This is our bowling month. Are you joining us Feb. 4 at the Bethesda Naval Center Bowling Center? Some of you may not be planning to come. Let me tell you why you should: I'm not coming because,,,

1. I don't bowl.

Response: I haven't bowled in a couple of years, but bowling's really not the point. We simply are borrowing Robert Putnam's metaphor as a vehicle to a true community gathering. Do you schmooze? There will be plenty of that. Would you like to participate in a discussion of Putnam's book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community? I will be doing that for part of the evening. Do you eat? There is plenty of food at a concession stand. This is a Temple Micah event, after all!

2. Besides being not much of a bowler, Temple Micah social gatherings really are not my thing.

Response: They could be. We are a pretty diverse crowd with a wide variety of interests. Included in our midst are some really interesting and really smart folks. We are totally unpretentious. In fact, some of us are downright snobby about how unpretentious we are. So, in a sense, we offer something for everyone.

Some of you may still be saying to yourselves that this sort of activity is not what you joined a synagogue for. You just want a seat on the holy days, a bar/bat mitzvah for your child, a rabbi to call should the need arise. I understand that, but won't you give us just a little bit of a chance to get to know you better?

In some ways, this bowling idea is designed just for you. Personally, I would like the opportunity to engage you in conversation and explore with you the way you think about Jewish life. (OK, I admit it: I do have a hidden agenda in this bowling gig.)

3. What about children?

Response: They are totally welcome. They are part of Micah and the bowling alley will have special lanes with those fail-safe bumpers, so no one gets a “gutter ball.”

4. I want to stay home and watch 10 hours of pre-Super Bowl TV.

Response: That is totally unacceptable. Come bowling and I will share with you in intricate detail 2005 World Series highlights. In all seriousness, our bowling excursion is simply one step in an exploration of how we can continue to build a strong sense of community within Temple Micah. As the congregation grows, I wish to avoid that corporate feel that seems to de.ne so many congregations and other Jewish institutions. We need everyone to participate in this conversation. This is a question that occupies my thinking as much as anything. If Micah is the place where we take our Jewish journeys, then our Micah family is who we journey with. Our fellow travelers' questions animate and inform ours. Their discoveries shed light on our own queries.

We simply want to know each other as individuals, and be able to answer those searing questions — such as who owns a bowling ball?

Hope to see you on the lanes.