Lechavod u’letifaret
לְכָב֖וֹד וּלְתִפְאָֽרֶת
These words jump out at me from this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Tetzaveh. The text describes the priestly garments, detailing how their splendour and “fanciness” served to inspire the congregation.
While chatting with student rabbi Richard Greene over lunch in Leo Baeck College’s sunny garden this week, I realised this phrase speaks equally to our newly renovated synagogue. The renewal of FPS has lifted our collective mood and deepened our love for our space. As we hoped, it has already begun attracting new faces – and with our tidying and gardening still underway, who knows what’s yet to come!
This Friday, we will celebrate Purim back in our sanctuary. The recent improvements truly provide both “honour and beauty” to our proceedings. I am exceedingly grateful that we managed to restore and renovate this little place of our own in our corner of the North London diaspora.
The Book of Esther paints a scene of a Persian diaspora community working hard to ensure their continuity. While our journey has had rather fewer dramatic twists and turns, I believe we have achieved something similar.
Join Us This Friday
Please join us for Shabbat, our Purim Spiel, and the inevitable festive snacks:
P.S. I was recently a guest on Rabbi Karstadt’s podcast, The Rest is Commentary, discussing diaspora concerns. You can listen to the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IKUZygUhVx2j6BmwqlRgU?si=9bL3Xjz4QhSAjUm3OAgVZA
Shabbat Shalom and an early Purim Sameach!
Rebecca
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