Women and girl power
I would like to share a remarkable story that happened to a childhood friend of mine from Detroit Avraham Berkowitz, today a prominent rabbi who works at Chabad’s global headquarters in New York (On Twitter @GlobalRabbi).
In the early 90’s, he and a friend traveled to Alaska to seek out Jews in remote communities. On one occasion, they came to a small city in the northwest part of the state. The mayor told them that he knew of no Jews in the city, but invited them to give a talk to the students at the local school. They shared Jewish teachings with the fourth through eighth-grade students. The students performed a few Eskimo dances for them, and they performed a Chasidic dance in return.
Knowing that their mission was to find Jews, he asked the students, “Did any of you ever meet a Jew?”
One girl raised her hand.
“Who did you meet?” Avraham asked her.
“My mother,” the girl answered. “She’s right there.” She pointed to the school’s fifth grade teacher.
After the class, the mother was visibly moved and thanked him for coming.
“I must tell you that living here I don’t know if my daughter will ever meet another rabbi again. I ask you to give my daughter a message so that she will always be proud of her Jewish identity.”
My friend’s mind was racing. He knew he only had these few minutes, but what should he say? He realized that whatever he says, he must empower this girl Jewishly. He started to speak to the girl about the holiness of the Sabbath, the day which Jews dedicate to God: “And who ushers in Shabbat? It is mothers and daughters who light the Shabbat candles. They bring peace and light into the world”
He then asked her: “Where is the first place in the world where the sun sets?” The girl knew geography, and she said, ‘Probably New Zealand or Australia.’”
And Avraham told her: “That’s right. Jewish mothers in New Zealand and Australia are the first to usher in Shabbat. And then Shabbat is ushered in with lit candles in Asia, in Israel, in Europe, and then New York, Chicago, Seattle, Anchorage. And even then, there is one part of the world where the sun has not yet set. Here in the Yupik territory of Alaska. When mothers and daughters around the globe have welcomed the Shabbat, G-d and the Jewish people are still waiting for you, the last Jewish girl in the world, to light the Shabbat candles.”
That girl still lights Shabbat candles today.
---
Our Sages tell us that our matriarch Sarah (who we learn about this week) had a deep spiritual power. This was manifested in several ways, primarily by the fact that each week she would light a candle in honor of Shabbat and in a miraculous way, her flame continued to burn, and gave light throughout the following week.
Ever since then Jewish women and girls light candles in their homes on Friday evening before dark, ushering in the magical Shabbat energy.
In this spirit, at Wednesday Hebrew School this week, the students learned all about Shabbat candles and the mission of the Jew to bring light into the world. They decorated elegant frames to place next to their Shabbat candles. These frames have the necessary instructions and blessing for lighting Shabbat candles.
If this special Mitzvah is not yet a tradition in your home, this week is a great time to consider introducing it to your home as a Friday evening ritual (today in Houston we light candles at 5:09pm). Click here for a video tutorial and intructions.
Who can’t use more light in their life?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky
