People often ask me (and any rabbi) why they became a rabbi. I can answer in two words: “Ron Shapiro.” I suspect at least a dozen others of us who grew up at Congregation Shalom, which he led for 35 years, could say the same.
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”]Role models teach us more than any book can. We know the truth of a statement attributed to Abraham Joshua Heschel. When asked how to nurture effective spiritual leaders, he said, “We do not need more text-books. We need more “text-people.”
A text-person embodies the values we cherish. He or she delivers a sermon with his life, not just his words. Think back to the people who inspired you. What made them great?
For my teacher, Ron Shapiro, what made him great was that he fulfilled the role the Bible ascribes to a religious leader: He was a shepherd.
He shepherded his flock through difficult times. He shepherded their souls and their bodies. He was there when it mattered.
Why did God Choose Moses?
A story is told about a young Moses. He was out one day shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. He noticed one sheep was missing.
He went off in search. He found the baby sheep by a brook. Moses then lifted the sheep and carried him back to the flock.
It was then that God chose Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. He knew that a man who cared so much for one sheep would be the greatest shepherd for the flock of Israel.
Life is With People
Ron Shapiro has been an extraordinary shepherd. I remember him shepherding my family through so much. And I remember the gleam in his eye and the smile on his face as he blessed me when I became a Bar Mitzvah.
It is because of Ron that I chose to serve a congregation. It is within a community of people we see and grow with over the years that we can make the greatest difference. It is within a sacred community that we share and sanctify the key moments of life.
At the end of reading a book of the Torah, it is a Jewish custom to say the words “Chazak Chazak v’Nitchazak.” They mean “Be Strong. Be Strong. And Let us strengthen one another.”
In honoring our mentors, I can think of no better words. They have made us strong, and together we strengthen one another.
