We wrapped up Chanukah with an inspiring Menorah lighting in downtown Bozeman with 200+ in attendance along with Senator Tim Sheehy and his family, MSU President Brock Tessman and his family and Bozeman Police Chief Jim Veltkamp. The mood was one of resilience, warmth and Jewish pride. On Sunday-Monday we also ran our 36-hour annual year-end fundraiser (if you haven’t had a chance to donate, you still can, click here) with over 300 individual donors including from Ilene and Heshy, two unrelated Jews who always donate in gratitude to my mother of blessed memory. Ilene used to work in Bloomingdales and befriended my mom back in the late 90’s when she’d shop there. Heshy is a five-star event planner foodie and when he was very young, he met my mother and enjoyed her awesome chocolate chip cookies with a taste of her heart of gold.

They always memorialize her, and it means so much to me.

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayigash, we read about Joseph reuniting with his brothers and with his father Jacob. It’s a very emotional tale that spans multiple Torah portions, but when studying the Midrash, it becomes clear that Joseph’s bond with his mother, despite her passing when he was just a kid, was solid. He yearned for her; she remained vivid in his mind and even more so in his heart. The Sefer HaYashar teaches that when Joseph was being led to Egypt after being sold by his brothers, he passed Bethlehem where his mother Rachel was buried and “he ran to the grave, and he ‎fell upon it and wept. And Joseph cried out loudly upon his mother's grave, saying: Oh, my ‎mother, my mother, thou who gavest me birth, awake and arise now to see thy son sold into ‎slavery with no one to have compassion upon him….And Joseph heard a voice speaking unto him ‎from under the ground, answering him in bitterness of heart in a voice of weeping and prayer…”. She comforted him, guided him and encouraged him.

Tonight is my mother’s 15th Yahrtzait. Yesterday, my siblings and I visited her resting place in New York, along with her two NY-based siblings, Kraindy and Shmuly. Standing near her grave, my sister and I were chatting about how close she felt, yet how distant it all seemed. Fifteen years Is a long time; we miss her but perhaps not as much. We think about her but perhaps not as often. We feel her in our heart but with a little less pain. Joseph lived life, built a family, had a good work ethic, and eventually ran a country; he wasn’t numb or stuck. Yet, at his core he was a personification of his mother, and she remained etched in his heart, and, along with Jacob, guided his turbulent life.

I miss you my Yiddishe Mame; keep smiling at me from heaven!

Hope to make you proud and live in sync with your values.

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

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We cry. We mourn. We comfort.

And then we do what the Jewish people do best, we shine.

From Moonlight Basin to the Capitol in Helena, from Livingston Depot to the Bozeman Airport, our Menorahs are brighter than ever before. As I gazed at the 160+ attendees at our annual Chanukah Bash I witnessed first-hand what is the miracle of Klal Yisroel. Yes, the kids enjoyed making Chanukah crafts, as we sang songs, lit menorah, and enjoyed the open bar and Chavie’s incredible delicacies, but it was the warmth and spirit of those in the room that lifted me up to a deeper recognition that we will never be broken, we will shine for eternity.

In this week’s Torah portion, Miketz, we read about Joseph interpreting the dreams of the Pharaoh and subsequently being appointed as Egypt’s Prime Minster. Joseph’s story seems to be the story of the Jew. When the world needs us to innovate, to lead, to enhance, to shine, to educate, to fix, to solve, they all know where to find us. When they need our wisdom, when they want our technology, when they seek to learn from our experiences, they are “experts” in bringing the Jew on board. Yet the jealousy of the haters knows no bounds, so when they finally think that they have “made it”, when they are certain that they have “figured it out”, they attempt to spit us out or enslave us. We are always grateful to the countless gentiles that stand with, and defend, the Jew, but the haters on the right and the left have internalized the Pharaoh mentality, use the Jew when it’s helpful to you and be an ingrate when you don’t need them anymore.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Reuven Morrison, Matilda Britvan, and all the others murdered for the crime of celebrating Chanukah in their beloved Sydney, were gunned down because the forces of darkness can’t stand Jewish light. Western governments must do their part to recognize where there is a hate problem that leads to violence against Jews and Western Civilization. We Jews must do our part to reaffirm our commitment to Torah Values, sharing the light of our Jewish faith 24/7, and increasing our Jewish visibility in our communities. Our hearts ache for the families sitting Shiva, but we will turn our mourning into enthusiasm, continuing the legacy of those who have perished and shine their light until the coming of Mashiach.

Am Yisroel is legit Chai!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

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