* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Many years ago, a rabbi came to Alaska and was lecturing about Judaism at a local public school. At the conclusion of his talk, he turned to the students and asked them: “Is there anyone here who is Jewish?”.
One little girl raised her hand and said, “I am.” The rabbi was very moved to discover a Jew in this remote city, but he didn’t know what to say to her. He was in a hurry to catch his flight home, and he wondered what message he could possibly give her that would give her strength in such a far-flung place. How could he connect her to her heritage with just a few brief words?
Suddenly, he had an idea. “You probably know,” he said to the girl, “that every Friday night we welcome Shabbat by lighting the Shabbat candles around the world. The circle begins in Australia, several hours later it continues in Israel, then it goes on to France and Britain, and a few hours later we light the candles in New York. The very last place where the candles are lit is in Alaska. After most of the world is already glowing with the light of Shabbat, we wait for you to light the last candles and to complete the task of lighting up the entire world. From now on, it is up to you and your mother to complete the circle!”.
This week’s parasha, Terumah, opens with the lighting of the menorah, “to kindle the lamp continually.” Our Sages explain that each one of us is called upon to light his or her fire in the world.
While it’s true that we are not that isolated girl in Alaska, this story reminds us that we are all tasked with the mission of bringing that unique light that only we can bring to our corner of the world.
