January..February 2005 - טֵבֵת .. אֲדָר א׳ תשס״ה Tevet..Adar I 5765

Happy and healthy new year to one and all. By now Cal should have soundly defeated Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl on December 30th. Rinat, Shai and I were there rooting on Rinat's alma mater. Right now (the first week in January) I am at the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis annual convention in Palm Springs, and also attending the Southern California Rabbinical Assembly meeting there as well. I am presenting at both conventions. For my Reform colleagues I am making a presentation about "Spirituality in the DC Comic Book Universe." For my Conservative colleagues I will present a session about our book A Place in the Tent: Intermarriage and Conservative Judaism. I am also the Sports Guru, organizing the PARR-RA Golden Calf Softball tournament between the Reform and Conservative colleagues. Last year the Reform Rabbis won, but the Conservative Rabbis are eager for a rematch and to claim the coveted Golden Calf trophy. [Note: PARR = Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis; RA = Rabbinical Assembly; PARRAH is the Hebrew word for calf; the trophy has a gold plated (sure!) calf on top.]

January 1st, I am formally beginning the sabbatical that you have been kind enough to grant to me. During the sabbatical I will be staying in Castro Valley and trying to write a popular version of my doctoral dissertation. I will also attend various seminars and brief conferences, but because Barbara will continue to work in Berkeley, I will not be wandering too far from home, (except to occasionally visit my parents in New Jersey). I will be conducting Shabbat worship with Cantor Hirschhorn on most Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. The Board has suggested that during the sabbatical I try to visit other synagogues once a month, both to learn from others and to relax and pray. (It is much easier to pray in the pew than while working and leading worship.)

During the sabbatical I will continue to direct the Torah School on Sunday mornings and the Hebrew School on Tuesday afternoons. Other than Friday evenings, Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings and Tuesday afternoons, you may not see me at the synagogue. However if you have a life cycle need, a wedding, birth, death, unveiling, etc., I will still be available to Temple Members. If someone is in the hospital, please call Dolores at the synagogue office, and I will visit as usual.

Some people think that the rabbi only works on Friday evening and Saturday morning, so they probably will not see much difference in the coming months during my sabbatical. But I will not be available to teach my classes, except on Shabbat morning, and I will not give private lessons. I will not attend professional meetings, and will turn down community invitations during this time period. Most of all, I will not be attending any meetings in the coming months. No meetings at all. Ah, that sounds wonderful, but I digress. If you need me, I will be only a phone call away. I sincerely appreciate this sabbatical, and the time to write this book, but primarily I am your rabbi, and you should never hesitate to call upon me, when your need arises.

Shalom, shalom.

—Rabbi Harry A. Manhoff, Ph.D., D.D.

December

Index

March