This week, King Charles made a surprise visit to Golders Green, a heavily populated Jewish neighborhood in London. Apparently among the places which he visited, he also visited the Jewish bakery Grodz, (one of my favorite childhood bakeries), and was gifted with a large Challah, presumably for his Shabbos dinner this week.
His visit was in response to a wave of violent antisemitic attacks which have taken place on that same street and in that same neighborhood over the last few weeks.
King Charles has always been a mentsch, and this visit and the warmth it was received with by the community at this time, shows on just how much it was appreciated, and what the message conveyed by this visit meant. This visit was more than just meaningful, it was a show of support from the Royal Family to the Jewish community in the wake of seismic events that have rocked the community.
I hope that King Charles truly enjoys the Challah this evening as he prepares for a nice Shabbos Dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Meanwhile across the pond, right here in Sudbury, the Town of Sudbury has scheduled this Saturday as a celebration of 250 years of American Independence, and across America, thousands of communities are celebrating a Shabbat to honor 250 years and American Jewish Heritage Month.
Yet the truth is that besides the Challah that may or may not be eaten at Buckingham Palace this evening, and the many celebrations scheduled for Shabbat, this Shabbat has a deeper significance in the Jewish tradition, as it is the Shabbat before the holiday of Shavuot, which we celebrate in just a few days.
Shavuot was the moment we received the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai thousands of years ago, but also the only time, when the entire Jewish people were in unity with one another while in the desert. The verse changes the language of the usual text and stresses the singular nature of the encampment by Mount Sinai to emphasize the unity that existed there, versus the dozens of other encampments which are described in the plural, due to the inherent divisions and disputes which so often arose.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, would often encourage the Jewish world, to use the Shabbat before the holiday of Shavuot which celebrates the giving of the Torah and the unity that preceded it, as a Shabbat of of unity and togetherness. He spoke of the need to mark this Shabbat of oneness, by putting aside external differences and instead focusing on our collective mission and purpose, which we were given at Mt. Sinai.
So wherever you are in the world, take a moment to watch the Shabbat candles as they are lit this evening, and think of their glow and the message they have conveyed for thousands of year, and think about our collective and shared mission in life, and this day can empower us to work harder and better than ever before, to bring unity, meaning and the glow of the Shabbat message to all of humanity.
Please join us tomorrow for the Shabbat before Shavuot, a Shabbat of Unity, a Shabbat of celebrating Jewish Tradition and Faith, and a Shabbat of inspiration for our shared values and gifts that we can continue to build a beautiful world with.
Candle Lighting in the Sudbury area today is at 7:43pm
Services tomorrow begin at 10am, with the Torah Reading and Messages at just after 11am and the Kiddush Luncheon at 12:15pm.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel
P.S Please join us later in the week for lots of great Shavuot Celebrations which you can read more about below.