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Don't Turn Off Those Lights |
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Dear Friends, The senseless attack in New Orleans shocked us all to the core and was a sad way to start off 2025. As we mourn the victims and process this tragedy we are reminded of how widespread the darkness sometimes is, and that sometimes the light seems to be too dim. Yet coming off the finish line of Chanukah, we were also reminded of the tremendous power of light, as besides all the events that we held, we also heard so many beautiful stories from the teens who took on the Menorah challenge to light the Menorah wherever they may be on vacation and if possible finds others that they can include too. Chanukah and the daily lightings of candles may be over, but our job of lighting up the world with the light of Mitzvot, good deeds and more, is in full swing. Tomorrow we read all about the biblical Joseph, who went through so many difficulties and experienced so much pain. In fact multiple times in the Torah it describes him crying, but not necessarily during the pain and trauma, but mostly at the end when it is was all over. During the difficulties he went through in life, he puts his efforts into not just surviving, but more importantly into thriving. This wasn't just for himself, but also to help others thrive and shine too so that they can survive the hardships and challenges of life. Sometimes it was physical support, sometimes he helped them by calming their sadness and providing a shoulder to lean on, and often it was sustaining them physically but also influencing them for the good. Joseph was someone who didn't allow his pain to stop him from doing all of this, or at least the Torah doesn't describe this as being a huge part of who he was. So as we leave Chanukah behind us, we are also taking its message of light and the power of light, along with us. Our job of lighting up the darkness, one Mitzvah and one Soul at a time, is very much in full swing, and now more than ever, the world needs us to turn up the light. May we all be like Joseph who as his name which means "increase" implies, wasn't just about survival, but about thriving and bettering the world around him no matter the challenges or difficulties he faced Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos Yisroel
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