robust cows and 7 withered stalks of grain swallowing up 7 healthy ears of grain, a message of impending famine that will wipe out the abundance of the land of Egypt. Parashat Miketz illuminates the ways in which scarcity and abundance live right next door to one another. We cannot pretend the light shines easily in everyone's home and in our world. It is up to us to cut through the dark and make space for light.
The most vulnerable in our city have found the distinction between scarcity and abundance even more stark during these 40+ weeks of corona-times. Met Council, America's largest Jewish charity dedicated to serving the needy provides 100% affordable housing at 20 locations, offers Holocaust survivor assistance, senior and family violence programming, and the largest free kosher food distribution program in the world. This summer, some of our pre and B'nai Mitzvah students wrote letters of support to Met Council residents to uplift their spirits during trying times. Other Habonim community members volunteered in Met Council's food warehouse. All sacred acts of compassion and tikkun olam.
During the last week in December, Met Council will offer a S.N.A.P Grocery Store Challenge to raise awareness and build empathy and solidarity with those who struggle to make ends meet throughout our city. Designed for families with children ages 8 and up, this program is an important introduction to budgeting, meal planning and caring for those in need. Join me and my daughter Zahara on Saturday night December 26th from 6-7pm as we join with Met Council and "fill our cart" with meal options. We'll see whether we can afford to purchase everything on our list. Register here . See the attached flyer for other opportunities to participate in the S.N.A.P Grocery Store Challenge.
On this final day of Hanukkah, it is important that we hold onto the light and commit to keeping it with us in the days ahead, when Hanukkah 2020/5781 is in our rearview mirror. Here, the Hebrew song Banu Hoshekh proves instructive.
בָּאנוּ חוֹשֶׁךְ לְגָרֵשׁ
בְּיָדֵינוּ אוֹר וָאֵשׁ
כָּל אֶחָד הוּא אוֹר קָטָן
וְכֻלָנוּ אוֹר אֵיתָן
סוּרָה חוֹשֶׁךְ הָלְאָה שְחוֹר
סוּרָה מִפְּנֵי הָאוֹר
Banu hoshekh l'garesh, B'yadeinu or va'esh, Kol ehad hu or katan,V'chulanu or eitan
Surah hoshekh hal'ah shchor, Surah mipnei haor.
We come to chase away the darkness. In our hands are fire and light. Everyone is a little light. All of us together are a firm light (together we shine bright). Go away darkness, go away night. Go away, because of the light!
We have the power to shine light into dark places. The means are at our fingertips. It is up to us to banish the darkness, individually and as a collective. As we step out of Hanukkah, let us not rest in the darkness of winter. Instead, we must remember that we, like our ancestors, are the engineers of miracles. The Midrash asks, Why are lights kindled during Hanukkah? When the sons of Hashmon defeated the Greeks, they entered the Temple and found eight spears of iron, fixed them in the ground, grooved them out and lit lamps on them. (Pesikta Rabbati). If our ancestors can transform weapons of war into signs of holy light, so too can we bring the light into the darkest of places, sharing our sparks, illuminating and transforming the path ahead. May the days to come bring more abundance for all because we make it so.
Shabbat Shalom,
rg
