I work for the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado and being a Jewish organization, we begin every meeting with a bissel Torah (a bit of Torah learning). We call them d'vars (though, the correct way to make d'var plural in Hebrew would be Divrei). A d'var is general a talk on a section of Torah. More often than not, our divrei are on current topics in Israel or America or relating to holidays or a teaching we recently heard or saw. This is the d'var I gave at our all staff meeting on December 2nd. I wanted to talk about Chanukah, the weekly parsha (Torah portion), our Chanukah ephilanthropy and a project our staff was engaged in. A lot to tie together but I think I did alright. Let me know what you think:
I want to start today's dvar by introducing you to our Chanukkah Campaign. Everyday heroes. Heroes don't always wear capes or leap tall buildings in a single bound. Heroes are people who make a difference everyday. Our donors are heroes. You are a hero when you help an elderly woman with her groceries. When you pick up a fallen object for someone. It can often be the small acts that are more impact-ful then the grand ones. Every time you think outside your box, every time you do something for someone else that is beyond what you would normally do, you are a hero. We are all heroes.What does being a hero have to do with Chanukkah, you ask? There are so many layers. The word Chanukah means dedication, as in the time that the Jews took to rededicate the Temple after it had been desecrated instead of celebrating their military victory. Dedication is a key part of being a hero. Dedication to self, to values, to things that make you passionate, and to other human beings.The true story of Chanukkah is not the story of the mythical miracle of the oil lasting 8 days, no it is the story of the Maccabees, the guerrilla army that defeated an army 10, 20 times it's size. It's of every day men who decided that the oppression of their freedom was just not acceptable any longer. It's the story of passion and compassion. Passion and compassion are key parts of being a hero.In observance of Chanukkah, we light candles every night. We illuminate the darkest days of the year with our candles and illuminate the darkest parts of our soul as well. It's the inner light that reminds us of the continuity of past, present, and future. A hero lights the path for others, goes first into the darkness to ensure others safety, and never forgets where he or she came from. Our past colors our future and molds our present. Heroes respect that connection.In this week's parsha, Vayeitzay, we get the overview of the future of the Jewish people. Jacob makes a pact G-d, meets and marries Rachel and Leah, and father's 13 children... with children who are to be the future of the Jewish people... children who are in their own rights, heroes.So today, we look back at our past and are thankful that Jacob, Yaakov, made the tough decisions that he made. And we look back at the Maccabees, descendents of Jacob, and are thankful they made tough decisions to free the Jewish people from an oppressive regime.And we look forward to the Jewish future where tough decisions will be required of us and our children... We must then look upon ourselves today. What can I do today to positively impact tomorrow, either for my children or for other people's children? Well as the Federation, our campaign supports many, many Jewish people all over the world... and as a staff we will be directly impacting two families with an incredible need. So I will wrap this dvar up by saying this... if you haven't already, please speak to Lisa Soicher about how you can be a hero to these two families for Christmas that we have adopted from JFS, and remember... every action counts.
