Good evening and welcome to this very special program here at the Jewish Center.

It's a pleasure to be able to thank our partners at the University for making this evening possible.

Special thanks to our friends, Paul Glasser and Sue Halpern.

You are consummate professionals.

It's a privilege to work alongside you in the service of

our community. The Jewish Center has enjoyed a deep and enduring relationship with

Yashiva University over these past decades, and it's an honor to acknowledge the presence

of the former president and chancellor of

Yashiv University, our rabbi and our teacher, Marena Viravenu, Rabbi Norman Land.

One final word of thanks is reserved for Jewish center members, Elliot and Debbie Gibber, who are co-sponsors of our Pre-Pesach program,

and I encourage you to stay apprised to numerous outstanding programs and events over the coming weeks.

From the chief rabbi to the vice president of the Israeli Supreme Court,

we hope you'll always find opportunities

to elevate your Jewish lives here at our center.

In a few days, we'll read about the completion of the Mishkan.

Spiritual heart of the Jewish people in the wilderness.

Of course, it had many functions, but in housing the tablets and the Torah, it was the great icon of our Masorah.

While one generation passed on in the wilderness and another arose to take its place, the Mishkan.

The Mishkan remained the home of our eternal Torah.

That was the constant.

Both literally and figuratively, it was responsible for transporting the Torah, preserving it,

while at the same time making accessible to every member of the Jewish people.

...