Rabbi Blog

בס"ד

Dear QJC Family,

It is a great bracha for me to begin as the rabbi of Queens Jewish Center today. I am really excited to work together to bring this magnificent community to new heights by continuing to develop QJC into an incredible makom Torah, Tefillah, and community. Eliana and I are eager to get to know each and every one of you through Shabbos meals, events, and shiurim over the course of the next number of months.

Over the summer, I will be in the shul office most days. Please feel free to stop by or reach out to meet with me – I would love to spend time with you!

Upcoming Torah Opportunities
This Wednesday night, in anticipation of the Fourth of July, I will be giving a shiur entitled “Is Speeding a Sin? And Other Contemporary Applications of Dina D'Malchuta Dina." It will begin at 8:30pm, following mincha (which will take place at 8:15pm). Over the course of the rest of the summer, I plan to offer a shiur every Wednesday night and will announce the various topics in the near future. If you are available, I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to learn together.

This coming Shabbos, I plan to share words of Torah with all of the minyanim in the morning. I will be speaking about “Moshe’s Humility and Korach’s Ego: What We Can Learn about Rabbinic Leadership.” I look forward to spending our first Shabbos with the community, the first of many where we will be sharing Torah and building excitement for the future of QJC.

Contact Information
I would like to be accessible to help you in any way I can. My email address is RabbiK@MyQJC.org. If you need to reach me, my cell phone number is (404) 539-6898. Please leave me a voicemail or text message if I do not answer, especially if it is an emergency. I will do my best to get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you would like to reach Eliana, her phone number is (410) 241-4814, and her email address is elianakerbel8@gmail.com.

As I begin today, I am reminded of Rabbi Chanina’s famous statement in Masechet Ta’anit: “I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my peers, and from my students I have learned the most.” In my case, having just completed semicha, I have gained a lot of Torah from my rabbeim and chavrutot – but when it comes to the rabbinate, I will undoubtedly learn the most from my congregants. I feel truly fortunate to be the rabbi of a community with so many special individuals, and I look forward to the relationships we will build.

Bivracha,
Rabbi Judah Kerbel