So, I was wondering: Why do I need such a formal ceremony after four months of participating as the Rabbi of Beth Israel Synagogue? I have already met almost every member at Beth Israel; I officiated during the High Holy-Days, at three B'nai Mitzvah, one funeral and attended several Board-Meetings. Also, our family had a special congregational welcome, followed by a dinner, just after we arrived. So: Why this Installation?

When I shared this question with a member of our congregation, she told me: "It is not for you, Rabbi. It is for us. Your Installation is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate. We needed a Rabbi, we got a Rabbi, and so far we are very happy with him".

Of course, for me and my family it is also a wonderful opportunity to
celebrate and to thank God for many things: we arrived in good health in the United States; our family was very well received; we have a nice place to live; Daniela is doing well at school; we are familiarizing ourselves with Roanoke; and last but not least, we are expecting a baby.

However, despite my centrality in this beautiful event, I agree that this Installation is principally an occasion for Beth Israel to rejoice and celebrate.

For a Rabbi, it can be very important to have a congregation, but we know many Rabbis who have decided that they wanted to work in educational organizations, as found-raisers, or in charge of special projects. Many respectable Rabbis teach at famous universities, dedicate their time to write, or are, in fact, retired.

However, there are not many Jewish congregations who have decided that they don't wish to have a Rabbi. Because the Rabbi is mainly a teacher, for a congregation to decide consciously not to have a Rabbi is comparable to deciding that the congregation doesn't need to learn any more. And it is, I think, hugely arrogant to decide that we do not need to learn.

I believe that a congregation always needs a Rabbi. Moreover: any individual Jewish person needs a Rabbi in his or her life. And, of course, Rabbis themselves need a Rabbi.

A Rabbi must be a leader. One who has a way of life to share with his people, a way he must explain and clarify to his congregation. On the other hand, a Rabbi doesn't speak only in his name, but mainly in the name of a tradition which he believes (and this is my case) came from a higher source than his personal wishes. "In our secular society, we tend to think of a leader as a person who is well connected, who is powerful or charismatic or wealthy. We judge our leaders by what they have. But a true leader should be judged by what he has not –ego, arrogance, and self-interest. A true leader sees his work as a selfless service toward a higher purpose. As the sages say, "leadership is not power and dominance; it is servitude." This does not mean that a leader is weak; he derives great strength from his dedication to a purpose that is greater than himself" Also, this doesn't take from the Rabbi his own responsibility. The Rabbi has a responsibility for his congregation, for the community he lives in, and for the continuity of the Jewish people in general.

A good way to illustrate this point, is the famous comparison of any religious leader with a shepherd, comparison that has also an important place in Jewish literature:

Says the Midrash: G-d tested Moses with sheep. Once, when Moses was shepherding Jethro's flocks in the Sinai Wilderness, a lamb ran away from the flock. Moses chased after it until it came to a spring and began to drink. When Moses reached the lamb he said: "Oh, I did not know that you were thirsty..." and tenderly carried it to the flock. Said the Almighty: "You are merciful in tending sheep- you will tend My flock, the people of Israel.

On this Midrash, said Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the last Lubavitcher Rebbe: In addition to demonstrating Moses' compassion, this incident contains another important lesson: Moses realized that the lamb did not run away from the flock out of malice or wickedness – it was merely thirsty. When a Jew alienates himself from his people, G-d forbid, it is only because he is thirsty. His soul thirsts for meaning in life, but the waters of Torah have eluded him. So he wanders about in foreign pastures, seeking to quench his thirst. When Moses understood this, he was able to become a leader of Israel. Only a shepherd who hastens not to judge the runaway lamb, who is sensitive to the causes of its desertion, can tenderly lift in into his arms and bring it back home.

This last description of Mose's role, describes in a simple yet deep way, what is expected from a religious leader in the Jewish tradition. However, that doesn't answer the question: why is it important to formalize this relationship between a Rabbi and his congregation in an Installation ceremony?

Rites of passage are very important, not only in Judaism but almost in every culture. These formal practices establish a difference between a "before" and an "after", and help people to accept and get accustomed to changes that are necessary, and most of the times inevitable. Life cycle changes are –in most of the traditions- supported by rites of passage, which teach the members of a specific community to deal with a new situation in their life.

Also, changes in leadership are supported by rites of passage. When Pharaoh appointed Joseph to be in charge of all the land of Egypt, "he removed his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand. He also had him dressed in garments of fine linen and he placed a gold chain upon his neck".When Samuel appointed David as a king, he "took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers" However, the most famous rite of passage regarding leadership, is found in the Torah, in the book of Numbers, chapter 27, verses 15-23: "Moses spoke to Hashem, saying, ‘May Hashem, God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly...and let the assembly of Hashem not be like sheep that have no shepherd' " Then God commanded Moses to take Joshua son of Nun, and to lean his hand upon him, before Eleazar the Kohen and before the entire assembly". The purpose of this rite of passage was to tell formally the people that from this day on, Joshua was in charge and not Moses. However, and despite all the formalisms, the people of Israel didn't easily accept Joshua's authority. The Midrash tells us that people refused to accept Joshua as a leader. Even though there was a formal installation, the people continued to come to Moses asking for his advice.

What happen is that changes, even though welcome and necessary, always are difficult. Because routine is very important to people, changes in this daily routine, and even in small aspects of it, are resisted. Formal rites of passage -like this Installation ceremony- are destined to help all the parts involved in such a process, to adapt themselves to changes that each new situation brings with it.

These four months have given us the time required to settle into our new lives. Also, the members of our congregation have had the opportunity to become familiar with me, and with my family. They have learned of some aspects of my personality that they may like, and also some aspects of it that they may not. In many ways the relationship between a Rabbi and his –or her- congregation is like a marriage (the Hebrew word "Shiduch" may describe it even better). We may have moments we'll fill very close each to other and moments we'll fill more distant. This is a normal part of the process. And now that we understood this process, and now that I am formally installed, it is our time to work together.

I would like, finally, to thank the members of Beth Israel for their constant support and help, and also the Jewish community in the Roanoke valley and the general community -ministers and friends of other religions, for their warm welcome and for sharing this special moment with me.

And may God bless every one of you and your families with health, and joy, with sustenance and peace.