Comments Celebrating the Goldsmith Museum's 10th Anniversary
Rabbi Ron Shulman
On Saturday evening January 22, 2011 we marked the 10th Anniversary of our Chizuk Amuno Congregation Goldsmith Museum.
Many years ago a friend of mine was a docent at a Jewish museum. One day she toured an African-American youth group through the exhibit, showing them objects of Judaica and ritual items, briefly explaining some things about Jewish customs, holidays, and history.
At the end of the tour, she brought the group to a display case of old, worn Torah scrolls. She described where the scrolls came from, and how we use the Torah in synagogue ritual. She also said something about the significance of Torah, and the Torah to Judaism and the Jewish people.
When she looked up after her explanation, she saw the group’s adult advisor crying. She couldn’t imagine what had upset him, and she walked over to ask what was wrong. He smiled at her and said, “everything’s fine, it’s lovely.” Then he spoke to the teenagers who were with him.
“Look at this,” he said. “They revere a book. They celebrate a book. The most prized possessions in this museum are sacred objects and books, Torah scrolls. This is what I want for all of you. I want you to revere learning, faith, and the ideas that come from great books, in this case the Bible.”
On display that day in that different museum were Jewish ideals and memories. A Jewish museum, this, our Goldsmith Museum, enshrines Jewish values for all of us to see, to remember, and then to apply in our lives.
We use ritual objects to celebrate the occasions and seasons of our lives. Though we create ritual objects for their function, as beautiful pieces of art and symbols of our heritage they inspire us even when we are not using them. That’s why the Goldsmith Museum is so important to our synagogue community.
Viewing and discovering the treasures and sacred objects we display here encourages us to enrich our lives with the beauties and meanings of Jewish ritual celebration. “A ritual is not properly done unless it is performed with beauty and dignity,” wrote Italian Rabbi Moses Luzzatto in 1740. We agree with him!
Viewing and discovering the treasures and sacred objects we display here encourages us to enrich our lives with the beauties and meanings of Jewish ritual celebration.
Here at Chizuk Amuno we are now in our 140th year. The Goldsmith Museum is 10 years old. We happily mark these anniversaries to remind ourselves that we are responsible for celebrating our lives today. Now is the time to arise and create the Jewish forms and meanings of our lives’ occasions and seasons.
© 2011 Rabbi Ronald J. Shulman
