On this sacred occasion of my installation, I cannot help but wonder what exactly it is we are all doing here tonight. As one of my Temple Beth-El Brothers quipped to me earlier this week, "You’re not a refrigerator, why do you need to be installed?” Around the office, we have joked for weeks trying to find a more appropriate word for tonight’s event: Preston’s prom; coronation; cotillion; or bar mitzvah. Nodding to my Mexican heritage, Quinceañero was suggested. My father lovingly supplied, "indoctrination".
All of these proposed substitutions highlight the difficulty of defining such an important moment in the life of a congregation. The arrival of a new rabbi signifies an enduring commitment to the spiritual life of this community and the continuity of the Jewish people. Tonight, I am joined on this bimah by some of the greatest rabbis I have ever known. I look at them and what they have accomplished and, k’tonti, I am humbled...
(Taken from Rabbi Neimeiser's installation remarks - to read the full speech, click here)
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