The concluding period of the fall Jewish holidays begins tonight with Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Some Jews celebrate the two holidays together while others celebrate them on consecutive days. There will be no BJF Update Thursday and Friday due to the holidays.

The following was written by Birmingham Jewish Federation volunteer Amanda Weil. Amanda, who is 26, is Co-Chairing The BJF's Jewish Community Relations Coalition along with long-time volunteer leader Lisa Engel through The BJF's new Inter-Generational Leadership Model.

Amanda also will be one of eight young adults participating in The BJF's Leadership Writing Project, a new initiative designed to provide emerging leaders with opportunities to affirm their leadership voices through writing for Update and other media. Amanda wrote the below for Update in conjunction with Simchat Torah.

By Amanda Weil

Simchat Torah is a time of joy and celebration. We have come to the end of the Torah, and it is time to begin again. In our celebration, we rejoice in this time of gladness and new beginnings.

When I was asked to write this piece for Update and began learning more about this holiday, it was brought to my attention that the final word of the Torah is Yisrael, with the last letter being "lamed." The first word of the Torah is Beresheit, beginning with the Hebrew letter "bet." When we put these two letters together, lamed bet spells the Hebrew word meaning "heart."

Our tradition is to chant the final word of the Torah and the first word in the same breath to symbolize that Torah is never ending. The Torah commands us to pass on its teachings from generation to generation, so that they never end and are never forgotten.

Both of these discoveries, the idea that our work is never ending, and the significance of heart, have so much meaning for me.

Each year, we read the same words from the Torah, but there are so many different ways of interpreting what is being said. Depending on the person reading, to what has happened in our lives, there is always something new that we learn from the teachings of the Torah.

Much like the reading of the Torah, the work of our Birmingham Jewish Federation is transcendent. What we do at The BJF is always centered around creating and sustaining a viable Jewish presence in the Birmingham community. Our mission is consistent every year, however, we find new ways to make a difference each and every day.

FROM OUR HEARTS

Now, let me get back to the "heart of the matter." The Torah is the heart of Judaism. Everything we do revolves around the Torah and what it teaches. The BJF, has been at the heart of the Jewish community here in Birmingham. It continues to connect each of us. From the work we are able to do here in our community to the organizations we support in Israel and around the world, and the people we touch everyday -- our motivation to continue comes from our hearts.

This year, I have been given the opportunity to Co-Chair The BJF's Jewish Community Relations Coalition with Lisa Engel through The BJF's new Inter-Generational Leadership Model. I am so excited; working with The BJF has been a true joy of the heart for me. The work that I do does not feel like work because in my heart, I know that I want to make a difference and be a part of this incredible organization.

Being part of this Inter-Generational pairing with Lisa, one of our community's most respected volunteer leaders, has opened up a "new world" to me. She has been involved with The BJF for nearly 30 years. So, she knows the ropes! Being able to see how she reacts, makes decisions, inspires others, uses her skills and interacts with The BJF staff has already taught me so much.

There is one vital task at hand for The BJF -- to make the best decisions now to propel our community forward. Whether we are learning from the past and the groundwork that has been laid by those who came before us, or blazing our own trail, we must always keep our mission in mind. We must remember where we have been, and continue to do everything possible to ascend to even greater heights.

During this, the season of gladness, we are commanded to perform acts of loving kindness, and be among those to help to create a better world. The BJF provides each of us with an opportunity to do both -- everyday in so many ways! As it is said in Psalm 118: "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

L'Shana Tova u'Metuka. May you all have a sweet and joyous New Year.