All Beginnings Are Hard
“All beginnings are hard.” (Mekhilta Yitro BaChadoesh 2)
With this thought I begin my personal professional blogging career. I have occasionally been blogging as a guest poster on Kol Isha, the Women’s Rabbinic Network blog for a while. But this new blog aims to be a personal conversation between you and me.
In this age of new media, the way we communicate has changed vastly. I used to preach from the pulpit. And it was enough. I once wrote for the congregation’s newsletter and publish in newspapers. And it was enough. I got the word out to those who needed to know by letter. And it was enough. I taught in the classroom and in the pulpit. And it was enough.
But the congregational world is no longer local. It has become global. The walls of our synagogue are more ephemeral than in the past.
We use emails, blasts, text messages, websites, Facebook, twitter, Instagram and blogs. We communicate differently. There are no more newsletters (at least in my congregation). The letter has given away to email programs. The sermon is no longer 3 points, but a time to communicate using various forms to engage congregants. My teaching happens on varying mediums.
In this new global world our congregations are more than our membership. So I begin and reach out to you. So I begin and will share with you. Perhaps this will not be so hard!
Rabbi Linda Joseph 