Our holy Yom Tov of light, Chanukah, began enveloped in darkness. As we were still in the midst of our erev Chanukah preparations, our brothers and sisters gathered on Bondi beach in Australia to celebrate the first night of this Yom Tov. Beautiful, innocent, and holy souls brutally and indiscriminately taken from their families, their people, and this world. As the names were released and the life-narratives shared, we began to feel the true enormity of the loss. Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor who came to celebrate with his family, Rabbi Elie Schlanger, a dynamic and inspirational community leader and father of five, Matilda Britvan, 10 years old, the youngest victim of this terrible attack who was playing with her six year old sister in the moment she was brutally murdered, described by her family and friends as a “bright and loving soul who taught us that true goodness is in the love and compassion we share.”
There are more, more stories to tell, more lives cut tragically short, more pain than we can imagine. Yet, in all of this, what is truly amazing (and this is the same dynamic which I find after every horrific attack against our people) are the individual stories which emerge. Outside of the Jewish community of Syndey, most of us would have never known the names of these precious neshamos. We would never have heard their stories or understood their impact. Yet, they each had impact. Whether in 10 years or 86 years – each of these people had impact. They truly made a difference in the lives of those around them and now their stories, their legacies will inspire us to be better. This reminds us of an ever-important lesson – we each have more impact than we can imagine. We go through life thinking that at most we impact ourselves, perhaps our immediate family, and at times our community. We fail to realize that the little things we do – have dramatic impact far beyond anything we can imagine. Our mitzvos, our compassion, empathy, and love for the other. Our davening, our learning all send ripples of light throughout the universe. What we do makes a difference even if we can’t see or measure it.
On Chanukah it is customary to play dreidel. Different insights and reasons are offered regarding this ancient game. The great Chassidic masters explain that the dreidel is no mere game; it is a metaphor for the impact we can have. One small flick of the wrist can send the dreidel spinning for a prolonged amount of time. One small act can generate a tremendous amount of holiness. The path to self-actualization need not begin with spiritual heroism. Sometimes, one small action, one small change can send me spinning in a wholly new direction. One small act can have an impact far beyond our imagination. We all want to change the world. We need to change the world. There is too much darkness, too much pain and sadness. Yet, we often feel powerless. How can one small person change a vast world? The answer is the dreidel. One small action can create so much incredible energy. We can change the world – it just happens one small spiritual flick of the wrist at a time.
The stories of those we lost on the first night of Chanukah will continue to inspire, their impact will IYH become known, and they will inspire us to recognize and appreciate the impact we can have.
