OUR NAME: ASHREYNU
The Hebrew word Ashreynu (אַשְׁרֵינוּ), opens a beautiful sentence from the morning t’filot (prayers); and it stems from the Hebrew word ‘osher’ (אוֹשֶׁר) which means (among other things) ‘happy’ and ‘satisfied.’
אַשְׁרֵינוּ מַה טּוֹב חֶלְקֵנוּ וּמַה נָּעִים גּוֹרָלֵנו וּמַה יָּפָה יְרוּשָּׁתֵנוּ
Ashreynu, mah tov chelkeynu uma na’im goraleynu uma yafa y’rushateynu
We are happy – how good is our lot, how pleasant is our destiny, how beautiful is our heritage!
Thus the word Ashreynu – the name of our kehilah – means ‘our happiness,’ and connotes in our liturgy and usage how happy, satisfied, and fulfilled we are in being Jewish, and in having Judaism as the paradigm, framework, lens, vision, heritage, substance, and setting of our lives.
Ashreynu – a joyous Jewish foundation to have, to build upon, to be a part of, and to help grow!
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