On a recent Shabbat morning, the bar mitzvah described how his Torah portion called on the Israelite community to voluntarily contribute resources to help build the Tabernacle. Unlike taxes or other compulsory payments, voluntary payments, our young member suggested, strengthen the community's sense of commitment and responsibility. He then led us to the obvious connection with our own capital campaign, dubbed appropriately "Building Connections." That we surpassed our goal of $ million will allow us to expand our own tabernacle. That three quarters of our congregation participated in the campaign is truly a sign of our community's strength.

I thank all of you for helping us exceed the Building Connections' ambitious goal. We are all indebted to the campaign's coordinators, Celia Shapiro and Larry Cooley. With endless energy, good humor and the willingness to do what few of us like to do--ask for money--they enabled us to reach our goal while maintaining the Micah tradition of fund-raising without plaques. (The professional fundraisers said we'd never be able to do it, but we did!) Thanks also to the dozens of Steering Committee members and solicitors, and to Rob Sugar for his stunning graphic design work. The campaign reflects the best of what we are. The future of Judaism cannot rest on a pay-as-you-go system. The success of our campaign affirms our vision of the future, and our commitment to keep Judaism relevant, rewarding and vibrant.

I have also been thinking about how best to manage our future financial challenges as we expand our building, support a growing membership and extend our educational program. The temple's financial management needs to become more sophisticated as we expand. To ensure that the temple is well prepared to meet the financial consequences of our growth, I have assembled a Financial Planning Committee. The committee is analyzing our current expenses and will develop a projection of how those expenses may change over the next five years. The committee will also make recommendations to the board on the best way to optimize investment returns on the temple's operating funds. I am appreciative of the several Micah members who flagged this issue for me.

As part of this broad effort to manage the temple's finances as efficiently as possible, the board has taken an important step toward stabilizing our financial future. We have "swapped" our old (variable-rate) mortgage with a new fixed-rate mortgage that provides for certainty in future mortgage payments. Thanks to Ann Sablosky for overseeing this important process that has helped put us on better financial footing for the years to come.

All of these efforts are essential for the well-being of the Temple Micah community. I am in awe of the many members who share their expertise, skills and time so freely. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you.