Communal
Searching for a way to mark a special moment in your community's life? Here you will find articles about rituals, teachings, and blessings to help you enhance these significant moments.
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Installing a New Community Leader…
When we at CLAL created a ceremony to celebrate the installation of our new Chairman of the Board, we turned to the rituals of Simchat Torah for inspiration, as they allow us to start afresh while we are still sustained by the past.
Meditation:
With the permission of God, our covenantal partner in the work of creation,
And with the permission of the Torah, the source of wisdom, which urges us to choose life for our people and the world,
And with the permission of the friends gathered here today to welcome our new Leader
Do we promise all the support of our hands and our hearts,
May it be God’s will that you succeed in all that you may do, and that you may lead us in wisdom, in righteousness and in faithfulness.
May your leadership be accounted to you as service of the Holy One, and let us say Amen.
Arise, arise, arise (name) who today accepts upon himself or herself the Leadership of (name of organization).
Ritual:
We call our new leader up before us, and offer the blessing of the community. Select representative members of the community to publicly offer their own blessing.
Blessing:
(All who are present offer the new leader this blessing)
Y’varech’cha Hashem v’yishmarecha
GOD BLESS YOU
With success and achievement
AND KEEP YOU
From being corrupted, routinized or hardened by it
Ya’er Hashem panav eilecha v’chunecha
MAY GOD SHOW YOU FAVOR
Thereby giving you authority and power
AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU
So that people willingly respond to you, becoming partners
Yi’sah Hashem panav eilecha v’tein l’cha shalom
MAY GOD TURN TOWARD YOU
Showering you with life and joy
AND GRANT YOU PEACE
Giving you Shalom, inner peace; wholeness; completion of your self; completion of your
leadership
And let us say Amen.
Teaching:
"Now this is the ceremony that you are to make for them, to hallow them, to serve
me as priests."
(Exodus 29:1)
"You shall seek out from among the people capable people who fear God…set
these over them as chiefs…"
(Exodus 18:21)
"And who knows, perhaps you [Esther] have attained this royal position for just
such a crisis."
(Esther 5:14)
"El rey es con la gente." The King is with the people.
(Ladino Proverb)
Y'varech'cha Hashem v'yish-marecha.
God bless you and keep you.
(CLAL Faculty)
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