“Come enter our tent of prayer”

Here at Temple B’nai Israel, there is a fascinating parallel between me and Rabbi David Packman. Just a few years after he arrived after the retirement of Rabbi Joseph Levenson, the Reform Movement published a new prayer book, Gates of Prayer.

And now, just a few years after the retirement of Rabbi David Packman, the Reform Movement has published a new prayer book, Mishkan T’filah. I am thrilled to announce that we will be praying from this prayer book for the very first time this Friday evening, October 19th, and again on Saturday the 20th for Sammi Donchin’s bat mitzvah.  These are exciting days in the history of our temple, and I am very excited to be here as we transition to a new prayer book and a new way of praying. We purchased the two-volume set of Mishkan T’filah: “Shabbat” and “Weekdays and Festivals.”