|
Chanukah is upon us! The menorah's tiny flame flickering in the darkness symbolizes the victory of light over darkness; that at the end of the day the good guys will win, because G‑d is on our side! To be sure, new bad guys immerge every few generations, as we read in the Haggadah. Chanukah reminds us not to be afraid, but to intensify our faith in Hashem and joy in being His people and part of the good guys. Good will prevail in the end!
Our enemy in Iran is emerging as the “new” modern day Haman and Hitler. All of us are upset beyond words by the joke of a “conference” he convened on Holocaust denial to promote his self-serving agenda of Anti-Israel (read: Anti Semitism) and Anti-West. It is so ludicrous that it would be funny if it weren't so sad. We can only imagine how Holocaust survivors feel, some of whom we have in our own community, who lived through the hell of the Holocaust and lost countless family members and friends, to sit there and watch these evil clowns parade around with their denials and other poorly veiled forms of Jew hatred and hatred of the West and
America . I personally was most hurt by the site of “Chasidic Jews” joining forces with these Nazis in their evil plots. I only hope these people are a tiny minority of extremist wachos who don't represent the opinions of many. I hope so.
In the midst of all of this confusion, Chanukah arrives just on time! To remind us that our survival as a people is miraculous today as it has always been; that the survival of our people is not dependant on any human beings because according to all laws of probability we should have been extinct long ago. We are here today, and will be here until Moshiach comes and beyond, because “ki imanu kel” – “G‑d is with us” (from the Siddur). Let us celebrate this Chanukah with even more joy and pride then ever before. Let us renew our faith and optimism in Hashem's plan, and recommit ourselves to bring our own light to the world; the light of Torah and mitzvahs, the light of goodness and kindness, which will dispel the darkness of evil and shine forth the glory of everything good and G‑dly.
I'm sure I have no need to remind you how important it is that you light your own Chanukah candles each night of Chanukah. The instructions and blessings are just a click away on this email.
Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Shalom M. Paltiel
P.S. I have received numerous emails regarding the story from Seattle Airport regarding the Menorah and the Trees. Just to make it clear, Rabbi Bogomilsky never intended to pull the Trees down. Yes, the Rebbe encouraged the erection of large Chanukah Menorahs in order to bolster Jewish pride and commitment. The Rebbe never encouraged the removal of Trees. Nor were the Menorahs meant to be tit-for-tat for the trees. Initially, when the trees were removes form the Seattle Airport a media frenzy ensued, blaming a Jewish Rabbi for the Trees' removal and thus fighting Christmas.
The media internationally caught on to this and was going wild with the story. Obviously this could have had terrible implications for Jews throughout this country and the world. Our Christina neighbors have been kind to us in this country, and we are not looking to jeopardize their holiday celebrations in any fashion. This would be silly, dangerous and wrong. Thank G‑d, the media tide has turned and the truth has emerged that the airport was simply passing the blame along to the Chabad rabbi in order to cover itself, rather than admit they made a tactical error in their decision to remove the Trees. The links below will fill in the blanks for those interested to learn more. In the end I believe we come out looking good. The airport is left with some mud on its face for not putting up the menorah even though the Trees were returned. Maybe they'll change their mind.
SEATAC MENORAH - RELEVANT LINKS:
An Airport Gets Its Tree Up, but Misses an Opportunity
ADL Response to the Port of Seattle Decision to Remove Trees
On Our Site! Fight or Light? Contoversy & Irony at Seatac Airport
Last Friday night we had our first “monthy Shabbat Dinner” and the event was fabulous. 50 People joined together for a festive Shabbat meal. Everyone had a chance to introduce themselves and say a few words of Torah or Jewish inspiration. It was really an amazing evening with L'Chayims were in abundance.
Here's a letter we received in response to Friday evening's dinner:
Dear Sara and Rabbi,
We had such a lovely night which really touched our hearts. So I felt I had to write a few words to you about it... (At Chabad) We learned how important every day of our lives is, and how we have to do whatever we can to make every day count. You have built a great shul with great families and a very special community. My husband and I enjoy Chabad like a second family and I'd just like to say: Todah Rabbah! - Aliza Cohen
Please join us for future monthly Shabbatons (Friday night dinners). Mark your calendar for these dates: 1/12, 2/2, 3/16, 4/20, 5/18, 6/8
|
This email is sent from Chabad of Port Washington. If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future please let us know.
