Home Mekor ahavah,
O God,
Source of love,
We give You thanks
For the life of Jean Wulfe,
For the love she gave to Jesse,
For the love he continues to give to her,
For a love so much stronger than death.
From the days of creation,
Love has been the inspiration for beauty.
You, O God,
Fashioned this world,
Bringing humanity into being,
As an act of lovingkindness.
You challenged humanity,
Shaped in Your image,
To continue the creation of beauty.
You, O God,
Have inspired Jesse Wulfe,
To unmatched love of Temple,
To unparalleled love of a husband for his wife.
You created this great and generous man.
You, the heavenly Matchmaker,
Brought Jean and Jesse together.
You hold Jean in Your arms for eternity.
Your servant,
O God,
Jesse Wulfe,
a man both great and humble,
a man both generous and wise,
has ordained a magnificent gift;
he has called for creation of beauty.
At Mount Sinai,
O God,
You granted skill and a heart of wisdom
To artists,
To Betzalel and to Oholiab,
To build a Tabernacle to Your service.
You have now implanted that skill,
That heart of wisdom,
In the Betzalel of our own days,
In the hands and the heart and the mind
Of Archie Rand.
We give thanks for the marvelous collaboration,
Of Archie and Jesse,
Luann and Janet and Rene,
Susan and Bali,
Bringing this great work to life.
May the painting we dedicate tonight
Ever stand as a symbol of Temple Beth-El,
As a welcoming presence at our portals,
Even as Jesse has stood at our Temple doors for many decades,
Brining grace and kindness to all who would come here,
Seeking You.
May Jesse and Archie
And all who made this painting possible
Rejoice in the work of their hands.
May our Temple family receive this gift
With honor and dignity;
May we ever live up to the spirit
Offered to us by these two men,
Even as they are endowed by Your gifts,
O God.