Shavuot, first and foremost, celebrates the gift of the Torah, the Law, the Ten Commandments, to the Jewish people. It is, in a way, the high point of the calendar since everything else was a preparation for the climactic moment when God revealed His will to mankind at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Exodus from Egypt which we recall on Passover and the Wanderings in the desert that we highlight on Sukkot were all aimed at making possible a land and a people where the Word of God would be revered and fulfilled.

That fundamental law is as important and indispensable today as when it was first promulgated. Thou shalt not kill – How wonderful it would be if there were no more wars abroad and homicides at home. Thou shalt not steal – How wonderful it would be if we didn’t need twenty locks on our doors and windows to keep out burglars who get in anyway. Thou shalt not commit adultery – How wonderful it would be if men and women remained faithful and devoted to each other instead of causing the termination of one out of every two marriages. Thou shalt not covet – How wonderful it would be if we could teach people that their happiness depends not on how many things they possess but how much they love God. Thou shalt not bear false witness – How much heartache and needless pain could be avoided if people simply told the truth. Honor thy father and mother – How wonderful the world would be if children treated their parents with respect instead of disdain and vice-versa. Remember the Sabbath Day – How badly society needs a chance on a regular basis to get off the daily treadmill that drives so many to psychiatrists or to an early grave. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain – How blissful and pleasant it would be if people felt the sacred presence of God and used language carefully and meaningfully. Thou shalt have no other gods – How many have substituted worship of the one true God with homage to the bitch goddesses Money and Fame with disastrous consequences. I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt – How badly we need to return to the history and the traditions of our forefathers.

The rabbis tell us that when the Israelites stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, “The Holy One blessed be He tilted the mountain over them like a bowl and said to them, ‘If you accept the Torah, it is well, if not there shall be your sepulcher’” (Sab. 88a). This tale proclaims a clear warning to the Jewish people of the seriousness of this historical occurrence in the eyes of God. The acceptance or rejection of His Moral Law is not a matter to be lightly regarded. The Almighty has given us a mandate to preach His word to the world in order to elevate our mundane concerns into intimate involvement with matters of the spirit.

The tilted mountain represents the gravity of the assignment. To practice righteousness and to teach the truth in a world which is hostile to such values is not an easy undertaking. At times it appears hopeless to think that our efforts can appreciably alter or illuminate the ways of our civilization. But we dare not give up the struggle, for humanity’s regeneration depends upon us. No matter how long or how hard we need to work, we must not falter in our labors. God chose us to be Eved Ha-shem – the suffering servant of the Lord. The survival and well-being of our people depends upon our willingness to remain faithful to this charge.

The laws given on Mount Sinai are more urgently required by the human race today than ever before. Our forefathers accepted the duty of observing and teaching these laws on the first Shavuot. We, their descendants, can do no less than rededicate ourselves to the same lofty aims.

Service and dedication to our city, the Jewish community, and our synagogue are the common threads linking the lives and character of the three couples honored at the East Midwood Jewish Center’s 84th Annual Journal Dinner last week: Marty and Jamie Markowitz, Sol and Ruth Lapidus, and Larry and Michele Isaacson.

Marty Markowitz has spent his entire adult life in service to the residents of Brooklyn. Born and raised in Crown Heights, a product of Wingate High School and Brooklyn College, Marty began his career in public service in 1971, organizing the Flatbush Tenants Council. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1979, and served eleven consecutive terms representing Central Brooklyn. But his greatest aspiration was to serve all the people of Brooklyn, a goal he achieved when he was elected Brooklyn’s Borough President in 2001, and re-elected in 2005.

Marty Markowitz’s vigorous and enthusiastic advocacy for the more than 2.5 million residents of the borough has achieved dramatic, positive results. Concentrating on the core issues of housing, neighborhood preservation, and community development, Marty has overseen an historic renaissance taking place across the borough. There is a boom in housing construction, cruise ships mow dock at Brooklyn piers, hotels have sprung up, and zoning changes and landmarking have helped to preserve the unique characteristics of our neighborhoods. A cultural district is growing in Brooklyn, centered around the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Brooklyn has become a culinary destination rivaling Manhattan, with a myriad of cuisines to sample and its own restaurant row. Brooklyn became the first borough to have its own Tourism and Visitors Center.

Quality of life issues have been a major focus of Marty’s administration. He was instrumental in securing legislation to reduce automobile insurance rates for Brooklynites, cleaning up oil-contaminated Newtown Creek, founding the Brooklyn Center on Health Disparities, making funds available for neighborhood beautification, providing a summer camp for inner city kids at Marty’s Camp Brooklyn, and helping teens find summer jobs with his Summer HEAT program.

Marty Markowitz has been Brooklyn’s biggest promoter, greatest defender, and most enthusiastic cheerleader. A member of the East Midwood Jewish Center for twenty years, he is no less enthusiastic about our Center and its future.

Marty married his wife, Jamie, in 1999. They are the proud parents of Beep, an 8-year old African Grey Parrot.