New
Torah Presentation
Notes for remarks by Hon.
David Kilgour, M.P., Edmonton
Southeast
to the Beth Israel Congregation
on the occasion of the presentation
of a New Sefer Torah
Edmonton, February 28, 1999
Shalom.
It is a great honour to share
with you this joyous and historic
occasion of the presentation
of your new Sefer Torah. On
behalf of the federal government,
I congratulate you on the
achievement in acquiring this
new Torah.
I commend especially the
Beth Israel Sisterhood and
its hardworking co-president
for your work and dedication
in making this day a reality.
This occasion bespeaks the
tremendous power of community:
of common values, common goals,
and common tasks. A huge undertaking
such this, from ceaseless
fundraising to the painstaking
process of inscription and
every step in between, is
a testimony to the capacity
of people to pull together
when inspired by a vision.
I trust that each of you will
feel proud of your new Torah
– all 304,805 letters
of it – and cherish the
memory of the hard work and
the spirit of solidarity that
guided you through the process
of making it part of your
synagogue.
And I think the word "process"
is key here. The Torah, your
forebears and community can
be seen as processes, as journeys
and not destinations. In the
same way the Sefer Torah,
with its oral tradition, flexibility
and breadth, is a living scripture
of interpretation rather than
a text bounded by time and
place, so too is community.
Community is much more than
the sum total of social structures.
It is the ongoing current
of people’s interactions
and relationships; as paradoxical
as it sounds, a perpetual
work in progress. But this
current does have a source.
And that source is humanity’s
unique capacity for will,
and for conscious activity
to realize this will. And
this current does have a path;
it does not flow willy-nilly;
rather it takes its direction
from people’s shared
vision of how best to live
and this obviously is the
process of the living Torah.
Community then, no matter
what the scale, be it that
of a particular Jewish congregation
on 119 Street in Edmonton
or that of the global community
of all humanity which encompasses
all faiths, is quite simply
what we make it. And herein
lies our responsibility.
You, the congregation of
Beth Israel, exemplify the
beauty that can emerge when
the responsibility to community
is taken seriously. From your
task of getting this new Torah
you know first hand how community
is strengthened through common
commitments, how it thrives
with attentive nurturing.
And how it is a living legacy,
the thread of commitment that
connects us with each other
and with those who came before
us and those who will follow
in future generations.
As one of the great sages
of antiquity, Rabbi Tarfon,
cited in that great Talmudic
book of Jewish learning, the
Ethics of Fathers, said "(Even
though) it is not for you
to complete the task, yet
you are not free to desist
from it." On this most
historic day I salute the
commitment to community of
the Beth Israel congregation
and I look forward to hearing
of your future shared successes
in the years to come.
