Shabbat Shalom ~ Vayeshev 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

Rabbi Dalton here, and this week I have the privilege of writing to you. Rabbi Arnowitz will be away this Shabbat at a wedding (have a great time, Rabbi Arnowitz!), and we’re trying something new – our clergy will take turns sharing these weekly letters, so you’ll hear different voices, stories, and perspectives in the weeks ahead.

For the past five months, I’ve been participating in a fellowship with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, studying in chevruta (traditional partnered learning) with another rabbi. Each week we discuss a mix of ancient and modern texts, and this week, a poem by Marge Piercy struck me as especially poignant for this busy season. In her poem “The Art of Blessing the Day,” Piercy writes:

This is the blessing for a ripe peach:
This is luck made round. Frost can nip
the blossom, kill the bee. It can drop,
a hard green useless nut. Brown fungus,
the burrowing worm that coils in rot can
blemish it and wind crush it on the ground.
Yet this peach fills my mouth with juicy sun.

There are so many things that vie for our attention – so many worries, fears, and uncertainties. But this peach, Piercy reminds us, is sunshine. This moment, right now, is luck made round.

As Hanukkah approaches (dust off your hanukkiyot – it begins this Sunday evening!), it’s natural to focus on the lights – the candles, the menorah, the glow that pushes back the darkness of winter nights. I want to invite us to consider not just the lights, but the act of noticing them.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel reminds us that “holiness is not in grandeur, but in attention.” In other words, our job this season is simply to be and to bless. When we light a candle (whether on Shabbat or on Hanukkah), we don’t just ignite a wick; we engage our senses, pause our busyness, and witness the fragile flame, offering gratitude for this moment. In that simple attention, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. This is luck made round, that we are here at all.

This practice extends beyond our candlesticks and menorahs to our lives. Small acts of attention are like individual flames. On their own, they may seem modest, but together they illuminate our communities, our homes, and our hearts. Each spark has the potential to grow, inspire, and bring light to where there was darkness.

This is exactly the kind of light we see in our synagogue. Every conversation, song, and shared moment strengthens our community. Hanukkah invites us to notice how we illuminate each other’s lives, even in ordinary moments.

In that spirit, I hope you’ll join us for our Community-Wide Hanukkah Celebration on Monday, December 15th, from 4–6pm. We’ll start with a game show for adults and kids in elementary through high school, while little ones and their grown-ups can jump, sing, and dance at a concert with Matty Roxx. Following a communal Hanukkiyah lighting (bring yours with you – we’ll provide the candles!), we’ll gather for a festive dairy dinner with homemade latkes.

Additional Hanukkah Events:

• Town of Mamaroneck Hanukkah Celebration at Hommocks Ice Skating Rink, Tuesday, December 16th, 3:30-5pm
  Lace up your skates and celebrate with neighbors and friends as our town comes together to light the menorah – a joyful chance to experience Jewish life beyond the synagogue walls.

• Hanukkah Shabbat Extravaganza, Friday, December 19th
  Mark your calendars for a special Friday evening filled with Hanukkah joy! We’ll gather for Preschool Shabbat, a Hanukkah Community Dinner, Rhythm and Ruach, and a Shabbat oneg – an evening designed to nourish heart, mind, and soul, full of song and inspiration that reminds us why Shabbat is our weekly gift of light.

There is a place for each of us to add our light to the community. I hope you’ll join us and shine alongside us this season.

See you in shul,

Rabbi Cornelia Dalton