This year, we celebrate the Jubilee anniversary of women being officially recognized as Reform Jewish clergy (Rabbi Sally Priesand was ordained by the Hebrew Union College in 1971). My kavannot this week will highlight some of the unique and inspirational female voices from our tradition.
Every Saturday, we open our b’nai mitzvah prayer services with the song L’chi Lach by Debbie Friedman, whose lyrics are borrowed directly from this week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha. In this parshah, God tells Abraham to move out of his father’s home and to travel to a new land, all with the knowledge that he will be blessed by God and that he himself will be a blessing to his family and his people.
While we know the young people in our community becoming b’nai mitzvah will not immediately move out of their parents’ homes like Abraham, we do communally acknowledge that they are making their first step on a long path towards adulthood, and indeed, we hope that they will be blessed in everything they do and that their choices, actions, and gifts will be a blessing to our people and our world. It is truly my great privilege to share these Shabbatot with our bar and bat mitzvah students and their families—the teens are well-prepared, thoughtful, and bring their whole selves to their prayer and teaching. Abraham’s legacy and his blessing is weekly renewed here at Stephen Wise Temple, with Friedman’s words and notes of encouragement always kicking off our celebrations.
Debbie Friedman was a prolific songwriter who changed the landscape of American Jewish music by engaging the voices of so many campers and congregants. She taught at the Hebrew Union College before her untimely death in 2011, where the cantorial school has since been renamed the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. I hope you’ll enjoy this beautiful recording of her L’chi Lach, a joyful and warm reminder of the many blessings in our lives.
— Cantor Emma Lutz