Rabbi Helman's Ramble:
The other week I was driving down the street and I noticed the many trees laying out on the tree lawn waiting to be picked up. Since we were toward the end of the holiday season, this made a lot of sense, but then I hit the brakes (not the real brakes because the car behind me would not have been too happy, but I hit my mental brakes!). We had just finished the holiday of Chanukah and where was my menorah now? Was it mindlessly put back in my china closet, waiting for for next year, or did I take the time to internalize its message? This year we learned in our bar mitzvah class that you don't have to be the president of the great US of A to make a difference. Just like the little jug of oil, which was barely enough for one night, lasted for eights nights instead, defeating all the odds; and just like the little band of Jews united under one banner and defeated the Greek army, so too we can make a difference with one small act. It doesn't have to make the headlines to make a difference! This past Sunday at our SLAM program at Whirlyball I saw this message hit home. My seven-year-old son, Yosef Yehuda, came along, and he was a little nervous to try the laser tag in the beginning. So he was just hanging out watching the kids have a great time playing Whirlyball, when an older boy and his dad saw him and offered for him to play some air hockey with the boy who was six years older. Let me tell you, he had a great time! I didn't actually see this happen, but when my wife, Adina, was putting him to sleep that night he said to her: "This kid played air hockey with me and I had the best time in the world! I even got so many goals!" See, you never know what might "light up" another person's life! So let's all keep the glow of those Chanukah candles burning within us, letting the small glow make a big difference! Especially through the long cold Cleveland winter!
Have a great Shabbos,
Rabbi Chaim Helman