Parashat Miketz
Rabbi’s Drosh
Each year I enjoy going to Shalom Court and lighting the Hannukah candles with the residents there.
I remember a few years ago at a Hannukah Rabbi’s Lunch and Learn, we asked the residents to share what they had learned from their life expereince and we recorded some of the advice the residents had for us about spreading light. One of the residents said "Do acts of kindness. You never know the impact it will have on you and others".
Like light, acts of kindness are passed on without diminishing the original light source and have the power to spread and spread.
The traditional Hannukah candles are not large candles, yet each year we light 44 Hannukah candles during the eight days generating a lot of light. Some of the people in the room with us at Shalom Court this week had been celebrating Hannukah for the better part of a century…that is almost four and a half thousand candles! One candle doesn’t have much light, but add them up over a lifetime and you are looking at a BONFIRE!
At this time of year, many of you share with me that you are exhausted, burned out and don’t have much left to give. Don’t despair! You don’t have to do it all! Just share the little bit of light you have and trust that those kindnesses will be passed on and will add up to something much greater.
May we all be blessed with time to recharge over summer and come back stronger, happier and healthier for a 2021 filled with light!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler
The Friedlers’ Highlights
Channukah Sameach
What a wonderful week of bringing light into the world with Hannukah 2020. Thank you to those who have joined us in our home, at Hannukah in the Bay, at Shalom Court, at Kadimah, and at AHC for the various lightings this week. May we all be blessed to continue to be able to gather safely to celebrate together.
AHC TV STARS!!!
This week we were invited onto Israel’s Breakfast News as the first community to welcome in Hannukah in the world. Spot your family and friends in the background! Watch the full segment via the link below.
Hannukah in the Bays
We loved seeing so many of you at Hannukah in the Bays. Kol Hakavod to Rob Berg and the team for such a wonderful event. Rabbi had the honour of speaking about the meaning of Hannukah. Hear his message about the power of light here.
Catching Up with Simon O’Conner
We so appreciate the ongoing support our good friend Simon continues to show to our community.
When we saw him at the Bays this week, we had a chance to thank him for his beautiful Hannukah message. You can read the message by clicking below.
Party, Party, Party
What a joy to see our home filled with members of the community celebrating Hannukah with donuts, latkes and of course whiskey.
A special thank you to those who helped us to do the catering - We could not have fed the masses without you!
Celebrating with the Bat Mitzvah Nine
The nine girls who learned in this year’s Bat Mitzvah cohort presented their values on Sunday.
Deb was especially emotional seeing the girls coming to the end of their Bat Mitzvah year after working with various girls during over 150 classes this year!
Candle-Lighting at Shalom Court
Rabbi, Deb and Achiya celebrated the 6th night of Hannukah with the Shalom Court residents and talked about some of the themes of this amazing festival. The residents enjoyed seeing how much Achiya had grown in the three weeks since his last visit!