This Shabbat will be Maurice Needleman’s yahrzeit. Maurice was a long-time member of FPS. He lived with his parents until they died and then, with support, stayed in his own home until the end of his life. Paul Silver Myer remembers him walking hand in hand to synagogue with his father. Peggy Sherwood and Alison Rees told me when they visited FPS and saw how Maurice was loved and cared for here, they knew it was the congregation for them.
It is only us, his congregation, who will recall his yahrzeit and say kaddish in his memory.
He loved the portion Parashat Vayechi because Joseph introduced his sons to Jacob, his father. On a Friday night, all Jewish sons are blessed with the names Menasseh and Ephraim. To boys we say May you be like Ephraim and Menasheh and to girls, May you be like Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. Maurice loved the melody Dean wrote for this blessing.
Jewish tradition has always asked why our boys do not get blessed in the names of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but rather in the names of Jacob’s grandsons. Maurice loved answering this question at kiddush. There is a variety of reasons. It’s fascinating that the children from the mixed family of Joseph and the Egyptian Asenath have become the blueprint for our own boys. I love this inclusiveness. However, the most compelling reason offered is that they were the only brothers in Torah who never fought but accepted the shift of blessing, the younger going before the older.
On that day, he blessed them and said, “With your names will the Israelites invoke God’s blessings on their sons, saying to them, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh,’” mentioning Ephraim’s name before that of Manasseh. (48:20)
I think about Maurice this week and how much he loved, and was loved by, FPS. He used to say that his two great loves were FPS and the land of Israel and he split all his inheritance split between us – his was our first major legacy – and Israel. His Israel legacy went to the Leo Baeck Centre in Haifa, the school we have since supported, that cares for those of Jewish Israeli and Ethiopian origin, as well as Palestinian and Druze families.
Maurice’s legacy to us was a seed fund to kick start our building works, to which so many of you have added. Even more than his gift, Maurice left to us the memory that synagogue communities can act like family and ensure that those without their own family can find friendship, care and belonging right inside them.
The book of Genesis finishes this week and Orlanna, our Bat Mitzvah, will lead us in Chazak Chazak, V’NitChazeik, Strength, Strength and Let Us be Strengthened.
I look forward to that spirit of love, concern and community continuing from strength to strength.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rebecca
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