A Message from Rabbi Minkus

May 30, 2014

Dear Congregants,

I have been a rabbi for a week, and I write this as I contem­plate my new life at Congregation Rodfei Zedek.  In two weeks we will read Parashat Shlach‑Lach, where God commands Moses to send spies to the land of Israel in order to survey what their future homeland looks like.  The collective fear of this new land and its people overwhelms these appointed spies, and they return with false reports of what they saw.  Perhaps the spies genuinely believed the people they saw were giants, perhaps they lied out of malice or their own fear, or perhaps it was in order to protect Bnai‑Israel from the unknown.

As the community prepares to welcome Ilyssa and me, and as we prepare to leave our home on the Upper West Side, I only see a land of milk and honey.  It will certainly be a transition for Rodfei Zedek having a new voice in the community, and it will be different for me being the rabbi.  But I could not be more excited to start this next stage of my journey.  I am just as eager to teach and lead as I am to be taught and led.  Thank you for welcoming me.  I genuinely look forward to getting to know each of you and hope that you will stop by my office to say hello if you have the opportunity.

I could not be more honored to have been offered this position and have the opportunity to become a part of Rodfei Zedek's rich history and tradition.

                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                Rabbi David Minkus

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