The Divine Proportion in Kehilla

Fibonacci numbers are easy to understand, even for those of us who liked tests that allowed subjective, (preferably anecdotal), essay answers. 

The concept is simple: Each number in a Fibonacci sequence equals the sum of the two numbers preceding it. Here's a basic Fibonacci sequence:

0    1    1    2    3    5    8    13    21    34   55    89 ....  etc.

Calculate the numbers like this:  

0+1=1; 1+1=2; 1+2=3; 2+3=5; 3+5=8; 5+8=13; 8+13=21... 

Get it?

And here is the elegant part. The ratio between two adjacent numbers always equals approximately 1.6. The higher you go in the sequence, the closer to 1.6 you get. Called the Golden Ratio, Divine Ratio, or Divine Proportion, it is an important calculation for mathematicians and architects, and an almost mystical number to artists and observers of the natural world. You can find it everywhere, from the Parthenon to picture frames, insect carapaces to sunflowers. Our subjective opinion about what is beautiful, whether it's a Maserati or a human face, usually involves a ratio of 1.6, when we objectively measure their longest and shortest components. 

Spatially, the golden ratio can look like this:

Which is why we can see the golden ratio in the Parthenon:

And a seashell:

Dr. Adrian Bejan, from Duke University, recently explained why the golden ratio is so prevalent in what we create and value. It has to do with being the easiest proportions for our brains to translate as we make sense of the visual world. Regardless of its origin, once you're aware of the golden ratio, it's hard to stop seeing it around you.

I see it in our synagogues, beginning with our buildings. The main space inside of our synagogues is usually partitioned into a large sanctuary with an entrance foyer, a chapel, and small offices. A synagogue's building plan might look like this spatial depiction of the golden ratio from above, (without the numbers). 

And there's more. Not just in the architecture of the buildings, I see the 1.6 ratio embedded in synagogue budgets and operations. 

• For every 5 professionals your synagogue needs, your budget probably only allows you to hire 3 people. Although I love to make things up, I'm not stretching the truth on this. United Synagogue's 2013 salary survey, with responses from 139 synagogues, showed that in mid-sized congregations, staff costs represent 50% or less of the total synagogue budget. Typical non-profits try to keep staff costs at 80% of the budget. What's the ratio between those numbers? (Hint: 80/50 = 1.6)

• More from the salary survey: The average cost per member was at least $1,000 more than what membership dues brought in. Yes, you guessed it - the ratio comes out to about 1.6. 

• I'll ask the executive directors to help me with the research on this last one about fundraising. My hypothesis is that the number of members who donate to a High Holiday appeal, compared to the total number of members, is a Fibonacci number. So if your congregation has 377 member households, 233 will donate. With 610 member households, 377 will donate. Please feel free to get back to me on this.

These downward numbers aren't too divine. Where are the positive numbers? 

A kehilla is a sacred community. It's the "sacred" in sacred community that puts the "divine" in the divine proportion. For example, we know that a congregation may have trouble sustaining a minyan for prayer twice a day, but if there is a death and someone needs to say kaddish, 13 people will show up for every 8 calls that are made. 

Although it may not be exactly a ratio of 1.6, here are other ways I recently saw the divine proportion in our kehillot: 

• Communities that launch Shabbat dinner initiatives, like Share Shabbat at Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El in Wynnewood, PA, Guess Who's Coming to Shabbas? at Temple Sinai in Dresher, PA, and 613+ Shabbat Dinners at Beth Am, Baltimore, MD, can see an increase in the number of dinners, hosts, relationships and observance of Shabbat over time. 

• Jessie’s Community Gardens, a project that began in memory of Jessica Lynn Kostin, with support by the Jewish Federation of West Hartford, has grown since 2010 to nine gardens. Beth El Temple of West Hartford, the site of one of the gardens, was given a United Synagogue Solomon Schechter Centennial Award and described its impact on their community: "The sense of community extends beyond the people directly involved in JCG. The entire congregation reacts with a sense of pride and connection when pictures of the garden are posted on the Beth El website and we announce results of how much was grown and delivered to different food banks. Once or twice a season we use a part of the harvest for the congregational Shabbat luncheon. These luncheons create a true sense of sacred community as people enjoy the literal fruits of our labor..." 

• A simple idea – to bring together a few people who love to knit – has grown over eight years to more than 60 people who have given 10,000 hand-knitted items to people in need. The divine proportion from Mitzvah Knitters at Shaar Shalom Synagogue in Thornhill, ON, according to Janice Schachter, synagogue president and knitting guru, is this: “Our elderly participants renew their spirit as they become mentors to those just beginning their new journey, and feel useful once again as they are able to make a difference in so many lives at this later stage of their lives.”

• United Synagogue's Sulam for Emerging Leaders program re-builds the pipeline of new leadership. An independent evaluation in 2013 by Dr. Steven Cohen and Dr. Ezra Kopelowicz, showed that 80% of participants reported positive relationships and increased commitment to the community because of engagement in the program. More than half (52%) stepped immediately into leadership positions - taking on projects, committee work, or a role on the board. (80%/52% ~ 1.6!)

Where do you see the divine proportion in your kehilla?