A photo from our very first High Holiday services in 2003.
Dear Friends,
With the grand opening of our new Big Build approaching, I’ve been taking a little trip down memory lane. When we first came to Naples in 2003, we didn’t know anyone. So we reached out to the local newspaper, made some calls, and sent out a small mailing, hoping to connect with people in the area. One person responded: Barry Weiss
Just one response. We couldn’t even gather the ten needed for a minyan that High Holidays. But that response meant we had someone to get to know, a relationship to begin. Looking back now, I see how much began with that one connection.
This week’s Torah portion brings us into the lives of Abraham and Sarah. G-d promised them descendants as numerous as the stars. Yet when we read about G-d multiplying Abraham’s descendants, the words that follow are, “and gave him Isaac.” One child. After all those years of waiting, after a promise of descendants too numerous to count, one child? How does that add up to all those stars?
There is a message here for every parent, every educator, and each of us. G-d gave them one child, and from that child an entire Jewish nation emerged, bringing light and blessing to the world through generations. Think about what that means when we look at a child, or at any person. We see one individual. We cannot yet see all the lives they will touch, the good they will do, or what might grow from the care we give them today.
That is how our mentor, the Rebbe, taught us to look at every person. A whole world stands before you. Give that person your attention. Build that relationship. Share that mitzvah. You have no idea how far one encounter can reach or what it might set in motion.
Back in 2003, we didn’t have to know what Naples would look like 23 years later. We had someone to welcome right then. Maybe that’s the secret to remembering people’s names. But I’m not giving away all my secrets today! Every person brings something precious, and each deserves to know and feel they belong.
It is the same in our flourishing preschool. Every child is a beautiful child of G-d, a whole world with gifts and possibilities we are only beginning to discover. When we see a child that way, it changes how we listen, how we teach, and how much care we give. A question deserves our patience. A small achievement deserves our excitement. That child deserves to know how much they matter. That is the secret of how Chabad Naples and our preschool have grown: one person, one child, one relationship at a time. Just don’t tell anyone!
As Ettie and I look forward to our grand opening, I think about all the individual people and relationships that have brought us here. I also think about someone walking through our doors for the first time and finding a friend, a place to learn, or a sense of belonging. Each of you matters, and each of you is part of what makes this a home. Come join us as we celebrate together! www.naplesbigbuild.com
With so much darkness and uncertainty in the world today, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder what difference one person can possibly make. But start with the person in front of you. Make that one call. Do that one mitzvah. Bring a little light into someone’s day. You don’t have to figure out what it will mean 23 years from now.
Perhaps this can be the Shabbat you set aside the noise and negativity and spend time with your family. Sit together, listen, let a child finish the story. Give the people beside you your attention. One Shabbat, one conversation, one act of kindness. You never know what it might begin.
Wishing you and your family a peaceful and meaningful Shabbat.
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos
Reva Gertel wrote...