Elisheva Layman
I
put off writing this speech for a long time because I wasn’t sure how I was
going to be able to sum up 25 years into a few short minutes. Everytime I sat
down to write or brainstorm, I was overwhelmed by the memories that Shaare
Tefila Congregation has provided to my family. We moved to Maryland from
Lowell, Massachusetts when I was four and a half and Ilan was two. My mom was
pregnant with Aliza and Eytan wasn’t even a thought! In 1994, I joined Shaare
Tefila’s pre- school and although I don’t have a lot of specific memories from
that time, I know for a fact that some of my life-long friends were made
there.
My
siblings and I see Shaare Tefila as more than just a shul or my Abba’s job- we
see it as an extension of our family. We have grown up playing games in the
bike room on Lockwood drive and sitting on the bima during services. We have
vivid memories of playing with our friends in Abba’s office when we were
little. We remember so many walks to and from shul and saying tashlich on Rosh
Hashana at the waterfall on route 29. We were all taught by my Abba for our bar
and bat mitzvahs and all of us celebrated those simchas here. Just recently we
even celebrated Ilan and Gaby’s ufruf in this very room. Shaare Tefila is more
than just a building to us, it is a home.
Being
the rabbi’s children is certainly not the easiest role to fill. It is hard to
feel like you are in the spotlight or that your dad will have to work every
weekend. We have seen the unfortunate emergencies and tragedies that occur amongst
congregants and what it means to be a rabbi and a father in those situations.
Being a rabbi is a constant balancing act between work and life. That being
said, we don’t know our life in any other way. We know how to be the rabbi’s
kids and we have experienced countless benefits over the years. Having a father
as a rabbi has shaped who we all are as Jews.
Eytan
and Aliza both shared stories with me about their religious paths. When Aliza
was in college she asked Abba if he would come to campus and learn with her. She
was struggling with her identity as a conservative Jew and rather than forcing
any beliefs upon her, Abba dedicated the time to learn and discuss various
traditions with her so that she could find her own place of comfort.
When
Eytan went to Poland during his senior year of high school, he called Abba very
disturbed by what he saw on his trip. He could not understand how a people
could believe in a G-d that would also destroy them. This started a series of
very intense and important conversations between Abba and Eytan that still
continue today.
Abba
has always taken the approach of patience, learning and guidance. Just because
he has certain beliefs and values, does not mean that all four of us need to
have the exact same ones. I know that the same mindset extends to his
congregants. I believe that he does not impose his beliefs on anyone here,
instead he shares them in an educational and factual way in order to inspire
your own thinking and beliefs.
We
are all so proud of the unbelievable work our Abba has put into this community
for twenty five years. We have seen the patience, resilience, leadership and
passion that goes into strengthening this community. We have seen the hours of
sermon writing, meetings with families, nightly meetings, minyan obligations
and programming that are necessary to operate this beautiful community.
Ilan
remembers when we were in the process of moving from White Oak to Olney. Those
many years without a building meant that our family had to move and that Abba
would have to work extremely hard to keep the community motivated and together.
Ilan remembers the strength and courage it took to ensure that people would
come to shul in various locations and continue to support our congregation even
without a homebase. Abba never gave up during that time. He always took the
role of leader and was confident that the move would be the right one for all
of us. It is truly amazing that he has stuck with all of us on this journey of
White Oak to Olney and has done so with great pride and inspiration.
I
wanted to be sure to share a bit of Torah tonight, as I know how much my Abba
loves to learn and teach. A quick search and conversation with my Saba (the
other Rabbi Layman) led me to a very fitting thought. The 25th word in the
Torah, in the book of B’reisheet, is the word “or” which means “light.” How fitting is it that this word is one I
would use to describe the person we are honoring tonight. Abba is a light upon
Shaare Tefila. It is a huge accomplishment to maintain a job for twenty five
years and have this much impact on one community. Not to mention, twenty five
seasons of new sermons- I’m still amazed by that every high holiday season.
But
seriously, I know that many people in this room view Rabbi Layman as a light in
their families, a light in their homes during a dark time, and a light from the
bima. I personally view my Abba as one of the brightest lights in my own life.
He is always a supportive, calming and wise father. When I have faced my own
dark times, he has shown me how to find the light in a situation and the
logical way through it. His quiet and personable demeanor have been the source
of many moments of light in my lifetime.
It
is hard to imagine how we as Laymans could have a life without Shaare Tefila.
Twenty five years later and we only hope and pray that we have many, many more
simchas with all of you.
Abba,
I speak on behalf of our family, friends and the entire congregation- you are a
light in all of our lives. May you continue to find meaning in your rabbinical
work, blessings in your Shaare Tefila community and many more years of
strength. We love you!
And
remember, buy script.
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