Voices of WRJ: B'reishit

by Lisa D. Singer B’reishit: in the beginning...the story of creation. This parashah is the first portion of the first book of our Torah. In chapter one God creates heaven and earth. God makes light and darkness, day and night; forms the earth and seas; and vegetation. God creates living creatures that inhabit the seas and the sky and the earth. This was all accomplished in six days. On the seventh day God finished the work and declared the seventh day holy. In chapter two God formed man and called him Adam. Then God planted a garden in Eden with beautiful trees and edible food. Everything was perfect and pure. However, God forbids Adam to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If he does he shall die. God said it is not good for a man to be alone so he created Eve. They were betrothed onto each other and together they were to fulfill God’s plan for caring for the world. A serpent encourages Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, and then she shares the fruit with her husband. When God discovers this betrayal they are banished from the Garden to then face a life of struggle and hardship which will ultimately result in their deaths. B’reishit... there are many beginnings, a point in time when something starts anew. You are born and live with your parents and siblings. One day you leave home. You go to college or you may start a new life with a partner. Maybe you have a child or two. All of these are new beginnings, new ways for you to grow and became a better version of yourself, to begin to create a new history. I have moved to different states three times in my adult life. Each time was a new beginning, an opportunity to create myself in a different and positive way. My last move to Ohio nine years ago was difficult because our child was already in high school. I didn’t have much of an opportunity to meet many of our son’s friends’ parents. Instead, I found a new sisterhood and became president in less than a year. I helped to create an active sisterhood which is involved with our WRJ District and WRJ nationally. We grew from seven to 48 members in six years. I became involved for the first time with a WRJ District and was installed as the treasurer in less than two years of attending my first WRJ District meeting. My work with WRJ has provided me the opportunity to use my talents as well as make new lifelong friends. WRJ is also undergoing new beginnings, transitioning to a new definition of itself to meet the needs of our ever-changing society. To that end we will be voting on some changes at the WRJ Assembly 2015, November 4-8 in Orlando, FL. Some of the proposed changes to our constitution include:

• Individual membership opportunities;
• Changing the term "Assembly" to "Legislative Body";
• Electronic voting by the WRJ Legislative Body;
• Change the requirement that the meetings of the WRJ Legislative Body be congruent with the URJ Biennial;
• Shift the term for both the WRJ Executive Committee and Board from a two- or four-year term to a three-year term.

As we begin to study Genesis, the beginning of our Torah, may we remember to honor our beginnings, celebrate God’s blessings, and continue to care for and nurture our sisterhood, WRJ Districts, communities, and WRJ. Lisa D. Singer is a WRJ Executive Committee member, WRJ Central District past treasurer, and Temple Beth Shalom Sisterhood past president in Hudson, OH.