Elu V’Elu for November 2006

Rabbi Gary A. Glickstein

Dr. Francisco Contreras is the founder of a cancer research hospital in Mexico. He commented in an interview that “one bout of anger will diminish the efficiency of your immune system for six hours, but one good laugh will increase the efficiency of your immune system for twenty-four hours.” So let’s see if I can strengthen your ability to fight infection, at least for a few minutes.

Last month, I was honored to speak for the Rabbinical Association of Greater Miami at the occasion of the retirement of Rabbi Sol Schiff as Executive Vice President. Rabbi Schiff has taken on a number of duties in our community in his retirement and plans to remain active. In my words to him, I told one of my favorite Rabbi Jolt jokes:

A house painter converted to Judaism late in life. He approached his Rabbi and asked, “Rabbi, I have been dishonest in my life and especially in my work. I cheated people by buying cheap paint and adding paint thinner to it to save my buying more paint and covering the walls properly. Now that I am Jewish, I wish to atone for my sins. What can I do?” The Rabbi thought a moment and replied, “Repaint, Thinner, and thin no more.”

I hope that helped.

I have been thinking of the incredible individuals whom I have been blessed to have known throughout my life. I find that Yizkor at Yom Kippur followed by Yizkor at the end of Sukkot triggers my thoughts in this direction. These people who shared a cherished part of my life have died, but their memories remain - Rabbi Jolt, Rabbi Kronish, many members and leaders of this congregation, my father and my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, so many - more and more as I live longer.

But I find the journey continues toward Thanksgiving. As November approaches, I think more of those still living who touch my life and bless me. I have so much to be grateful for: my wife and children, my grandson, my mother and sisters, nieces and nephews, great-niece and great-nephew, my congregation, my community and my colleagues. This list grows even longer as I live on.

This Thanksgiving, if all goes well, God willing (pooh, pooh, pooh), K’Ayin HaRa’a, I will be able to walk our Temple grounds with no workmen visible. Even if this blessed event arrives at Chanukah, dayenu. And if I must wait until after January 1, so be it. But my sense of thanksgiving will remain fully formed nevertheless. And that brings to mind a man I want to personally thank for all he has done to make my life blessed during this stressful building process: Saul Gross.

I thank God for the gift of Saul Gross.

He has donated thousands of hours of his life to complete our most complicated building project. He has scrutinized plans and budgets and subcontractors and sub-sub contractors and their contracts and work. He has labored quietly and modestly and patiently, holding our hands through all this.

The building is incredible. I cannot wait to share it with our congregation and our community. It is a place that will help us continue our journey as Jews and as Menschen into the next generations.

However, I will never be able to step foot in that fabulous building without thinking of Saul and his devotion to all of us. This Thanksgiving, I thank God for him and for the love he has lavished upon us all through his shepherding of our vision for our congregation.