Kavod Awards 2006
David Margulies began the breakfast with a brief d’var Torah. He reflected on the meaning of the Hebrew word kavod, explaining the significance of the awards for both the recipients and the presenters.
The plain meaning of kavod is honor, and certainly Men’s Club was honoring the recipients, Margulies noted. We say in Hebrew Kol HaKavod, when we cheer someone for doing a good job. In addition, kavod has a variety of additional nuanced meanings: glory, dignity, majesty, importance, respect, as well as abundance and riches.
The first Biblical reference to Kavod that comes to mind is the Ten Commandments: Kabaid et avecha v’et imechah means “give kavod to your father and your mother; that your days may be long upon the land which Adonai your God gives you” (Exodus. 20:12). Thus, the giving of kavod both honors the recipient and satisfies an obligation of the donor.
Another: V’ higadtem l’avi et kal kvodi b’mitzrayim v’et kal asher r’item u’mhartem v’horadtem et avi heineh: [Joseph instructing his brothers] “You shall tell my father of all my kavodEgypt and of all that you have seen. Now hurry and bring my father down here” (Genesis. 45:13). Thus, when we have great abundance we have kavod, and we can accumulate that for ourselves. in
There is also the idea that the kavod that we show to another person has great power: ̀Kavod habriyot [the kavod/honor due to every human being] is so great that it suspends a negative precept in the Torah (Meggilah. 3b).
So as we honor Don Silverstein, Art Rosen and David Schultz, it is right that we keep in mind that they deserve the honor and glory, and that we, by honoring them, do good to ourselves as well.
The annual Beth El Men’s Club Kavod awards breakfast was held on May 21 in the Zahler Social hall. Rabbi Harris thanked the honorees for their service and followed with a brief d’var Torah. In the week’s Torah portion the Israelites continued to wander in the wilderness and blamed Moses for the wandering. Did Moses know in what direction to go? Direction requires leadership. The shul does not happen in isolation. Without the leadership of these three men and their leadership, expertise, and guidance, Beth El would be “wandering.”
Rabbi Sam Scolnic introduced and presented the award for Service to the Community at Large to Arthur Rosen. Rabbi Scolnic has known Art for more than 50 years, since they met while they were courting their future wives at Cornell University. During his distinguished career, Art worked at the State Department and the Foreign Service where he specialized in China and the Far East. Art retired from the government in 1974 in Scarsdale, New York. From 1975 to 1988, he worked for the National Committee on US-China relations. He and his wife Marianne lead groups to China, and Art’s services have been requested in a variety of ways including a recent visit by the president of China just a few weeks ago. Art talked about some of his experiences with the Foreign Service, which he entered after studying international and public relations and German while earning a degree from the University of Washington in St. Louis. It was not until after World War II that Art learned Chinese and was sent to Shanghai by the State Department. Art regaled attendees with stories of his experiences in China with the Jewish community and with Chinese officials.
Don Silverstein was presented with the award for Service to Beth El and was introduced by synagogue president Walter Arnheim. Walter explained how Don is a unique person. His wife and three daughters allow him to play on the Men’s Club softball team and to ride a motorcycle. Don, who has Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has built more than three million square feet of space including the renovation of Beth El. The Beth El renovation was completed on time and on budget. When the late Benson Adams z”l began planning the substantial renovation of Beth El, Don made the “mistake” of giving him advice on how to proceed. As Don related, “You didn’t say no to Benson,” and since he did this work for a living, he was not going to let someone else mess it up! Finally, Don shared his thanks of being three times honored, by the Beth El community at the beginning of the project, by carrying through the work, and by the Kavod Award.
David Levine while introducing the honoree for Service to the Men’s Club, David Schultz, conveyed his thoughts about how some synagogues refer to their Men’s Club as the ‘brotherhood’ and at Beth El we really are a brotherhood, providing for Beth El, the Conservative movement, and the Jewish world. David and Sonja Schultz joined Beth El in 1978 and David has been very active at Beth El and in the Men’s Club serving in many different capacities including: secretary, vice president, treasurer of the Seaboard region, and as president of the Men’s Club twice (four years). He has been instrumental in coordinating ritual activities of the Men’s Club including the Mincha/Ma’ariv/Havdallah service and Hearing Men’s Voices. David related his feelings about belonging to Beth El and the Men’s Club; that it really is his extended family, has given him a sense of community, the ability to pass on his love of Judaism and maintain traditions with his three sons.