The rabbinate that is. It really can be strange. Some days you work your tail off, you run around like crazy, and at the end of the day, exhausted, you feel like you’ve accomplished very little. Other days, with low expectations, figuring that none of your efforts will make even the least bit of difference, you can feel like you’ve changed someone’s life for the better.
Maybe it is because of the old idea, oft cited (by me, at least) that religion isn’t science. Heck, even science is barely science these days, working on ultimately unprovable concepts like string theory and the multiverse. But religion for sure isn’t science. It is instead a complicated stew – a bit of mystery, a dash (or more) of myth, the human need to search for meaning, the human feeling of being a small creature in a vast universe, the terrifying power of thunder, the beauty of a rainbow. But also – a kind word, a gentle gesture, a connection to community, to family, to history, and perhaps even to God. Try mixing up that recipe! Try measuring out those ingredients. Good luck!
And yet we do try. Again and again. And every once in a while, the proper elements come together at just the right moment in just the right way, and – something happens. There is more than this world, this universe. There is a way to touch that mystery. Even a small creature matters, even a small creature can make a difference. Even a rabbi.
The Human Side of the Coin 
And I thank you for making a difference in my life. Shabbat Shalom!