A hundred and some years ago, in a little shtetl in Eastern Europe, it was a red letter day. The train would be coming through town for the very first time. Everyone was excited, but the children were the most excited of all. All morning they pestered and pestered their teacher, until he finally agreed, though he was annoyed at losing the time for Torah study, to take the class to witness this great event. The steam engine pulls into the station, followed by all the cars.
People get on, people get off and after a short while the train pulls out.
The rabbi stands mesmerized, staring at the track where the train had been. Did you see- only the first car has fire in its belly, but that's enough to pull all the others. Our congregation started with a few people with fire in their belly, and look what they pulled behind them. I hope and pray that all of us gathered here tonight, with a spark for Judaism within us, will succeed in creating the heat and light necessary to carry forward our heritage and tradition far into the future.