“Witness the great uniqueness of the Holy Blessed One.” say our rabbis, “When a person mints a coin from a mold, all of the coins are identical to one another. But the Sovereign of Creation, the Holy Blessed One, minted all human beings from the mold with which Adam, the first human, was made, yet not one human being is alike to any other.”
This text from the Mishna (Sanhedrin 4:5) makes a bold and profoundly true observation about humans. In some fundamental ways, we are all the same – molded from the same genetic and spiritual pattern, all human beings are of immeasurable and equal worth. Yet, at the same time, no two human beings – not even identical twins – are exactly the same. Each one of us has unique, identities, abilities, capacities, talents, character traits, and personalities.
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and at HEA we value every person’s dignity while also celebrating the myriad and beautiful ways we are each unique. Our community is proud to serve anyone seeking a meaningful Jewish experience and we welcome people of all backgrounds and life experiences, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and people who identify as queer in many other ways.
Tonight, we dedicate our Azamra Kabbalat Shabbat service to LGBTQ+ Pride, featuring songs, prayers, and words of Torah on the theme of LGBTQ+ inclusion. For more information, click HERE.
HEA will join with the JCC and other Jewish organizations to march in this year’s Pride Parade on Sunday, June 23. To learn more about Denver Jewish Pride activities and to register to march with HEA’s clergy and members, visit the JCC website. Space is limited for marchers, so please register if you want to march. Otherwise, you can just cheer us on along the parade route!
The Mishna above concludes by stating that because all humans are of equal value and are also unique, “each person is to say to themselves: ‘this world was created just for me.’” This world is indeed big enough to hold all the wonderful ways we are different and unique; and the same is true for our HEA community. Everyone is welcomed, valued, and celebrated at HEA.
