Shabbat Channukah
Rabbi’s Drosh
This week we celebrate our festival of lights - Channukah. We are also grateful to finally have the opportunity to celebrate Bella's Bat Mitzvah! Mazel Tov to the Nevezie and Norton families!
The Channukah candles are to be enjoyed but not to be used. As we sing when we light them “Lirotam Bilvad“ - to look only. So it is not permitted to read by their light, for example, or to warm our hands by the flames.
This year the world has become much more of a “to look only“ place. Locations we could once visit, we now see on a screen. People we could once embrace, we must now connect with virtually. Instead of picking up items in a store, we find ourselves looking online.
What is the impact of all of these “to look only“ experiences?
We can resent what we cannot touch or be grateful for what we see!
I hear a lot of gratitude and appreciation for people, places and things which were perhaps once taken for granted when I talk to members of the community.
“We are so glad we took the trip last year“
”We are so happy we celebrated between the lockdowns”
”I miss them but thank G-d for Zoom/Whatsapp/Facetime!”
…and so on.
So too with the lights of Channukah. We could look with sadness at the destructions of the Temples and all that we lost with exile, or we can look with gratitude at the all we have - Am Yisrael Chai! After everything we have been through the Jewish people live on!
Shabbat Shalom and Channukah Sameach,
Rabbi Friedler
The Friedlers’ Highlights
Preparing for Channukah
Join us at the Rabbi’s House to light the candles, eat latkes and do some learning (and of course a L’chayim!). Please RSVP to rabbi@ahc.org.nz
Thursday 10th of December at 7pm at Rabbi’s House
Kadimah’s Tanach Presentation
As the Year 5 students received their Tanachs this week, they shared who their Tanach heroes were. Rabbi explained the amazing thing about the Tanach is that we read about our heroes limitations as well as their strengths. From a Jewish perspective, a real hero is someone who isn’t perfect, but keeps working on themselves, like the Jewish people’s leaders in Tanach.
Achiya Coming for a Visit!
Achiya had a great time catching up with Wally and Adele this week - as did Rabbi and Deb! It wasn’t THAT long ago since Deb was a student at Kadimah, Wally was the Principal, and Adele was in the office!
If you or someone you know isn’t able to make it to our place but would like to meet Achiya, please get in touch! He would love to see you.
Sweet As Kosher Kiwi
Rabbi’s inspections were in Auckland this week, including a factory visit with our client Chelsea Sugar.
The team at Chelsea have been Kosher certified for many years so support them when you get your sugar for this year’s Channukah suvganiot (donuts).
Mazal Tov Liorah
After a long wait, COVID delays and overcoming all the challanges of 2020, we were thrilled to finally celebrate with Liorah at her Bat Mitzvah on Friday.
Every Bat Mitzvah girl has the choice of what she would like to focus on for her celebration. Liorah chose to learn about Jewish history with Deb and research the Holocaust.
At Kabbalat Shabbat, Liorah taught the community about some of the things she learned along the way and the importance of resilience.
Thank you to Liorah for presenting the Shul and Kadimah with copies of Bob and Freda Narev’s book for their libraries in honour of her Bat Mitzvah.
Learning with Colleagues in Australia
Rabbi participated in December’s Rabbinical Council training
This monthly sessions provide the opportunity to learn from other Rabbis and Danyanim in Australia on some of the dynamic topics of Halacha and events facing our Jewish communities today.
Remembering Rabbi Sacks
We joined with thousands of people around the world as we marked the Shloshim for Rabbi Sacks.
If you missed the live ceremony, you can watch it by clicking on the button below.
We have been working with the group he travelled with here in New Zealand who would like to mark his time here and honour his memory. They had such beautiful things to say about our community and really enjoyed the time they spent here with Rabbi Sacks.
Bella 2.0
There is always a silver lining! When Bella’s Bat Mitzvah was delayed during the recent COVID19 scare, we were all initially disappointed. However we quickly realised the exciting opportunity that came with the new date for Bella’s Bat Mitzvah….Shabbat Channukah!
Hearing her rehearsal this week was definitely a highlight of our week.
We are so impressed with your attitude Bella. The show will go on and with even more light thanks to Channnukah!