L’Shana Tova Tikateivu

 

I am truly delighted to spend these days of awe together with both Congregation Bet Chaim and Temple Shir Shalom. As we gather here together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we mark the beginning of a new year—a time for renewal, introspection, and hope. This holiday is a special one because it invites us to pause and reflect on the year that has passed, to celebrate our joys and successes, and to learn from our challenges. The High Holy Days are often described as a time when the Book of Life is opened and we begin writing a new chapter.

 

But in order to begin a new chapter, you have to close one and sometimes that is much easier said than done.

 

As many of you know, I have decided to step down as Bet Chaim’s religious leader. It was a decision I struggled with for a long time. Although I knew it was ultimately the right decision for me and my family, I wrestled with feeling like I was failing my congregation. I worried that my stepping down would lead to Bet Chaim folding and that would be the greatest failure yet.

 

Which brings me to my topic this evening- Failure.

 

Failure is a theme comes up quite a bit over the holidays.

 

“We call you Avinu. As a loving parent, forgive our sins and failings”

 

V’al kulam, Elo·ah s’lichot, s’lach lanu, m’chal lanu, kapper-lanu.

For all these failures of judgment and will — forgive us, pardon us, lead us to atonement.

 

What promises did we fail to keep? What shortcomings did we possess over the last year? What dreams did we let die? These are all questions we are asking ourselves over the next 10 days and ones we are supposed to ponder so that we can choose to do better in the next chapter. 

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When Justin and I were opening Songbirds we borrowed a decent amount of money from one of my cousins. When we were talking about the business she asked me to think about what failure looks like. 

 

I said- failure is when your business closes.

 

She matter of factly stated “All business close. One day Walmart will close. It may be in 200 hundred years, but one day it will close. In that time it will have provided countless jobs and services to its communities. Does closing mean that it was a failed business? 

 

And it made me pause. It’s stuck with me today and really changed how I think of the topic of failure, of unwanted endings, of closing chapters.

 

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Sometimes a chapter closes because it’s successfully come to its predetermined ending. The closing at the end of a year, graduating from highschool and closing the chapter on schooling, completing a big project, the literal end of a book. Other times a chapter closes before its predetermined ending or closes even though there was no predetermined ending set. A business that closes, a marriage that ends in divorce, a career that ends, a congregation that folds. When things end early, against our wishes, or because of a mistake, we said it failed. Failed marriages, failed businesses, failed careers. 

 

You know who failed in this sense? Moses.

 

Moses’s job was to lead the people into the promised land. He was supposed to free them from slavery and walk them into a stream of milk and honey. But right before he got them to the right spot, he made a mistake. The Israelites were in the wilderness and desperately needed water. To no one's surprise, they were complaining and complaining. God instructed Moses to take his staff, gather the people, and speak to the rock, and it would yield water. But he was exhausted of this complaining and instead of speaking to the rock as commanded, Moses just hit the rock with his staff. He lost his temper and made a devastating mistake. One that would result in punishment of an early ending in his journey.

 

But do we all go around saying that Moses failed us? Of course not. He led the Jews out of slavery, he talked to Gd, and saved our butts countless times.

 

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I’m in my mid-30s. And when you’re in your mid 30s, it’s not uncommon to have a few friends who get divorced. It’s heartbreaking and earthshaking and a horrible situation all around. And at some point they will all refer to their ended marriage as a failed marriage. And I always try to stop them. It’s not a failed marriage because it ended, it’s a marriage that ended sooner than you were expecting. Mistakes were made, individuals lost their temper, the ending wasn’t pretty, and yet… there were a lot of wonderful things that happened in that time of the whole marriage. 

 

Adventures, celebrations, growth, and sometimes children. The end doesn’t wipe out all the good that happened prior.

 

Still ending a chapter can be quite challenging.

 

Congregation Bet Chaim is closing. It is upsetting and sad and voting to close felt like failing. It feels like giving up on something you love. It feels like letting down the people that came before you and started the congregation.

 

Bet Chaim began in 1991 and my family joined in 2001 when I was just 11 or 12. I then was Bat Mitzvah’d at 13 and went on to see countless others, including my siblings, b’nei mitzvah’d. I’ve attended marriages, baby naming ceremonies, purim parties, passover seders, high holy days, and simchat torah celebrations. I’ve watched rabbis come and go, I’ve sat with friends and loved ones at a family member’s funeral, and together we’ve mourned losing our temple building that we worked so hard to build. I’ve sung songs thousands of times, written over 120 sermons, and even performed a few wedding ceremonies. I’ve tasted amazing challah and spent time with even more amazing people. 

 

I’m sure everyone in this room has similar memories of Bet Chaim, Shir Shalom, or your own home temple. 

 

And just the thought that it is coming to an end for our congregation can be very upsetting. But it is time, and even though this chapter is closing earlier than we anticipated and against our hopes, it doesn’t ruin all of the pages written up until this one.

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When Moses died, the people didn’t stop. They didn’t give up and scatter off to every corner of the land. The end of Moses’s chapter made way for a new chapter- For Joshua’s. Joshua rose up, gathered the Jews, and led them to the promised land. He successfully led the people in countless battle, allocated land to the 12 tribes, and passed on the Torah. 

 

Endings are part of every journey and every ending gives way to a new chapter. New leadership, new careers, new businesses, new partners, new adventures. 

 

The closing of Congregation Bet Chaim is not the end of our shared story. It is the closing of one chapter, but it opens the door to new opportunities for each of us. It is a chance to bring the spirit, the memories, and the lessons from our time together into new communities, into new forms of connection, and into new opportunities for spiritual growth. The impact of our congregations will not end simply because one of us is closing our doors. The values, friendships, and experiences that we’ve cultivated here will live on through each of us.

 

As we prepare to step into this new year, I offer you all a blessing. May you have the strength to embrace new beginnings, the courage to let go of what is ending, and the wisdom to see each ending as a necessary part of your journey. May you find peace with the chapters that have closed, knowing that they were not failures but moments of growth and transformation.

 

Rosh Hashanah teaches us that life is a series of chapters, and that each ending brings the potential for a new beginning. No ending is ever truly a failure—it is simply a transition, an opportunity to begin anew. As we celebrate this new year together, let us remember that every page turned brings us closer to the fullness of our story.

 

May you each find meaning in every chapter of your lives, and may you carry forward the light of this community in all that we do. I hope each of you is blessed with a year of health, joy, and peace and together, may we write a beautiful new chapter in the Book of Life.

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Jillian Morrisini

Cantorial Soloist

Congregation Bet Chaim