Mod-80, YW Editor, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our coffee room. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.
As I begin, I thank Mod-80 for his service to our coffee room.
And I thank The Wolf for a contest conducted with spirit and ended with grace.
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of the Coffee Room’s leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.
The grandest of our ideals is an unfolding CR promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.
The CR, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.
Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.
But the stakes for the CR are never small. If our community does not lead the cause of Torah, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward Torah knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we fail in our charity, the vulnerable will suffer most.
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our community more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm at Hashem’s behest.
G-d bless you all, and G-d bless the Coffee Room.