Shabat Shalom everybody and welcome to my Bat Mitzvah! Thank you to all those who came from near and far to be here with me today. Today, I want to talk to you about the concept of beauty, both inner and outer beauty.
In this week’s Parasha, Toldot, we learn about Jacob and Eisav. Eisav focused only on the outside. He cared mainly about things like power, money, and physical beauty, while Jacob understood that what mattered the most were deeper things like Torah, spirituality, and kindness, and that outer beauty was only of any value when connected to inner beauty as well.
Today is Shabat Mevarchim Kislev, the Shabat that blesses the month of Kislev, which contains the holiday of Chanukah. The story of Chanukah, the struggle between the Jews and the Greeks, is also about this same difference in perspective. The Greeks were all about outer beauty, while the Jews focused mainly on what was on the inside. The miracle of Chanukah represents the victory of light over darkness, the victory of true, inner beauty, which is eternal, over that which is only superficial and temporary.
On this Shabat, may we all open our eyes to see the inner beauty inside each one of us, the beautiful flame that is our soul. Let us then have the courage to shine that light, that beauty, outwards for all to see.
Shabat Shalom
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