Rabbi Howard Morrison

I wish to welcome you to the Masonic Four Districts Divine Service. I acknowledge and congratulate the new Grand Chaplain, Michael Litvak

Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue is a Traditional congregation, rooted philosphically between the Conservative and Orthodox branches of Judaism.

This synagogue was founded in the mid 1950s. The building came to fruition in the late 1950s. Rabbi Joseph Kelman, of blessed memory, served as its founding rabbi for over forty years. He passed away roughly a decade ago. I was hired as the senior rabbi in the Summer of 2000 and have enjoyed almost twenty-three years of serving the Jewish and general community.

The Book of Genesis teaches us that God created humanity in the divine image and likeness. Each one of us, male or female, regardless of faith affiliation, is created in the divine image.

In Leviticus chapter 19, which was read liturgically in synagogues around the world a week ago, the exact midpoint of the five books of the Torah contains the golden rule, "Love thy fellow as thyself." In ancient Jewish commentary, these words are understood as "What is hateful to you do not do to another. That is the essence of Scripture. The rest is commentary- Go and Learn."

There is an ancient Jewish teaching which explains when mankind is minting coins, all the coins come out the same. However, when God is minting human beings, every human being is created uniquely. This teaching predates our understanding of DNA by thousands of years and understands that while each person is created in God's image and likeness, each person is also uniquely different at the same time.

We celebrate today and every day "The unity of our diversity." We celebrate that we are diverse individuals who comprise a united community of fellowship and faith.

Today, our Scriptural reflections have come from the book of Psalms and the book of Proverbs. While they were known for all kinds of accomplishments, ancient tradition attributes Psalms to King David and Proverbs to King Solomon. Over 3000 years ago, King David established Jerusalem as the sovereign capital of Israel. King David paved the way for his son, King Solomon, to oversee the building of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

Both David and Solomon were spiritual figures. In Hebrew, the book of Psalms is called "Tehilim,' which means "Praises." The Psalms are used in daily prayer to affirm our faith in God at times of celebration and sadness. According to ancient tradition, Solomon authored Song of Songs in his youth, Proverbs in his mid-life, and Ecclessiastes in his elder years. Proverbs is exactly that - offering sage proverbial messages for day to day living. How wonderful that today's recitations come from these two famous Biblical luminaries and their writings.

I thank you all for attending and participating today. After refreshments, I invite you all back into this sanctuary for those who would like to learn about and see the objects of the synagogue sanctuary.

Rabbi Howard Morrison