Circular tables have always been my favorite. For as long as I can remember, I’d ask the hostess at a restaurant if we could sit at a round table. At first glance, it’s just a table shaped like a circle, but the atmosphere it creates goes much deeper. Circular tables invite everyone to be seen, heard, and truly included in the conversation. For someone like me who finds meaning in building community and fostering connection, this holds immense importance. There’s a special warmth when people come together and feel a genuine sense of belonging—it’s comforting, exciting, and Divine. God exists at circular tables.
This was how I decided to open up my personal statement for rabbinic placement a year ago. At the core of my rabbinate lies my love and eagerness to foster Jewish community, connection, and belonging. As I am officially welcomed into the Temple Beth El community tonight at my consecration, the one thing on my mind is how incredibly lucky I am to take on the responsibility and privilege of being your new Assistant Rabbi.
This week we read Bereshit, the very first portion of the Torah, the story of creation and of beginnings. How fitting that on this Shabbat of beginnings, we too begin anew, as I officially step into this sacred community. Bereshit is filled with beauty and mystery – the creation of the world, of animals, of nature, and of humankind.
One of the most beautiful moments in the Parsha is when God creates the first human being and recognizes something deeply true about us: our need for connection. After each act of creation, God looks upon the world and calls it tov, good. But when God sees that Adam is alone, for the first time, God says lo tov, it is not good. God immediately acknowledges the innate human need to be in the company of another. From the very beginning of time, we were created for relationship. We were never meant to dwell alone but rather to live in community.
This idea, that we are created for relationship, has always resonated deeply with me. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with the writings of Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher who taught that our humanity is not defined by what we are, but by how we relate. Buber famously wrote, “In the beginning is the relation.” He describes two primary ways of engaging with the world: I–It and I–Thou. In an I–It relationship, we experience others as objects, as means to an end. But in an I–Thou encounter, we meet another being with our full presence—as a soul. And in that moment of true meeting, something Divine enters the space between us. Buber calls that presence the “Eternal Thou” – God.
Buber’s teaching reminds us that the Divine is not distant or abstract, it lives in the space between us – in those sacred moments when we truly see, listen to, and open our hearts to one another. My experience at Temple Beth El has been exactly this. The sparks of holiness that have surrounded me each day as I encounter so many of you have embodied Buber’s “Eternal Thou.” This temple brings God into the space every time we gather, open ourselves to one another, and give of ourselves. That is why I feel so grateful to be part of this community. The notion of the circular table lives here. People are seen, heard, and truly included in the conversation. In my short time here, I’ve watched the clergy, staff, and community add new chairs to the table—and even extend the table itself—to meet the needs of the temple.
As I officially begin the sacred work of being your Assistant Rabbi, my prayer is this: May I be guided by your love. May I reach you in the depths of your hearts. May I be guided by your wisdom—to soak up the knowledge and experience each of you carries. May I be guided by your uniqueness—to meet you in ways that connect your soul to Torah and to our rich tradition. And may we, together, reach toward our highest spiritual potential—living Jewish lives that our ancestors will one day speak fondly of.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ashira Boxman
