“2008” Who would of believed it would come so soon. Did you make your New Year’s resolutions? Are you going to lose weight? This is the most popular resolution that most people make. Are you promising yourself that you will be more ambitious? That you will not put things off for tomorrow that you promised yourself that you would do today. Are you going to read more, see more shows, take those trips you always wanted to or just enjoy life to the fullest? A wise doctor once told me that he never heard anyone on their death bed plead for more time to work harder or longer.

Have you ever made a resolution to be a better person, to treat your fellow human beings with kindness and respect? Most of us believe in that, but have not made those types of resolutions. You must wonder where I am going with all of that resolution stuff. When did I become a philosopher? What I am leaning to is about us as a community of caring congregants. No matter how rich and successful we think we are, it all comes down to family, our immediately family and our extended B’nai Moshe family.

Our synagogue has a reputation as a leader in “mitzvoth and “Tikkum Olam”through social service and social action. With the leadership of Rabbi Pachter and Laurel Rebenstock, we call and visit members who are ill, homebound or simply would like some company. We celebrate joyous events such birthdays, anniversaries, and special achievements. We are there to comfort congregants who are going through difficult times. We are always teaching abut the Jewish way of handling our experiences and coping with the life we have. But, in order to include everyone in the B’nai Moshe family you have to let us know how we can help and reach out to you and your family. The congregants who are regulars on the Sabbath and those who come to our social activities are the ones who we know and sometimes they chose to share information about themselves and their families. So we know their simchas and their sorrows. For those of you who we do not see as often, please consider us as part of your extended family and contact the office, the Rabbi, the Cantor or another congregant to let us know about births, graduations, promotions and other simchas as will as illnesses and deaths. We are a family.

Now to the lighter side. Have you seen the new mosaic? Since the beginning of November with the help of the L.I.F.E. committee, families have been cutting and pasting the tiles at a furious pace putting our new mosaic together. The mosaic will be on the east wall inside of the Cantor Klein chapel. A special thank you to Pearlena Bodzin for her dedication to this project. Also our hat is off to Michelle Sider who designed and put this project together.

Did you happen to read in the Jewish News about the exciting event happening in our synagogue library? Our library catalogue is the first Jewish library in this area to be electronically accessible. This is made possible by our volunteer librarian Sherry Wasserman. To see if our library has a book that you want and if it is available, please click Library Online

Look for the following happenings on February 1 and 3. Our Friday night dinner and the Men’s club World Wide Wrap. It would really be great if all of you would attend these two events. Think about it. Maybe attend at least one. Click It's a doubleheader! for more information.

Since we are in a new secular year, we have a new chance to do all of the things that we want to accomplish last year, but did not do. So remember we are all put on this earth for a reason and I believe that it is to make this place that we call home a little better before we leave it.