Rabbi Stern's Convocation 2017 Remarks
Bruchim ha baim b'shem Adonai...
Welcome home.... to your new home.
We bless you.
We bless you who have come to Brandeis knowing exactly what you want to study;
And we bless you who came with absolutely no idea of what you want to learn.
We bless you who have come to Brandeis because you wanted to stay close to home;
and we bless you who have come to Brandeis to get as far away from home as possible...
We bless you who have come to Brandeis because you have heard that Shabbat observance here is robust
And we bless you who have come to Brandeis and have never heard of Shabbat, or Juma, or
You get the point.
We bless you, all of you, incredibly smart, beautiful, powerful individuals who have been chosen and who have chosen to be a part of this: this class, this place.
And what that means is, we believe in you, and we need you. We need you to keep your eyes and ears open and your minds open and your hearts open, to be kind, to take care of each other -- more: to love each other. We need you to help heal this fractured, bruised world of ours... and we believe that you can and that you will.
Look around: the person standing next to you may end up being a life-long friend.
The Holy one appears when one thing ends and another thing begins. A baby is born. A child becomes an adult. An old person dies. One enters a room, one leaves a room, one sets out on a journey. Blessed may you be in your arriving, and blessed may you be on your journey. Deut. 28:6