INTERN BLOGGING: Parashat Shelach-Lecha

Dear Readers,

I'm very happy to share with you some Torah reflections from Maqy Quartner and Anna Blitstein. Maqy and Anna served for six weeks as interns in residence at WRT as part of Scarsdale High School's mandatory Senior Options program for all graduating seniors. They assisted the clergy with preparations for Confirmation, Adult Education, and 20s/30s programming; they shadowed me for several weeks and learned the ins and outs of our synagogue behind the scenes. Most of all, they brought an eagerness to help out in any way possible, tremendous intellectual and spiritual curiosity, and a positive attitude! It was a pleasure working with them.

I join the professional staff of WRT in thanking Maqy and Anna for their contributions and service. Their remarks (below) are very kind. I promise I did not tell them what to say.

ANNA AND MAQY’S BLOG!

In Sh’lach L’cha, God instructs Moses to send some emissaries to scout the land of Canaan. Much in the same way, we—Maqy Quartner and Anna Blitstein-- have been “spies” in the temple for the past 40 days.

All seniors at Scarsdale High School must participate in internships or independent projects for the last six weeks of school. As part of this program, called “Senior Options,” we have worked with Rabbi Blake, as well as other temple clergy and administration. As such, we were much like the spies from this week’s portion. We had insights into the inside life of the temple. Some of our peers took a more typical route than we did. They found “normal” internships at places such as stores, schools, or companies. Working for Rabbi Blake was a break from the norm, as his job is far from typical.

That is not to say that Rabbi Blake does not conduct his day-to-day work-life much like anyone else. There are many aspects of his job that one could describe as typical. He has a schedule full of meetings with congregants; he attends a weekly staff meeting; he has to make copies; he has conference calls; he attends business luncheons. As we observed him in these roles, we may have received the average senior options experience. However, our experience went far beyond just this, as Rabbi Blake’s job is not limited to these mundane tasks. While his daily schedule may be packed with meetings, it is entirely possible—and likely—that this schedule will completely change on a given day, as special meetings or funerals come up. We observed how adept Rabbi Blake is to changing gears spontaneously, as new things arise that he must attend to. Additionally, Rabbi Blake’s job separates itself from others as he is able to make personal connections with people that may not be possible from other jobs. As a rabbi, he not only relates to congregants but also forms special bonds with them by sharing in the joyous as well as the unfortunate occasions in their lives. Because congregants value their connections to Rabbi Blake, they feel comfortable asking him for advice, guidance, or just a listening ear.

We have had such a memorable experience over these last six weeks and we would like to thank Rabbi Blake as well as everyone else at the temple for giving us the opportunity to work here. We hope that we have helped you to ease your load as much as possible. This has been an experience that we will never forget.