Rabbi's Greeting
Dear Friends,
I feel simultaneously happy and heartbroken to celebrate Rabbi Yael Hammerman at our annual tribute.
I am happy and grateful that, since Yael graduated Rabbinical School in 2014, we have been colleagues and friends. She enriched me personally with her wisdom, kindness, and enthusiasm for everything Jewish. I am so glad to watch her soar forth as she becomes the rabbi of Habonim, a nearby synagogue on the (Lower-)Upper West Side. My friend, you’re going to be awesome.
And I am heartbroken at the gap in our community she will leave behind. Genesis 28 recounts that our ancestor Jacob not only “headed for Haran,” but adds, superfluously, that he “left Beersheva.” If it simply said he traveled abroad, I could have figured out all by myself that he left his homeland. But, the commentator Rashi explains, this awkward phrasing conveys that when someone special departs, they leave their former home diminished. And indeed, Ansche Chesed will be smaller and colder without all the gifts Rabbi Hammerman shared with us for these many years.
I have many memories, both communal and personal, of Rabbi Hammerman’s excellent work as our rabbi, and I am sure you do, too.
As we say goodbye, please recall a time when Rabbi Yael taught you a wise word of Torah – because “there is a midrash on that.” Recall her helping prepare your kids for their Bnei Mitzvah, and addressing them on the big day with a reflection on the meaning of their Hebrew names. Recall her limitless kindness, warm smile and a listening ear for people who are ill or mourning. Picture her soulful davvening. Picture her unrolling a Torah scroll on Simchat Torah, encircling the community’s families, and Yael with her Moshe Rabbenu puppet, enchanting the children.
Bring those images and memories with you on June 7, as we say farewell and thank you to Rabbi Hammerman.
HaRav Yael Ora bat HaRav Reuven Abba v’Sharona, you’ve been an ideal partner and friend. I am grateful for everything we shared. I will miss you so much.
Go in peace. לכי לשלום
Jeremy