Rabbis Are the Salt but Volunteers Make the Meal

Rabbi Melanie Aron

Friday, May 18, 2007

The symbols we usually think of for Shabbat are candles, wine, and challah or perhaps also spices for Havdallah. Few people think of salt, but in a traditional household, after the motzi is said and before the challah is eaten, the bread is dipped in salt as a reminder of the ancient Temple, where all of the sacrifices were offered with salt.

The Reform movement has eliminated most of the references to the ancient sacrificial cult, though this one has a positive function. It reminds us that our homes are now mikdash me’at, little sanctuaries and our tables function as the altars of our service to God.

This winter while I was in New York I heard a sermon urging rabbis to understand their function as being the salt of the synagogue.

Salt is important. It acts as a preservative and brings out the flavor of foods. It is important to everyday life. The necessity of salt, especially in ancient times, is highlighted in these words from the Talmud: “The world can live without wine, but the world cannot live without water. The world can live without pepper, but the world cannot live without salt.” But unlike many other kinds of foods, too much salt is as bad as not enough. As important as salt is, it is not the meal, and salt alone cannot not sustain us.

The senior rabbinic student made the point that rabbis like salt, are important in drawing out dormant interests and talents, sometimes activating something that would not have happened without them. But we should not get confused about what’s what- alone we are not sustaining. It is the members of our congregations who are the main course. And just as salt can be overdone, you can have too much rabbinic leadership, when members of the congregation do not step forward to play their roles.

Tonight as we recognize our volunteers we are reminded of the ownership of the congregation that is in the hands of its members. Rabbis and Cantors, Professional and Support staff, act as catalysts and champions, mediators and temperature takers, but ultimately the strength of a community is a reflection of the commitment and dedication of its members themselves.

As we express our thanks this evening to the many members of the congregation who have stepped forward to serve our community in so many different ways, we also take time in our own reflections to consider our talents and gifts and the ways that we have brought them forward in service of our community.