Shabbat Sermon: The Spirituality of Welcoming with Head Usher Rick Thau

Welcoming is an essential part of the Jewish tradition and a key to spirituality. I’ll discuss my take on how I and so many others at Temple Emanuel work to create a welcoming – a hamish – community for our congregants and all who enter the shul. I’ll look at Genesis 18 – what I’ve always considered the “ushers’ parsha – and Abraham’s response to seeing three angels outside his tent. A central theme will be one espoused by Rabbi Gardenswartz and others – that God lives in the space between us and thereby the importance of connection and creating a caring community. I’ll also point to what I consider the seminal contributions made by Rabbi Ron Wolfson when he consulted here 15 or 20 years ago and literally wrote the book “The Spirituality of Welcoming.” Further, I’ll bring my perspective on ushering at TE for the past quarter century, my 25 or so years on the Board of Directors and other shul roles, and my learning and practicing Mussar for the past seven years. And I’ll make sure to thank my wife, Sandy, whose contributions to the shul dwarf mine in every respect.

About Rick Thau

As descibed by Rick himself: Sandy and I joined TE in 1984 when she was pregnant with our first son, David. We started coming to services Friday nights and Saturday mornings about a decade later and haven’t stopped. I said Kaddish for 11 months for two grandparents and my father, have kept coming to morning minyan (the best) virtually every day since my father died in 2017, have been part of the Elyse Friedman-led Bereavement Committee for about 15 years — leading dozens of shiva minyan services since — started the shul softball team about 20 years, cooked a gazillion hot dogs and burgers at the shul BBQ since the days of the old shul, ate more egg salad at Kiddish than any congregant ever, and a few other things, likely of little consequence. Basically, I help out as I can given my limited skills. I began ushering in the 1990s back in the days of the peerless Irwin Sydney and Haskell Shapiro, z’ls both, which adds up to well over 1,018 services on Shabbos, the Holidays, and the Chagim. Every day at TE has been a blessing. The place has provided me and, I firmly believe, anyone who enters the building the opportunity to grow, connect, and become a better person and better Jew. Along the way, I made my living as a writer, editor, and general nuisance in politics, government, and the tech and finance industries, ending with 22 years at Fidelity.