Religious School
May 2025
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Hello everyone,
As we come to the end of this school year, we also come to the end of our time together as a community, both within the religious school and as a temple. As the year closes, this transition marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new chapter for all of us here at Temple Emanu-El, and it’s a transition that brings up any number of emotions. Fear, grief, loss, anger, and, perhaps, even hope or anticipation. We do not know what precisely will come next, but perhaps, perhaps, good will come, along with loss.
But right now, together, we stand in the murky middle of change. And in the Jewish calendar, we stand in a time of middles, of waiting, of counting. Right now, we are counting the Omer, one of my favorite Jewish ritual practices. An Omer is a sheaf of grain, and traditionally, this practice is an agricultural one, counting between planting and the first harvest of the season. We count the Omer between Passover, when we are freed from slavery, and Shavuot, when we receive the Torah. Spiritually, this is the time between redemption and revelation, and we are commanded to do something relatively simple. We are commanded to count. Seven weeks of seven days, we count, one by one, 49 days totals, watching the time stretch before us, sitting in the murky middle.
Six years ago, when I counted the Omer, I was in the midst of a huge transition. Those 49 days marked the time between choosing which rabbinical school I would attend that fall and moving to Boston to attend Hebrew College. It felt like everything was moving incredibly slowly and also too fast. And so, I counted. Day by day, I tried to experience that murky middle, to be present with all I was saying goodbye to —a life I had built, full of community, richness, and care. And I was planning for the future, packing up my belongings, finding a place to live, and getting ready for the next chapter. Saying both goodbye to the old and hello to the new.
And together, we all do that again during this Omer, saying goodbye to the old and hello to the new, celebrating what has been and anticipating what is to come next. As we wait, as we count, we are together, journeying through the desert, looking for the certainty of the revelation that will come.
During this Omer, I am in the middle, as well, as I say goodbye to rabbinical school, goodbye to this community, and hello to a still undetermined future. And so, I want to thank this incredible community for being with me, in particular, over the past four years of rabbinical school. I have loved being part of Temple Emanu-El, and I have learned a great deal about what it means to be a rabbi here. I will be ordained on May 25 at Hebrew College in Newton. You can find further details about my ordination here. Anyone who would like to is welcome to attend, as I mark this transition from rabbinical student to rabbi!
During this season of change and transition, may we all feel held, may we all feel whole, and may we all be able to honor both our futures and our pasts.
Religious School Calendar
Sunday, May 4 Final Day of Religious School
Friday, May 16 Lag B’omer Cookout and Celebration at 6:00 pm
Saturday, May 17 88 years at 514: Shabbat morning service and special kiddush at 9:30 am
Saturday, May 17 88 years at 514: Celebration Gala and Havdalah at 6:30 pm
Thank you again to everyone for a great year at the religious school! It’s been an honor and a pleasure to be the religious school's director this year, and I am sending everyone care and love as we all transition to a new religious school and temple next year.
Sincerely,
Elisheva (Elli) Pripas