A CHANUKAH & NEW YEARS MESSAGE FROM RABBI RICK

January 1, 2006 1 Tevet 5756 7th Day of Chanukah

Dear all members of the Ami Shalom community,

We find ourselves in a special moment, in the final days of our Chanukah celebration (which includes the new moon, the start of the Hebrew month of Tevet) and at the beginning of a new secular year. Chanukah, which means “dedication,” commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean victory. This victory was, in many ways, one over secularism and assimilation. We all know that embracing our Jewish identity and living an active, committed, Jewish life in the San Gabriel Valley is not an easy undertaking. It takes real resolve, a desire to make room for a part of our lives that the larger culture makes it so easy to forget or ignore. Even by just reading this message, each one of us is making a little more room for Jewish light to shine into our worlds. As many of us have been lighting Chanukah candles this past week, I hope that we can all continue to find ways to illuminate our consciousness with an awareness of our Jewish community, our sacred cycles of the calendar, and the amazing opportunities we have at Ami Shalom to bring a Torah-based sense of meaning and fulfillment into our lives.

A thriving future at Ami Shalom is largely about surviving in the face of a secular world. Our small candles at a time of great darkness—like the small army of Maccabees in the face of larger, oppressive forces—symbolize our own important victory of the few over the many. Although our community is small and our resources limited, our flame continues to burn. I want to thank all of you for your involvement in these efforts, whether that has included checking our website or reading our e-mails, attending services, adult education programs, or social action activities, or observing Jewish customs and rituals within the home. Each of us contributes to this ongoing victory.

However, it is important for us to see our effort not so much as one of conflict with the larger world, but rather as one of opportunity for integration. Just as the Judaism we inherited was unquestionably changed through its encounter with Greek and other forms of Western culture, we can continue to light our candles with a sense of both cultural uniqueness and cooperation with the greater American culture of which we are a part. New Years is a perfect example of this cooperation. Although we already began our Jewish year back at Rosh HaShanah, we all feel the deep effect of the secular calendar on our psyche. We cannot ignore the fact that the dawning of 2006 is another chance for us to recommit to the values we hold dear, to being better people and more active participants in the exciting Jewish renaissance that is taking place at Ami Shalom. I would like to challenge and encourage all of us to rededicate ourselves in new ways, to take the spirit of Chanukah into this new year and cast our light forward for ongoing success. Please pay close attention to the various activities and events that we are offering and make an effort to be more involved. I would love to see you and I know that your unique light with allow our collective flame to burn even brighter.

With blessings for a joyful conclusion to Chanukah and a peaceful new year,
Rabbi Rick