Parashat Vayera
Rabbi’s Drosh
In this week’s Parashah, we learn about the value of two beautiful mitzvot - hosting guests and visiting the sick. These mitzvot are so important, that every morning in the daily prayers we recite that these mitzvot do not just hold rewards for us in the world to come, but even in this world as well.
We learn about hosting from Abraham and Sarah, whose tent was open on all four sides in order that they should not miss the opportunity to invite in and host guests from any direction from which they were travelling. Further more we learn about how important this mitzvah is, when we see that Abraham went out to invite guests in sweltering heat, whilst recovering from circumcision!
The second mitzvah of visiting the sick we learn from Hashem directly.
The Torah explains that on the third day after Abraham’s circumcision (the most difficult day of recovery) Hashem’s divine presence is with Abraham. In case there was any doubt about the value of this special mitzvah, Hashem is actually modelling for us the mitzvah of visiting the sick!
But how should we practice these important mitzvot with the new world of COVID19 where visiting the sick and even at times hosting is not possible as it was before? We need to embrace creative ways to host and visit the sick safely despite these challenges. During the lockdown, Deb and I had to rely on Zoom as a virtual way of inviting you into our home and we relied on phone calls to virtually visit the sick. While it was not the same, it still helped us to tap into the underlying value of these mitzvot - connection!
Abraham, Sarah and Hashem all demonstrate to us the value of connection and the importance of being there for one another. Help us to keep connecting. Every week I visit members of the community along with Maxine from Senior Outreach. If you, or someone you know, would benefit from the connection of a visit, please contact me or Maxine to arrange a suitable time.
Also, if you are yet to be hosted in our home and would like to visit, we want to hear from you!
Finally, a huge Mazel Tov to the Nathan family who celebrate Alice’s Bat Mitzvah this Friday night. Deb has told me many times how hard you have worked and what a beautiful voice you have. We cannot wait to celebrate with you this Shabbat.
The Friedlers’ Highlights
Shirley’s Kosher Kitchen!
Shirley is the latest member of the conversion group to kasher her kitchen.
I had the privilege of going to Shirley’s house to help her switch the kitchen over and was very impressed with all she had done.
Kol Hakavod and Mazel Tov Shirley!
Interfaith Tour of AHC with Reverend Frank Ritchie
This week I had the opportunity to give Reverend Ritchie a tour of our Jewish Centre and show him our Synagogues and one of the Torahs.
A huge thank you to Juliet and the Jewish Council for continuing to support our interfaith connections with other communities of faith.
We are coming up to a busy time year for our Synagogue tours, not just for interfaith leaders, but also for local schools who want their students to learn more about Judaism. Watch this space to see who is visiting us!
Wednesday Night Parasha Learning
On Wednesday night, we delved into the Parasha’s teachings at our place over coffee, tea, snacks and (of course) whiskey! Upcoming class dates this month are the 11th and 25th of November. Come join us for some Torah learning!
Another New Kosher Kiwi Client
I visited our latest new client’s Kiwifruit factory this week. Part of our work is to help take them through our inspection process so they can be certified as kosher suppliers under Kosher Kiwi supervision.
Catching Up with Members at St Andrew’s
We have quite a few Jewish friends at St Andrew’s Retirement Village…soon they will need to make the onsite cafe Kosher!
It is was a real pleasure to see Michael Jaffe again, especially after access was restricted during the second COVID19 lockdown.
Wonderful to be back to level 1 and able to visit freely!
Boring Bat Mitzvah?! No Way!
While Achiya may have yawned his way through practice, Alice could not be more enthusiastic or excited about her Bat Mitzvah!
Alice has spent this year perfecting the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat Service as she practiced diligently with Deb each week.
This Shabbat Alice will lead a women’s service followed by a special drosh about her learning and a celebratory kiddush,
Mazel Tov to Alice and all the family!
The Jewish Community Punches Above its Weight at the 2020 Auckland Marathon
The boys and I enjoyed participating in the Auckland Marathon at the weekend, aware that we are so blessed to be able to do so during a global pandemic!
Our community was very well-represented and we saw many members out there running the marathon or standing on the sidelines supporting runners.
A special shout out and Mazel Tov to Michael Fisher who celebrated his birthday completing the full 42km marathon!