This past Tuesday night I was in Willamsburg, NY to participate in a Rabbinic Panel at the dinner for an organization called Mikvah USA. Our community Mikvah benefited from the generosity of Mikvah USA as part of the gorgeous renovation.
I was asked, along with three other Rabbis, to share with the donors and attendees how the renovation has benefited our community. I also conveyed our gratitude for thinking of their fellow Jews in a community that is so far away from their familiar surroundings in New York. It was an incredible experience and I plan to share some more details this coming Shabbat morning.
Last Shabbat in shul I addressed the topic of Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the name of Hashem (and it’s opposite, Chillul Hashem). We discussed its various meanings and applications, from the strict definition in Halacha of giving one’s life for certain mitzvoth to the broader usage of behaving in a certain way that will bring honor to oneself, one’s parents and teachers and ultimately to God.
I noted three of aspects of Kiddush Hashem:
- It applies in private just as in public
- It relates to every Jewish person, whether welcomed or not
- It impacts one’s entire sense of being and legacy and not simply isolated actions
I related this to what we can learn from the recent news of Donald Sterling. Attention has been paid to his being Jewish whether or not he identifies as such; he is paying the price for words that were said in private; and his entire legacy can besmirched by his words and actions.
We can learn from this to have true integrity whereby the values that we hold dear will be adhered to in practice in all venues. And to put a positive spin on this: just as there is potential for Chilul Hashem, there is even more potential for Kiddush Hashem.
We as Jews can be role models and live lives that our children will be proud of, the type of lives that even when we are gone will stand as a testimonial to what it means to live to bring honor to our family and community and to God. This was certainly something we had in mind over the course of Yom Hazikaron, when we remembered those who gave their lives for our country and our people.
This coming Shabbat…
Mazel Tov to Yosef and Daniella Silver and family on the birth of a baby girl. We will have the special opportunity to announce her Hebrew name in shul this Shabbat morning during Torah reading.
Perek in the Park will continue this week with Chapter 3, with shul members once again sharing in the presentation of individual mishnayot.
This coming week….
Special opportunity to hear SIR Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenblatt, next Friday morning at 8:15am at HBHA Rabbi Rosenblatt will speak over coffee at Ram’s Café on “Parenting the Powerful Child.” As many of you who have heard Rabbi Rosenblatt speak can attest, you will not want to miss this opportunity!