The Sisterhood Scoop
Volume I Number 40 – December 8, 2018
Now Accepting NEW and Renewal Sisterhood Memberships for 2019
NHBZ Sisterhood is aiming for 100% participation by all NHBZ women.
Annual Sisterhood Dues – $25 Join NOW, avoid the January rush!
BOOK CLUB MEMBERS… Don’t forget…
The next meeting of the NHBZ Sisterhood Book Club is on Monday, December 17, 7:15-8:45 PM at the home of Rhonnie Goldfader. Contact Rhonnie to RSVP and to get directions: 314-434-5068 or rhonnieg@sbcglobal.net The December book is: The Sisters Weiss, by Naomi Ragen, a novel about sisters in 1950’s Brooklyn, complete with intergenerational drama, culture clash, religion, identity, loyalty, and love! For those who like to read ahead, the next Book Club meeting is February 25 at the home of Trudy Sudin, and the book selection is: The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, by David I. Kertzer – compiled from Stone Chumash (Vayeitzei) and aish.org
ALL WOMEN WELCOME TO JOIN US! FOR MORE INFO CONTACT Fran Alper
Lights that Distinguish
Adapted from Our Many Colored Selves, Our Singular Holiness, by Elana Mizrahi
Jewish women can be tall, short, brunette, blonde, brilliant or not – a very diverse people. So, what makes a Jewish woman Jewish? What makes her part of the Jewish nation? What makes her different than anyone else? It’s her soul!
In the winter months, the nights are long, the days are short. It’s a time governed by darkness. In the dark, it’s very hard to make distinctions.
When the Greeks ruled over Israel, they had a mission: Extinguish holy light and make everyone the same. One of the things they outlawed was the observance of the Sabbath. Why? What bothered them so much about the Sabbath?
Shabbat is the holy light that distinguishes. When a woman lights candles on Friday night, she’s making a distinction. She separates the holy from mundane, for herself and her entire household. With those candles, she illuminates the darkness, and brings out the inherent beauty of herself and each member in her home. “Here,” she says, “in this Jewish home . . . here, we stop.” The world might be filled with darkness—a darkness that overshadows each one of our beautiful internal lights, our souls—but in this home, not only is there the internal light of everyone’s soul but here, we can see it!
This is what the Greeks tried to destroy. They tried to destroy our holy light. They tried to destroy what makes us different and beautiful.
King Solomon writes: “The soul of man is G‑d’s candle” (Proverbs 20:27). Each Jewish soul is a light that has the potential to illuminate its surroundings—to illuminate the entire world. When we light the menorah’s candles on Chanukah, we reclaim the light that they tried to extinguish. When we usher the Sabbath in each week with the lighting of candles, we’re making a statement. We’re opening our homes and our hearts to holiness—a holiness that is already there, but that we don’t openly exhibit all the time.
This light shows the world that yes, we are unique, we are different. We are beautiful, and we are holy. – at Chabad.org/theJewishWoman
For information or to join Sisterhood, call the NHBZ office at 314-991-2100, ext. 3, or email: sisterhood@nhbz.org
