Parashat Sh’lach
Rabbi’s Drosh
Shabbat Sh’lach is a special shabbat for us. It was the Shabbat where the boys proposed to Deb in front of so many of you and we all celebrated our engagement together. For those who weren’t able to attend, or those who would like a trip down memory lane, here is a link to the proposal.
This week’s Parasha Sh’elach is named for the phrase “send for yourself“. It reminds us of Lech Lecha “go for yourself“. This idea of that even when we do something just for ourselves, our actions also have an impact on others, is a core idea in Judaism. It is a concept that we can see reflected in many of the Torah laws.
One of the most wonderful things in life, is when you do something for yourself and yet it makes the people around you so happy. When they boys and I asked Deb to marry us, we did it for ourselves, but the fact that it brought so much joy to our friends, family and community, is so very special. We saw this pattern again with the collective joy at Achiya’s arrival last year, and then this year as we celebrated Hillel’s Bar Mitzvah with you.
Please G-d Hashem will continue to bless us all with wonderful opportunities to celebrate ‘for ourselves‘ together!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler
The Friedlers’ Highlights
A Shabbat Delivery for Tomer
Tomer Hemed of the Wellington Phoenix was in Auckland this week and we were able to meet with him and give him a special Shabbat delivery! He was really touched by the show of support from the Jewish community and you can hear more via the link to the interview below.
Crash Course in Jewish History
Missed the class? Click below to learn about the period after the death of King Solomon. Get a snap-shot of the history of 220 years of bad Kings (and Queens!) alongside some powerful lessons for us for today.
Making Hamilton Kosher…One Factory at Time!
I had three inspections in Hamilton this week with some of our longstanding clients. I had another inspection in Auckland as well and next week heading to Tauranga for inspections there too. It’s a busy time for Kosher Kiwi!
Supporting the Zionist Federation
Not yet a member of the Zionist Federation? There has never been a better time to join! We received our family membership renewal reminder this week and are looking forward to another year of supporting the vital work they are doing in the community.
From “The Yoms”, to Israel advocacy work, to local Holocaust education, to Israel Programmes, to March of the Living, to working with Embassy and much more, they have been supporting the Jewish community and Israel for over 70 years!
For more information about joining the ZFNZ contact the Zionist Federation Office via this link.
We Have Been Getting Ready for LIMMUD - Have You?!
Another fabulous LIMMUD line-up! If you have not just seen the programme, you can click on the link below for more information.
We have been preparing our joint spirituality session ‘The Joy of Chassidism - Not just for Chassids!’. This is our first time presenting together!
Please join us for an enchanting and uplifting session exploring the stories, personalities, sayings and lessons from/about some of our greatest Chassidic masters.
Bat Mitzvah Learning
Did you know that each Bat Mitzvah girl and her family chooses her own special path for their one-to-one (or in this case two-to-one) lessons with Deb. This week Deb and Sascha focused on what Judaism has brought to the world.