Farewell Memory from Rabbi Gibson

The earliest collection of rabbinic teaching about the Torah, the Mekhilta, is a commentary on the book of Exodus. In it we find one of the great truisms of all time. It teaches: “All beginnings are hard.”

On that, I think we can all agree. But it leaves another question unanswered. If beginnings are hard, what are endings? Only one answer makes sense: Harder.

Beginnings are filled with excitement, possibility and hope. Endings are suffused with sadness at parting, regrets over what we did and didn’t do, said and didn’t say. Endings are wry smiles and mingled tears, tokens of affection, and lingering touches.

But endings can also be feelings of fulfillment and accomplishment, satisfaction, and some pride. Endings can be triumphant, like the last chords of a brilliant song or symphony. They can be hearts bursting with love and caring as well as promises to stay in touch and to keep personal bonds alive.

With all of this, I want to say that as I move from Senior to Emeritus Rabbi, this ending is not a cessation or cutting off. It is a transition to a new phase of my life and the life of our incredible congregational family. Barbara and I will remain in Pittsburgh as she continues her wonderful work in the Operating Room at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. I will be teaching part-time at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe and have been asked to continue some of my inter-faith activities as a volunteer.

I hope and pray that the Temple Sinai family will warmly greet Rabbi Darryl Crystal when he comes to town at the end of June. I have known him since our days together at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati and have respected him for his integrity, his calm, caring manner, and his ability to keep congregations focused and together as they go through transitions. He is excited to meet everyone at Sinai—I hope you are excited to meet him as well!

How can I end these words without sharing my bottomless gratitude to you, to all of you? I thank God we found each other. I thank each of the talented professionals I have been privileged to work with in sacred tasks. I thank every person who served on the Temple Sinai staff, from bookkeeper to maintenance personnel and everyone in between. I thank every one of our extraordinary leaders and volunteers, from our officers and trustees to the heads of our auxiliaries and centers, to all who came to my classes or programs, to all who worked tirelessly for the good of our congregants and community.

I am in awe of what you have done and what we have accomplished together. It takes my breath away and renders me speechless (well, almost). And although endings are hard, they give us an opportunity for blessing. So, with your permission, let me bless all of you in this forum, one 
last time:
May you live to see your world fulfilled 
May your destiny be for worlds still to come
And may you trust in generations past and yet to be
May your eyes shine with the light of holy words 
And your face reflect the brightness of the heavens
May your heart be filled with intuition 
And your words be filled with insight
May songs of praise ever be upon your tongue 
And your vision be on a straight path before you
May your lives be rich with spirit 
May you be shielded from hatred and be blessed with courage and joy 
May you be a blessing to all who know you
(fashioned after Tractate B’rachot, 17a, Babylonian Talmud)

May you be a blessing to all who know you, as you all have been an immeasurable blessing to me and my family. What can soften endings, which are harder than beginnings?

Blessings. Blessings of love. Blessings upon blessings for you and for me. Thank you from my soul for all of your blessings.

Love,
Rabbi Jamie Gibson