business, too. Everyone enjoys romantic comedy, but affection requires more than falling in love. It demands staying in love, and that takes tremendous work. Just last week a congregant emailed to ask me why we hold this service on this Friday night each year. I am aware of no other congregation that does so. I confess, at this season of repentance, I used to find it strange. Over time I have come to love it. The placement and timing are a reminder that holiness does not happen by accident. It takes patience, persistence and perseverance.
May the devotion of these remarkable couples inspire all of us to cherish the love we have, nurture relationships that matter, and treasure the time we have with one another.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah,
Rabbi David Wirtschafter
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