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Long/Short Shabbat Shalom, Happy Chanukah From Bangkok!

Friday, 20 December, 2019 - 4:19 am

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

CHANUKA IS AROUND THE CORNER. 

THIS SUNDAY NIGHT IS THE FIRST NIGHT OF CHANUKA.

We have a big COMMUNITY CHANUKAH PARTY on Sunday afternoon at the Landmark Hotel

The largest Jewish event of the year in Bangkok is undoubtedly the Community Chanukah Party. 

If you take a little tour at the international Chanuka Events directory you will see that Chanukah is intensely celebrated around the world. 

Very possibly Chanukah is the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday. 

It’s certainly the most ‘outgoing’ and ‘publicly displayed’ holiday!

Not at all limited to the Synagogue or even to the confines of the home. Chanukah goes out to the streets. Literally. 

Click here to see some of the things that make Chanukah such a special holiday. And here if like me you love the ‘oh Chanuka’ song.

The Chanukah Menorah lighting is a mitzvah that is universally celebrated. Almost every Jewish person I know, celebrates Chanukah by kindling lights. 

It provides a GIANT LEAP. 

A ‘turbo-charged’ boost of Jewishness. 

It ignites our Jewish souls. 

Bolsters our Jewish pride.

Empowers us to illuminate the darkness.

It’s a Mitzvah that we bring to the streets to proclaim that G-d made miracles for us at this season of the year.  

When we celebrate communally and publicly the effect is extremely powerful.

For many kids, their first Jewish memory is Chanukah. The kindling of candles, the giving and receiving of chanukah ‘gelt’ (money gifts), the sizzling latkes, the jelly filled donuts, all of these things come together and allow the child to absorb the vitality and energy of Judaism in a joyous and fun way.

BOTTOM LINE:

PLEASE JOIN US IF YOU ARE IN BANGKOK at our community celebration.

WHEREVER YOU ARE, KINDLE LIGHTS ON SUNDAY and the subsequent seven nights. You can even make a makeshift menorah or line up ‘tea-lights’ in a straight line and kindle them. DIY MENORAH LIGHTING

And treat your kids to Chanukah Gelt, edible treats and most importantly the gift of your TIME AND ATTENTION. Gather around the candles with your children and together with them, gaze at the candles and listen to the stories that the candles share (ahem, put away that phone…). 

If we listen carefully to the flames they will tell us a story - a story that empowers us to live a more meaningful life, enabling us to rise up against challenge and overcome difficulty. 

Shabbat Shalom

& Happy Chanukah!!!

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PS before I sign off… there was a little thought I wanted to share.

It was sparked by a terrible piece of news that I got from a friend who just found out that he is basically broke. To make a long story short. He had placed his ‘nest-egg’ that he intended to retire on, in the hands of an expert elderly investor. The returns on the stock investments were way up in the double digits. Things were great in the beginning. His money was making nice money. Till a year ago. Turns out that the elderly investor had some ‘senior moments. He managed to lose almost all the money in the same stock markets that he had previously made money. My heart goes out to my friend and I pray that G-d shower him with blessings so that he once more be comfortable and well-off. 

It got me thinking. In making money there is a short way. And there is a long way. 

There is a joke about getting rich quick:

‘When asked how I made my fortune the answer is, I collected used cans from the garbage bins, brought them to the recycling plant, did that for three years...Then my uncle died and left me five hundred million dollars…’

Today, getting rich quick it is not such a joke. And nobody needs to die. 

All you need to do is create the right app. 

Like the Google guys. Wow, they have really catapulted to the top.

Or make the right lucky investments and presto, overnight you could be raking in the money. Just like had happened to my friend. Initially.

It works for many people.

I will call that the ‘short way’. 

There is also a ‘long way’.

The old-fashioned way of buying and selling, turning a reasonable profit year after year, losing some customers getting some customers, that takes much longer. 

There is an upside and a downside to both. 

The upside to making it big quickly is that you can achieve your financial aspirations more quickly and successfully.

The downside is that if your vehicle for success falls through, you may find yourself with nothing left to rely on.

Really, the best thing is a healthy combination. 

Invest in some things that are solid and have gradual growth, like trying to own a house for example. And then open yourself up to some opportunities that have the possibility for growth. Like a (smallish) investment in something with great potential. You never know, you may hit the jackpot. 

I am not a financial advisor and am only using finances as an analogy. I certainly am not judging my friend. I feel for him and an amazed at how he is accepting this financial catastrophe with such level-headedness and faith in G-d. 

My mission is to motivate people to a deeper connection with G-d, His Torah and Mitzvahs. 

In Torah and Mitvahs there is the long way and short way as well.

There are some mitzvahs and Jewish experiences that contribute to the relationship building with G-d in a methodical, dependable and gradually increasing way. Like saying the Shma daily for example. Rain or shine, mundane Wednesday or holy Yom Kippur, it is a mitzva to recite the Shma every morning and every evening. Studying Torah and increasing your appreciation of G-d’s Wisdom is a process that takes time and efforts. No short cuts. It is the long way.

Then there are some mitzvahs’ that are incredibly inspirational. That cause us to have a strong feeling of affinity and even love to G-d.

There are some mitzvahs that generate such intense positive Jewish emotions that they are like inheriting great wealth without working for it. 

The Chanukah holiday and its associated mitzvahs seems to me to be the ‘short way’ that catapults a Jew to soaring heights of spirituality.

It uncovers within the Jew the jar of oil that has not been tainted and can never been tainted. The quintessential Jewish spark is always there. It but awaits being activated. 

Chanukah activates the Jewish soul in a fantastic way.

From my experience, the observance of Chanukah serves as a ‘gateway mitzvah’ and really fan the flames of Jewishness in the heart and soul of every single Jew. 

This is why I am prepared so spend considerable funds to make the Chanukah party accessible and inviting. Not even taking the chance to charge an entrance fee. Just in case paying a fee will deter a Jew from coming.

I would like to ask you to please think for a few moments about fellow Jews who may not be planning to celebrate Chanukah and invite them to a Chanukah event and inspire them to kindle their own menorah at home.

We need to observe all kinds of Mitzvahs. 

The exciting once-a-year ones, and the consistent everyday ones. Keep on saying the Shma daily. And come get fired up by an inspiring Chanukah event! 

A healthy blend of ‘short path and long path’ will yield the best results for both body and soul!!!

HAPPY CHANUKA

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PPS Please bring as many Jewish friends as possible to our community party! (If you are able, You can help sponsor this event, I am counting on the generosity of my fellow Jews who recognize the enormous importance of this event).


 



 


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