Being Brave

Being Brave is … the theme of the new Jewish month of Kislev. Being brave to stand strong in one’s values, one’s faith, one’s integrity. This month contains the holiday of Chanukah which took place in 139 BCE. The mystical energy of Chanukah infuses this time period year after year. It is an energy of courage, of the power of light over darkness, of miracles, and of the victory of the spirit over the physical, the ‘weak’ over the ‘strong.’
Even on this day of history in the year 2008, there was an incredible act of bravery. A Jewish religious center (Chabad house) in Mumbai, India was brutally taken over and attacked by terrorists. Rabbi and Rebbetzin Holtzberg’s young 2 year old son sat crying over the slain bodies of his parents. His nanny, Sandra Samuel, who had been hiding in the basement overheard his cries, ran up the stairs and grabbed him at a risk to her life. She rushed out of the building thereby saving him. They were flown to Israel where she continued to help raise him and be a substantial influence on his life. She is a very brave soul indeed. 

1st day of the Jewish month of Kislev – the month of Being Brave