If I could give you a personal tour of our Temple; literally be your guide and introduce you to this wondrous place I know and love; I would hope to show you so much more than the obvious. Beyond the physical beauty of our campus, and greater than the splendor of our Sanctuary, there is so much more than meets the eye. Deeper than what your eyes can see here is what your hands can touch, and your mind can know, and your heart can feel.

Indeed, the meaning of Stephen S. Wise Temple can be discovered only through the hearts and minds of our members. That is why I would want to take you into our Sanctuary and introduce you to David, who used to attend services twice a year and whose vocabulary and life never knew the word “spiritual.” Hear him describe what our Shabbat services have meant to him since the horrors of 9/11. Let him tell you of the entirely new dimension of spiritual strength he has found in our Shabbat community. Then, let me take you to meet Joyce so that you can hear the story of the amazing work she does here every week, with others and for the sake of others. She will tell you of the small and great things that help to repair a world whose foundations often feel so unstable. And as this city of ours reflects that shaky world, vast and often impersonal, Joyce will tell you of the deep sense of closeness and of the deep roots she feels in her Temple community. Then we could move on and speak with Susan and hear her passionate words about Israel, about the commitment that was born when she first traveled there with her Rabbi and fellow congregants. She’ll tell you how thousands of miles away from America she felt so completely at home.

Then we’ll go on to meet some of our children, because you can’t ever be on this mountaintop without quickly encountering precious children of every age. Even the youngest of them will speak with love about their Temple, and with special enthusiasm about their teachers. Look at Stephen S. Wise through the eyes of any one of them; you’ll see an entire generation that is a living declaration of hope for our Jewish future. Just talk with Adam, who is in the fifth grade, and he’ll connect what he just learned about Passover with his Temple’s commitment to free those still enslaved in our world. And as he tells you the whole story of the Exodus, you’ll see deeper into the context of his excited words. Through the sparkle in his eyes, you’ll marvel at how equally comfortable and proud he is in his identity as a Jew and as an American.

Feel Jewish through the eyes of Adam. Learn Jewish through the mind of Laura, who has just been introduced to the study of Torah for the first time in her adult life, and is just beginning to experience the relevance of her ancient tradition to the concerns of her modern life. Do Jewish with the Friedman family, for whom the simple lighting of Shabbat candles has come to symbolize the warmth, light, and hope of their family life.

There is a powerful family life to our Temple. That is why our tour would give you a glimpse into all of our joys – the baby-namings,the Bnai Mitzvah, the weddings. As well we would see the moments of illness and loss being attended to by a caring community – delivering meals, taking over carpools, giving freely of nurturing support and love.

If we were to continue this guided tour of Jewish life at Stephen S. Wise Temple, we might well become exhausted; but at the same time, I promise, we would become extraordinarily exhilarated and inspired. And that’s exactly why we would love to invite you to join us, so that you might link your own story to ours that together we can live a Judaism that engages and captivates our minds, inspires and uplifts our hearts; a Judaism that enlivens and strengthens our hands to bring a measure of goodness to our lives and to the world.

This is what Stephen S. Wise Temple is all about and who we are. And then there is so much more; so much more than meets the eye.

Rabbi Eli Herscher