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Rabbi Diamond, The Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis, spoke last Monday at my Installation dinner.  His speech is below:

Board of Rabbis Installation

May 16, 2011

Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue

Installation of President Rabbi Judith HaLevy

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond

Executive Vice President, Board of Rabbis/Jewish Federation

Let me share a text that Rabbi HaLevy and I studied together at the Shalom Hartman Institute with her favorite teacher and mine, Melila Hellner Eshed. Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6:25 (Midrash on Song of Songs):

מי זאת הנשקפה כמו שחר יפה כלבנה ברה כחמה איומה כנידגלות

“Who is she that shines through like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, radiant as the sun, awesome as bannered hosts?” (Song of Songs 6:10)

It is told that Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Shimon bar Halafta were walking in the Valley of Arbel at dawn. They saw the morning star as it broke out the light of dawn. Rabbi Hiyya Rabbah said to Rabbi Shimon bar Halafta: “In this manner will the redemption of Israel break forth, as it says, ‘Though I sit in darkness, the Eternal One is my light.’ (Micah 7:8)

At first it comes bit by bit;

then it begins to sparkle and unfold;

then it increases and grows,

and finally it blossoms and becomes full.

This Midrash reflects the spiritual yearnings, creativity, strength and spirit of my cherished friend and colleague Rabbi Judith HaLevy. The good people of the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue know this well. I know this quite well as a frequent visitor to these shores and as someone who has worked closely with Rabbi Judith for more than a decade.

Rabbi Judith sparkle one flame at a time. Rabbi Judith grows on you one teaching, one prayer, one encounter, one hug at a time. I fondly recall the first time my wife Lois and I participated in Shabbat on the Beach. The backdrop was majestic, with the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. As if on cue, the dolphins appeared just in time for shalom alayhem. As if on cue, a surfer emerged from the water, donned a kippah, and joined the beachfront congregation just in time for barehu. Standing before us, resplendent in her white Shabbat garb, was Rabbi Judith. Only she could orchestrate and choreograph this unforgettable experience. Only she could sway the will of God, summon the forces of nature, and weave together a colorful tapestry of spiritual seekers living in campers, Malibu estates, and everything in between. I ask you: Who else could pull this off but our own Rabbi Judith?

Rabbi Judith sparkles with ru’ah, the divine spirit of creative expression in prayer, and in design. Please take a moment to look around this beautiful synagogue and behold the tangible signs of Rabbi Judith’s artistry and creativity. Like the Biblical Bezalel, God has

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endowed her “with a divine spirit of skill, ability and knowledge.” Rabbi Judith lives and teaches the precept of hiddur mitzvah, making mitzvot beautiful before God.

She also lives and teaches a corollary of this precept. Not only should we strive to make mitzvot beautiful before our Creator. We are also taught to make ourselves beautiful before God through mitzvot. Here too Rabbi Judith sparkles and unfolds one mitzvah at a time. She radiates devaykut and rahamanoot, Divine communion and compassion, reminiscent of the Hasidic masters. This I have witnessed firsthand not only here in this congregation, but in other holy places as well.

Last year, Rabbi Judith and I completed a three-year fellowship at the Shalom Hartman Institute, thanks to the generous sponsorship of our Jewish Federation. During that period we studied together each summer and winter in Jerusalem, and in between on a weekly basis here in Los Angeles. When you spend that much time with an individual, you really get to know her true essence. Rabbi Judith has a beautiful neshamah. She welcomes and embraces the Shekhinah, the Divine presence, in her own life, and in the life of her colleagues and community. If rabbis are defined by their favorite classical works, then I’m a Talmud and Midrash rabbi. Judith is a Zohar rabbi, with a deep reverence for the mystical streams of Jewish life and thought. True to form, she has won me over as a convert to Kabbalah (may the souls of my professors at JTS rest in peace).

Through her words and deeds, Rabbi Judith teaches us that to love God is to love our fellowmen and women, the pinnacle of God’s creation. Her love, devotion and compassion never cease to amaze me. Not once, but twice during our fellowship in Jerusalem, Rabbi Judith flew back to Los Angeles to officiate at funerals for beloved members of her community. Then she turned around and flew back to Israel to resume her studies. In the interest of full disclosure, her fellow rabbis advised her not to do this. In point of fact, I told her she was crazy. Thankfully, she didn’t listen to us. Her love of community, love of Torah, and love of God, compelled Rabbi Judith to be here with you, and to return to Jerusalem to be there with her colleagues.

How well I know this from my own experience. Rabbi Judith and I have celebrated many semahot, joyous occasions, together. And we have been there for one another during life’s trials and tribulations, both personal and professional. When you need a rabbi at your side to comfort and sustain you, strengthen and uplift you, Rabbi Judith is your woman.

The motto of our Board of Rabbis is עשה לך רב וקנה לך חבר , “Secure for yourself a rabbi and teacher, and acquire for yourself a friend and colleague.” In the person and the sweet soul of Rabbi Judith HaLevy, I and we are fortunate to have found our rabbi, teacher, mentor, colleague and friend.

Rabbi Judith, you are like the first light of dawn. Under your leadership of the Board of Rabbis of the Jewish Federation, may we sparkle and unfold, increase and grow, blossom and become full. We are delighted to honor and welcome you as our new President. Mazal tov!