Dear all,
When I first began my service to Temple Akiba in 2006, I knew how to teach Torah. But leading a staff meeting? That was a whole different challenge. I remember one meeting in particular during that first year that went south. Quickly.
I did what I thought a rabbi should do: I opened the Talmud for guidance.
I sought the wisdom of colleagues.
I combed through my files for “best practices.”
And yet the most profound wisdom came not from books, but from my mother:
“Have you tried team building toward a shared goal?”
In retrospect, it seems obvious. Yet in the vortex of that moment in time, it was revolutionary. Thus, a new chapter of our congregation began—a chapter of building.
Each soul in this community communicates differently. We carry passions. We carry perspectives. We carry insights. And yes, we carry egos.
But when we build together, something holy happens.
The differences that once divided us create bridges, not towers. They spark connections, not hierarchies.
Of course, building is never perfect. Eli and Maya’s towers (in this photo) toppled more than once.
So do our projects in life. But when they fall, we do what Jews have always done: we build again.
And when we build together—again and again—we transform aspirational dreams into enduring reality.
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
