Before every Amidah that we say, in any service, there are six words we recite quietly to ourselves:
אֲדֹנָי שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ: God, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise. -Psalm 51:17
If the Amidah is our time to have some intimate prayer with God, this phrase cultivates a sense of humility, hoping that God will help the right words emerge as a part of our prayers. It is also an affirmation of our desire to count on God to help us find the words, and for God to count on us to recite them. I’ve always found these words to be meaningful because they are meant to slow us down and create a moment of presence. It pushes up to stop, not take the relationship with God for granted, and make the Amidah not just another litany of prayers that we say, but a powerful moment of meaning with God.
In many ways, this is how I feel about the upcoming weekend and celebrating my installation as the rabbi of Beth Sholom Synagogue. I am honored to be the spiritual leader of this congregation, this holy group of individuals deeply committed to the success of the synagogue. I am humbled when I stand before you. For me, this weekend, and Sunday in particular, is a moment to stop and appreciate what this moment means. It’s a moment to gather words of praise, hoping that I can adequately express how much you have impacted me so far and how grateful I am to be a part of this community and your lives.
It will also be a moment of presence, both with each other and hopefully invoking the presence of God as well. It will be moment to to celebrate where we are as a community. I am so grateful to be here, and I am grateful for this opportunity to appreciate one another as we continue in doing good work together.
