Welcome to Embrace Shabbat.
We have mentioned in the past that Shabbat is our opportunity to advertise G-d to the world and that whoever keeps Shabbat becomes a partner with G-d in creation.
One Friday night, a great Rabbi was asked to give a bracha to a person that was deathly ill. He replied that the person should wait until after Kiddush because at that point, the Rabbi would become a partner with G-d in creation and would have the right to voice his opinion.
Every Friday night, we become a partner with G-d in creation and have the chance to voice our opinion! This opportunity is especially important before Rosh Hashana, when G-d recreates the world for us- we want to become a partner with G-d in creation!
This seems like an impossible task. The world was created so long ago; didn’t we miss our opportunity?
Although the person advertising for a company is not producing or selling, he still can get a share in the business. Rabbi Adess gives a mashal of three partners: one works in production, one works in sales, and one works in advertising. At the end of the year, they split the profits equally. Someone protests, “but the person advertising has nothing to do with the product!” He answers, “You are right, but if not for the advertising, no one would be buying the product.”
The Jewish people are the advertisers of G-d- we do things to spread G-d’s word.
- Pepsi is also advertising! If Coke doesn't advertise, then Pepsi is going to advertise against them.
- People forget. They are fickle.
- There is always an emerging market. There are new people that didn’t hear about it.
The same three concepts apply to our job of advertising:
- There is a world outside that is advertising that there is no g-d.
- People forget.
- What about the children? They are the emerging market!
We can do so many different things to spread G-d’s word. And it doesn’t necessarily need to cost a lot of money! Last week, we raised over $25,000 to give out books on Emunah and Bitachon.
Giving out books is such a great way to advertise our message. Each year, there is a fellow in our community, Mr. Avi Ben Dayan, who gives out thousands of copies of the book Aleppo: City of Scholars to graduating classes so that they can learn about their heritage. His brother, Mr. Charlie Ben Dayan, also gives out children’s books every single year to graduating preschoolers so that children can read about their heritage.
If anyone is interested in giving out books to organizations, you can send me an email at rabbisutton@gmail.com to give a pledge. Just last week, people sent $5,000, $2,600, or $1,800 because of these videos. BH people are generous at the end of the year and it is a great zechut to give children books on Shabbat or Emunah.
Have a Shabbat Shalom and a good year. We should only share good things together.