Recognizing that everyone is entitled to my opinion, here are my thoughts for tonight.
I think that doing the right thing and knowing when and how to do it is a key part of a happy and successful life.
So now a little d’var about growing old and making correct choices.
In the book Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, there is one of the greatest poems about timing and choices ever written. We all have heard it many times. It starts, “for everything there is a season, a time for everything under the sun.”
As I approach my 95th birthday, with apologies to King Solomon, I realize that for me, too, there is a time for everything, a season for everything that occurs with and to me.
A time for trying to do it all and a time to get help.
A time to live through others and a time to be yourself.
A time to say yes and a time to say no.
A time to run and a time to nap.
A time to honor and a time to be honored.
A time to believe and a time to challenge.
A time to worry more and a time to worry less.
A time to kiss and a time to just shake hands.
A time to talk and a time to listen.
A time to join in and a time to sit back and watch.
A time to pay close attention and a time to doze off.
A time to be always right and a time to realize how little you really know.
A time to hide and a time to come out.
A time to be humble and a time to be proud.
A time to be optimistic and a time to be realistic.
A time to show up and a time to stay away.
A time to hire a consultant and a time to just pay attention to what’s going on.
A time to fight and a time to give in.
A time to cook and a time to eat out.
A time to plant and a time to let anything grow there that wants to grow there.
A time to dress up and a time to dress down.
A time to walk and a time to ride.
A time to try to look forever young and a time to embrace your age.
A time to shave and a time to let it grow.
A time to stand up and a time to sit down.
A time to fish and a time to cut bait.
A time to let chaos in and a time to lock the door.
A time to sew and a time to buy new.
A time to try to get more and a time to stop accumulating.
A time to press on and a time to back off.
A time to join in and a time to sit back and watch.
And everlastingly, through all generations, there is always a time for shalom bayit… a time for peace in the house.
So now, my paraphrasing is finished. There is a time to start and a time to stop.
In the end, here is probably the single best time of all for each of us to make a time to be yourself. Everyone else is taken, anyway.
I conclude now with a hope and a prayer:
My hope is that Oheb continues to flourish and grow from strength to strength in all that we do.
My prayer is that in be granted a little more time to see it happen, in good health and growing inner peace.
Thank you for honoring me.
G-d bless you all.
And bless me also.