DEDICATION

Dear Family,

Hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov to Hirshy and Mariasha on their upcoming Anniversary next week. Wishing you many more Happy years together.

Mazal Tov to Zalmy on your birthday next week. Are you going to be in London for your birthday? Wishing you continuing success in all the good things you are doing.

Mazal Tov again to Avi and Penina for the pidyan haben this week which I heard was beautiful BH. Nice to see a picture of Brian and Sharon there! Wishing you much nachas.

In this week's Sedra Behaalosecha, Hashem instructs Mosheh to tell Aaron, that whenever he lights the lamps of the Menorah, he should HOLD THE FIRE TO THE WICK UNTIL IT REMAINED BURNING STEADILY ON IT'S OWN.

Spiritually this means, that when we light the flame of our Soul (or the Soul of another),we should not just deliver some quick inspiration and then move on.

We should rather remain near, nurturing the Soul's flame, until it becomes a steady and self-reliant glow (Likutei Sichos Vol 2 p316)

A connected story from this past week

For the past few months or maybe even a year we had some seagulls moving into our street and living on top of the chimney of a house opposite us.

I love the sounds of seagulls and watching them, I think because it reminds of being by the sea-side.

Anyway, last week, on the second day of Shavuos, we were coming back from shul and we saw this amazing sight - a baby seagull which looks like it had just recently been hatched was sitting on top of a van which was parked in front of the 'house of the seagulls' - It had probably fallen out of it's nest.

Now mommy seagull was frantic because lots of people walk up and down Leweston Place all day and all night, for those who know Stamford Hill.

She was either sitting with the baby on top of the van, or swooping down on people she was suspicious of and making a huge racket.

Daddy seagull was sitting on top of the chimney warily watching out at all that was going on, and then also keeping guard when mommy seagull would go and look for food.

Of course she was also feeding her cute little spotted baby.

This was in the day - the whole day she was active.

When night came along, and as mentioned many people walk past the whole night, she continued with her guarding. I don't think she slept the whole night, and many times during the night, I heard squawkings. It seems that seagulls can't pick up their babies and so junior remained on top of the van!

Now all of our neighbours, who of course wanted to help, could not do anything , because we would have been attacked if we would try and touch the baby, and I personally was wondering what was going to happen the next day when the van owner comes to run his business? (the van owners were non-Jewish workers)

Friday morning, sure enough, I am on my way to shul, and there is a huge commotion in the sky.

Mommy and daddy seagull have called up reserves and there are about 6 seagulls squawking and attack diving people at the van. There are 2 bald headed workers inside the van, and another 2 bald headed workers ducking down under a hedge by the pavement with tool-boxes over their heads to protect themselves from the swooping seagulls!

I think the 2 workers on the pavement must have put the baby in a nice cardboard box with a flap to allow access, and placed this box on a ledge above the front door of the seagull's home.

And so when I came back from shul, I saw mommy seagull happily sitting next to her baby by this box caring for it BH!

Another humorous point was that on Shabbos there are many children in our street visiting their families etc and of course everyone was interested and looking up at the box and dancing around over there. And mommy and daddy seagull were up on the chimney watching warily.

But when anyone with a bald head walked past the house, the squawking and swooping attacks started up again!

SO I SUPPOSE WE CAN DEFINITELY ALSO LEARN ABOUT DEDICATION EVEN FROM SEAGULLS.

Gut Shabbos to all.