On January 10, 2010, am American Jerusalem Academy program was held at HPCT-CAE  to commemorate the teaching of Reuben Silver, who served for over three decades as Executive Director of the Temple. Mr. Silver, who passed away five years ago, was recognized as an exemplary and passionate teacher and a peripatetic scholar. The classes he taught during his tenure at the Temple were well attended, and he had a loyal following.

Leah Silver found tapes of three talks given by Reuben Silver in the 1980’s. One is a sermon on Parashat Sh’mot. The second is a talk during the dedication of the Temple’s stained glass window, on 1/15/82, and the focal window he spoke about was that which commemorated King David, depicted by a harp. The final segment is a talk about the Cohanim, from 2/18/89.

These marvelous talks will be poignant reminders to those who have been Reuben’s students, and valuable introductions for those who were unable to experience his teaching directly. The program on January 10 consisted of playing the first two talks by Reuben, stopping them at various points, and discussing our reactions to his questions and our responses to his interpretations, just as he would have wanted those present to do.

At the conclusion of the program, Maurice Elias, who served as convener and discussion leader, read a poem written by Mr. Silver about the process of writing. As gifted a speaker as he was, Reuben Silver also was a dedicated writer. This poem captures well the care with which he approached his writing, his teaching, and indeed all of his professional work. He was a unique individual whose memory will always be cherished, and who continues to be missed.

ON WRITING

By Reuben Silver, z’’l

The tug of a word

waiting to be born,

The craft of fashioning it

so it won’t be forlorn.

The need for the attachments

of word to word,

Into a matrix

that needs a new form.

The whole an edifice

not crashing down,

But a strong, strong structure

That will withstand the wind of scorn

Of critics who will be unable

to blow it away,

Those are the kind of words

that I want to say.