You may have noticed that our weekly email is late this week, and has arrived after Shabbat, rather than before.
On Friday, we celebrated our daughter Bella's 3rd birthday, and with it, the very first time she lit the Shabbat candles.
Please enjoy this video of Bella preparing for Shabbat!
As a young girl begins her journey through life, she has dreams and aspirations of changing the world, making an impact, doing monumental things. But the thought may occur to her, how can I? The world is so big, the da
rkness so intense. How can my candle illuminate beyond my immediate circle? How can the warmth penetrate the sometimes frigid atmosphere that surrounds us? How can I hope to transform an entire complex world?
So she lights her Shabbat candle. A single flame. Yet a radiant one. And the nature of light is that it attracts. Everyone wants to be next to the campfire. Light does not remain lonely for long. And so a wick shows up nearby. A quick transfer of light later, and the impact has doubled.
Before long, a veritable army of light has emerged, ready to take on any dark forces out there. And as we all march with our candles held high and flames burning brightly, the darkness can sense: it doesn't stand a chance.
It's this message of empowerment that we want Bella to take as she lights her Shabbat candle every week. Yes, she can light up the world, one brilliantly shining flame at a time.
ב"ה