Welcome to the 21st century. Please be patient with me as I become accustomed to this new method of communication to the congregation. I’m a pretty fast learner, so it should work out.

After the wonderful excitement and hectic activity surrounding our son Yehuda’s engagement, Auf Ruf, marriage to Noa Leibowitz and Sheva Brachot in Los Angeles, Barbara and I are finally ensconced in our summer location near Woodridge, NY in the Catskills. I have a firm schedule for the summer months: recreation in the morning, shul-related activities, writing, and other rabbinic responsibilities in the afternoon. The weather has been beautiful over last few days and the opportunity to once again appreciate the beauty of God’s natural world is a wonderful experience.

In addition to my normal concerns surrounding the shul and the community, two other areas have been occupying my thoughts and my attention: a series of issues that I have become involved in as 1^st Vice President of Rabbinical Council of America; and ongoing issues surrounding the tuition crisis in Bergen County. In posts to come, I expect I will be sharing some of the details with you. Today, however, I‘d like to return to Yehuda’s wedding for a moment. It was an extraordinarily beautiful event for our family. Yehuda and Noa make a beautiful couple together, and having so many friends from the community with us to share was extremely meaningful. As some of you know, our daughter Rivka offered some additional excitement to the evening which led to a beautiful article printed by Noa’s uncle in his column in the Long Island Jewish Star (click here or on the link below to read). Before signing off, our deep thanks to many members of the community who were solicitous of Rivka’s welfare during and after the wedding and in part to Dr. Francine Stein, who together with our daughter-in-law, accompanied Rivka to the hospital, and to Dr. Steve Herman for insuring that she got immediate and excellent care.

-Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

The lesson of giving is a keeper http://www.thejewishstar.com/stories/Seidemann-The-lesson-of-giving-is-a-keeper,958