Good afternoon everybody. I’m Rabbi Shoshana Nambi from Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California, and I’m truly honored to be here with all of you today and offer this invocation on behalf of the Jewish community of California. Thank you so much to Senator Becker, my fellow congregant, for inviting me.
Mazal tov to the honorees, and Happy Jewish American Heritage Month to everybody.
As a Jew who came to America not long ago from Uganda, I am especially very grateful to be part of this milestone, of the First Jewish American celebration hosted here at the State Legislature.
When we reach a meaningful moment such as this one of joy or gratitude, a moment of a new blessing, we say a prayer called the Shehecheyanu.
I am going to invite everybody, if you know the words, to say the prayer with me.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this moment.
We all know it takes persistence, advocacy, and active hope, to arrive to a moment like this and say, “Thank you.” We are here.
This is my prayer for this month, for this state, for the world, and for everyone in this room:
May we continue to celebrate each other, what we have built together, and what we continue to build together.
As the rabbis of the old remind us: we may not complete the work, but neither are we free to abandon it. This commitment to the hard work of tikkun olam, repairing the world has been passed from hand to hand has been passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, and now to us and we take it on gracefully. Together we say.—AMEN.