My name is Ted. It’s not the name I was given. My birth certificate lists me as Tibor (a fine Hungarian name). On the first day in second grade the teacher called me up to her desk and asked me to pronounce my name – Tyber? Tibber? I said ‘Tibor’. Shall we call you Theodore from now on? I happily said ‘yes’ because the kids made fun of my name. I didn’t realize that kids make fun of whatever name you have.
I am a secular rabbi. I served as a chaplain in the USAF for two years after ordination (a commitment to serve the community). I then had a small congregation in Connecticut while I studied and got my Ph. D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures – mainly Arabic studies. Afterwards I was the rabbi in a large congregation in Massachusetts. The most enjoyable part of my work as a rabbi was counseling so I decided to enter the intensive program for clergy at the Adler Institute in Chicago. The rest is history. I found my gift and my passion and within two years I had a full practice and was in heaven.
I want to convey in my blog my personal experience and also what I have learned over the past 50 years. May it be enjoyable and valuable reading!