It was 50 years ago when I was a Junior in High school. I spent the summer working for my grandfather at Tri-Boro Steel. I remember one of my first jobs was to help replace the shelving in an old paint store in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

The place was a small dingy old store front, somewhat dusty, and poorly lit, and the shelving was in desperate need of repair.

Just up the block there was another new paint store with a bright neon sign over a huge glass window… with state-of-the-art florescent lighting… aluminum and glass acrylic shelving. The place was spotless, and to use today's terminology, it looked really hi-tech.

It struck me that while I was working in this dusty old store, there were customers, mostly in black hats and beards, coming and going while the place up the block was totally empty. As a kid, I didn't get it. How can they miss this new place only a block away? They weren't very observant Jews.

Now fast forward 18 years later…1979. My wife, Bobby, and I and our two young kids moved here to North Brunswick. Shortly after we arrived here, guess what we found at Congregation Sharri Shalom… a dingy old, dimly lit building… in a hard-to-find location. And guess what it had… a rabbi-in-training who knew his congregants and cared about them and a cantor who was idolized by the kids. In no time at all Bobby and I knew we found a home.

We arrived just prior to the merger with Beth Sholom and The North Brunswick congregation, when many of the members were asked to put up personal guarantees to secure the loan to build this sanctuary.

Soon after the merger, I was asked to be on the building committee by our VP of administration, Dave Offenberg, who I'm glad to see here today. Aside from designing the sound system and other technical stuff, I was concerned about losing what we had at the old shul.

When the building finally went up, there were no stained glass windows and that social hall was a big empty space for our kids to play. The bare walls and concrete floor were a stark reminder of our tough financial situation but neither of those seemed to bother me very much. For we still had that feeling of community and our friends were all here.

So, why is it important to remember how it was in those days? I can illustrate it with a story.

In many myths around the world birds are portrayed as heavenly messengers. So, there's a parable about a kingdom where there's a strange tradition on choosing a successor to the king. The future king would be chosen by a certain bird who would land on their shoulder.

So, one day as the king lay dying, the bird landed on the shoulder of a peddler in the marketplace. And as tradition would have it he was soon proclaimed king of the land.

And the peddler went on to become one of the greatest leaders of the kingdom. But the new king had a curious habit. Each day before attending court, he would spend an hour in a secret room in the castle.

No one but him had access to this room and it soon became known as one of the great mysteries of kingdom. After many years of prosperity, the king died and the bird chose a new successor. The first thing that the new king did was to find the secret room to see what was there. Inside the room he found a broken down pushcart with note that read: "This pushcart is placed here to remind myself who I was and where I came from. Use it well."

There are two such rooms in this building. And it's no big secret. One is the beit midrash.. the small sanctuary down the hall. On the far wall to the left of the ark is the stained glass Star of David that used to hang in the dimly lit hall of Sharri Shalom. The other is this sanctuary. In this room we have the Torah; and we have each other… and without them we don't have anything.

The Torahs in this ark all came from Sharri Shalom and Beth Sholom 30 years ago and the Torahs themselves are older still,… some are older than anyone here can remember. In a few weeks, you will have an opportunity here at B'nai Tikvah, to be a witness as we start the writing of a new Torah scroll. We'll be part of its creation and its ongoing legacy for future generations.

And.. this room …contains each other. Not just at this time of year but, at all the events and programs held here at B'nai Tikvah, created by our staff and volunteers, headed by our vice presidents and the board of Directors and all the committees that make things happen and make it possible for me to be up here… Thank all of you.

and I'd like to single out one special person, Phyllis Safeer. Phyllis can I ask you stand up? Last year, Phyllis, asked me what we can do about the condition of this sanctuary. Given what I just told you about my apparent lack of concern about appearances, I wasn't very enthusiastic but, the last thing I wanted to do was offer discouragement to someone who has been such a driving force in the congregation.

Phyllis is one among so many unsung heroes that resonate with the spirit of B'nai Tikvah. So, I simply said that I wish we had the money for the project, which involved a lot more than just her desire to do something about the ceiling. I pointed out that if we did anything with the ceiling, it would also have to involve the sound and lighting systems…

How many of you are lucky enough to be sitting directly under the light of these 1980 state-of-the-art tungsten lamps? And I wonder how many of you can't always hear everything from both sides of the bima. As so many of you have pointed out, we are truly in need of an upgrade. And I guess it wouldn't hurt if the ceiling had a nice look to it as well.

All of these projects require a serious financial commitment on the part of everyone here. With that in mind, a Strategic Planning committee was put together with some of our past presidents, Danny Greenberg, Mitch Frumkin, Ruth Ann Koenick, and Marc Dillman and others to think outside the box and come up with some new and creative ideas.

It's a tough job, like trying to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat. But, it wouldn't surprise me if I was asked again to join dozens of others to provide financial guarantees or personal investments to knock down our mortgage.

and Danny Greenberg is also working with the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County which put together the "Create a Legacy Program". In the words of the great philosopher, Randy Travis: "It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go."

But, as in the story of the bird and the peddler, this room serves to remind me where we came from and who we are.

Bobby and I only knew two families when we moved here, We joined a synagogue, and not only became part of the community, we made lasting friendships. Too many of them are now represented by the plaques you see on these walls, and I think of them almost every time I enter this sanctuary. But many of those original friends are still with us and I'm truly glad to see them here today, as I ask for forgiveness for anything I may have done during the year. and I look ahead to a new year that is filled with promise.

The Torah tells us in Exodus 25, verse 8 that G-d told Moses: "and let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Please indulge me on this special day, while I make this a bit personal…

If you were given an hour to reunite with your loved ones who have gone before us, what would you tell them?

Would you tell them how you were helping to support your synagogue and the Jewish community?

Would they expect you to support your synagogue?

Would they be proud of what you're doing?

Would they expect you to do more?

I don't think my grandfather would care, or even my father. But I know my mom does… and she's still alive.

In a short while… many of us will be saying Yizkor for them. So in your mind, what will you tell them? And imagine if there were no sanctuary, where would you say Yizkor? And, when the time comes, who would say Yizkor for us? And as for our children, will they have a sanctuary where they will remember us and what we've given them?

On a brighter note, we're doing everything we can to make that happen.… On, October 19th, Marc & Bobbi Binder will be hosting our next Family Shabbat Dinner which they designed for children ages 2 thru 7 accompanied by their parents or grandparents… If you fit the category, I ask you to come and invite one of your unaffiliated friends.

When we have our art auction in February, or Passover Poker in March, or especially the Rejoice Festival which is being held here at B'nai Tikvah on December 2nd, bring all your unaffiliated friends.

And the next time you find yourself with nothing planned on a Friday night, consider a cheap date with the entire family, and yes, invite one of your friends or meet new people over coffee and dessert.

And if you find that the ceiling is still a bit shabby, the lighting a bit dim, and sound system a bit muffled, the company of your friends and people who you share a Kiddush with will make up for all that. And I can promise you that if you attend our uplifting Shabbat services, you won't be looking up at the ceiling anyway.

So, decide in your heart what your values are and if anything I said touched on something you can relate to, I ask you to give what you can and I wish you a meaningful and easy fast.

Shannah Tovah.