Dear Friends,
Did you ever gaze up into the sky at night, look at each constellation, and notice how every little pinpoint of light is an individual star? Some are larger than others, some may be older than others, but each has a specific 'job': to sparkle! From where we observe these stellar patterns in the sky, the details really don't make much difference, although each small part is absolutely essential to create the picture.
Sometimes we go through life, feeling like one of those tiny, insignificant stars, not understanding our own importance in the scheme of things. What does it take to awaken within each and every person, the true importance of his or her existence?
Attending a conference of thousands of rabbis from almost 100 different countries, surrounded by and sharing ideas with so many of my peers of all shapes, sizes, and ages, I realize that the physical differences are of no importance: everyone is important, everyone is contributing, and everyone is bringing light into our lives.
Our Grand Chanukah Parade, planned for December 3, is a similar situation. "My car won't make a difference." "I only have a Ford/ Chev/Escalade/ Truck/ Porsche/Rolls/Toyota/Prius/Jaguar/CooperMini/Cadillac --." Each of you is one of those individual stars: you sparkle! And we need you to create the whole picture! We should never judge our importance or worth in life by our age, size, or status. We all sparkle! Every one of us can support a Menorah and every car is needed to help spread the light and make our Grand Chanukah Parade a sparkling success!
Your weekly presence at Chabad services is just as crucial, when all the prayers from our extended family come together, and when we all enjoy some social time together to review our week with friends. Don't miss it!
Rabbi Fishel