Pesach, Seder & My Reflections



Over the past few weeks, I’ve come to a new realization:  I love my job as a shliach.


Property development has been (and still is) very exciting.  I really enjoy the adventure of it, and the satisfaction of seeing a vision come true.


But it is very consuming from many angles.   And I know that all this construction has taken away from my ability to serve the community (hopefully we’re still keeping up, if not being as proactive as I’d like).


This past week it’s become very clear to me that this construction project is a means to an end, and the end is a home for the Jewish community of Temecula.  This campus will give the community the infrastructure to grow, and serve everyone with the right tools.


I can’t wait to reach the finish line, so we can get back to putting all our focus where it should be, namely on the community.


(It’s interesting to note that a few weeks ago I heard a story about Rabbi Rubin, the shliach to Albany, NY.  In his first years on the job, he would send detailed reports [he probably still does] to the Rebbe.  One of his reports had a detailed list of what he accomplished, but a few days were empty.  When the Rebbe’s secretary asked him why those days were empty, he embarrassingly replied that he was shopping for a refrigerator.  The Rebbe’s secretary responded not to be ashamed, and to include those types of things in his reports.  “When a Jew with a beard goes to stores and needs to tend to mundane things, this also makes an impression on people and it’s part of your mission.”)

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