By Daniel Mink

The Hebrew word chadash can be translated as renew, or restore, or repair. Spiritually, its gematria (ancient mystic alphanumeric code and numerological system) equivalent, 308, signifies encouragement and support from the divine realm, indicating that one has the ability to manifest abundance and achieve goals. As the current President of Congregation Havurah of Buffalo, I recently felt the need for chadash.

Renewal. Our Congregation’s spirit had diminished compared to the time of its founding, due to natural factors common to any organization. Member attrition due to relocation or loss of interest, and natural mortality had weakened our resolve and outlook for the future. We now are putting out feelers for mature, unaffiliated potential Congregants. Critical mass increases dynamism in any organization.

Restoration. Hearkening for the past is a fool’s errand. More frequent Shabbat services, more enlightened and challenging adult programming, encouragement of increased volunteerism, and regular, food-based gatherings help to bring back warm feelings of ‘the old days. Fully archived records of the Congregation since its inception in 1972 have allowed us to easily access all our member-written Services from the past, reflecting the mores of the moment; from ‘hippie’ sentiments, to anti-war themes, to feminist-based liturgical changes and translations, all of them containing poetry of the time. All of our B’nai Mitzvot documents are extant, poignant reminders of having helped our young people mature Jewishly.

Repair. We recently updated and revised outdated By-Laws, renewed our financial contract with our long-term host venue, adjusted our insurance policy to fit our current needs, incorporated a new, accurate, email communication system, and finally, received a ‘new’ Torah!

For the last several decades, our existing Torah had been looked at, discussed, and bemoaned for its problems. By general agreement, it was resolved that it was to be used as is. “Sometimes things just wear out,” I was told by a Scribe in Toronto after asking his opinion on its possible repair to a ‘Kosher’ state. Our tall scroll had innumerable areas that were creased, faded, unreadable, or repaired incorrectly. I did not want this item to be our albatross.

What to do? Much like living in a Shtel, I went directly to the Synagogue with which I was most comfortable; the one where I became a Bar Mitzvah. The one where my Hebrew Day School (Kadimah) classmates, siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins were all members (in its previous iterations). I first spoke to the President, who asked me to call the ‘Torah Maven’, who had aegis over, and knowledge of each and every one of the many Torahs that had been amassed over the decades by mergers and consolidations of several area Synagogues. This person and I had known each other for more than five decades, and were on Jewish organization committees together. I knew that I could count on warm relationships to help solve our dilemma.

Without any hesitation, a solution was found. There it was, a shtarker of a scroll. A thickly-klafed, Sephardic/Israeli Torah written in Bet Yoseph Vailosh script, a style that evokes wonder and fancy. All at once “I do”, I heard myself saying, as if this was a shidduch. We worked out the details of transfer, and voila’- our Congregation now has a Kosher Torah with clear, dark, stylized letters, all waiting to be chanted by readers for our congregants to hear at High Holidays, and at all services in the future.

What was attained through all of the aforementioned improvements and updates? How can it not be ‘chadash’?

Daniel Mink is President Congregation Havurah of Buffalo.