Chabad Auckland New Zealand חב''ד אוקלנד ניו זילנד

Chabad Auckland New Zealand חב''ד אוקלנד ניו זילנד Chabad Auckland New Zealand based in Raye Freedman Library, welcomes everyone interested in the Jewish experience, Education, Kosher food and more.

We open and welcome everyone who is interested in Jewish and Hebrew experience

21/08/2026

The Mikvah in the town of Rabbi Meir of Premishlan was across a large mountain. In winter, when the mountain was covered with snow and ice, no one dared to climb it because of the fear of slipping. Rabbi Meir, however, would go up and down the mountain safely and never slipped.

One day, a group of young men saw him and decided that they could do it too. They tried to climb the mountain, but they slipped, were injured, and needed medical treatment.

After they recovered, one of them asked Rabbi Meir, “Rabbi, how do you manage to climb the mountain without slipping?”

Rabbi Meir answered with a smile:

“When you are connected above, you do not fall below.”

Life requires us to deal with many tasks and challenges in different areas. And the question is: How do we manage to climb the mountain without slipping?

In this week’s Torah portion, the Torah discusses the laws related to going to war, while the next Torah portion deals with laws related to times of peace and calm. At first, these seem like opposite subjects, but in fact, the two portions complete one another.

When a person goes to war with an awareness of peace and calm, he can also face the battle with inner peace, and ultimately succeed.

But how can we reach such a state of mind?

“When you are connected above, you do not fall below.”

When a person lives with a clear faith and trust that Hashem is with him, that he is in the right place, and that every step he takes is surrounded by the Divine guidance, love, and care of Hashem, he can do everything that is required of him with joy and calm, and leave the results in the hands of Hashem.

May we all merit to be connected above, to walk with confidence and joy even through challenges, and through this, may we soon see days of peace and calm, the complete redemption, with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu👑

Parashat Ki Teitze (Elul 8th 5786 August 21st 2026):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:34 PM
Saturday: 6:31 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:30 PM
Saturday: 6:29 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:32 PM
Saturday: 6:30 PM

Wellington
Friday: 5:27 PM
Saturday: 6:28 PM

Nelson
Friday: 5:33 PM
Saturday: 6:34 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 5:33 PM
Saturday: 6:35 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 5:37 PM
Saturday: 6:42 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:46PM
Saturday: 6:49 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:43 PM
Saturday: 6:46 PM

Shabbat Shalom 🍷

14/08/2026

Shabbat "SHOFTIM"
Chodesh Tov U'Mevorach ✨
Kabbalat Shabbat 6 PM
Shabbat morning 9.15 AM

Who keeps the keys to my house?

There was once a man who felt that negative thoughts were taking over him. He turned to his Rabbi and asked for advice. The Rabbi sent him to a Jew named Ze'ev ( which means wolf), to get the answer from him.

At that time, it was winter and cold, and the walk was difficult. Finally, towards evening, he arrived at Zeev's house and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked harder and harder, and still there was no answer.

He looked through the windows and saw that there was light in the house, and he could even hear voices from inside the house, but still no one answered.
With a bitter heart, he sat down in despair by the door, with the darkness and cold surrounding him, wondering what to do.

After a while, the door opened and Ze'ev stood at the entrance. He said to his guest with a bright and warm face: "Shalom Aleichem! Come, come in, eat, warm yourself up and rest here."

After that Jew entered, warmed up, ate, and relaxed, he turned to his host:
"I have to ask you, I knocked so many times! Why didn't you open the door for me?"
Ze'ev replied: "I wanted to teach you that only the owner of the house decides who comes in and who stays out."
And with that, the wondering Jew got the answer he was looking for.

We know how to keep safe all the things that are dear to us - with the help of codes, savings plans, or hidden cameras. But there is one thing, perhaps the most important of all, that we leave wide open, and that is our consciousness.

It seems that we have no control over our thoughts, and therefore we leave the door open for every thought to enter.

In our parasha, the parasha of Shoftim ("Judges") the Torah begins with the verse: "Judges and policemen you shall place at all your gates" and explains the importance of establishing a just and law-enforcement system.

The Torah’s deeper expression is that each person must place judges and police officers at the gates at the entrance to their body, such as healthy or unhealthy food; to their consciousness, such as positive and believing thoughts or those that destroy; and to their soul, such as charity and prayer versus slander or food that is not kosher.

The main idea is to keep the keys with us, to take responsibility and control over what enters us. To first identify what is right for us and what is not, this is the role of the “judge,” and then to decide what stays out and what enters, this is the role of the “policeman.”
For example, when a negative thought arises, we can distract ourselves from it and concentrate on thoughts that benefit us and help us move forward.

Regarding the End times, it is written:
“I will set up judges as at the beginning, and your counselors as at the beginning,”
This means that in the redemption there will still be judges, but the police officers will be replaced by counselors, because we will all naturally want and choose only what is good for us.
May this prophecy come true very soon.

Have a blessed month, Shabbat Shalom and a happy and sweet New Year!

Job Opportunity:We are looking for a security guard for a security position at the Raye Freedman Library.Position: • Fri...
12/08/2026

Job Opportunity:
We are looking for a security guard for a security position at the Raye Freedman Library.

Position: • Fridays, Shabbat and Sundays
• Approximately 10 hours per week
• During holiday periods, additional hours may be available, depending on the needs and activities of the venue
• Option to be employed as an employee or as an independent contractor

Requirements: • Responsibility, reliability and good interpersonal skills
• Security experience is an advantage
• Availability to work weekends and holidays
• Compliance with relevant New Zealand legal and licensing requirements

The role includes: Ensuring the safety and security of visitors, staff and the facilities, and being present on site during operating hours.

Excellent pay and conditions.

For further information: [email protected] or 022 350 6622

Sometimes we too, carry a donkey on our backs...A story is told of a father and son who set out from the village to the ...
07/08/2026

Sometimes we too, carry a donkey on our backs...

A story is told of a father and son who set out from the village to the city with a donkey. At first, both of them rode it, but passersby commented that they were putting too much weight on it. The father hopped off, then the son got off, then both of them walked, and each time they changed their path according to the different comments.

Finally, after trying to please everyone, they found themselves... carrying the donkey on their backs.

This story reminds us of the internal struggle within us. The "donkey" symbolizes emotions and impulses, while the person symbolizes the mind. When the mind leads the emotion - we move towards the goal. But when emotions lead us, it is easy to get carried away by what is pleasant or attractive at that moment, even if it takes us away from where we really wanted to go. Emotions are extremely important, but they should serve as a driving force and not a rudder or a steering wheel.

Tjis Shabbat, we read Parashat Re'eh, which begins with the words: "Re'eh (See/look/watch), I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse." The Torah reminds us that the choice is ours: to choose what advances us, even when the other path seems more tempting.

This week we also enter the month of Elul, and it is a time to stop, observe, make a soul search, and redirect our hearts and minds toward the goals we want to set for ourselves for the new year.

May we always choose goodness, and may we receive the greatest blessing of all - the coming of the Moshiach, very soon.

Shabbat Shalom and a good inscription and sealing (in the Book of life)

Parashat Re'eh - Shabbat Mevarchim Elul (Menachem Av 25th | August 8th):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:21 PM
Saturday: 6:19 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:18 PM
Saturday: 6:18 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:19 PM
Saturday: 6:19 PM

Wellington
Friday: 5:22 PM
Saturday: 6:13 PM

Nelson
Friday: 5:18 PM
Saturday: 6:19 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 5:15 PM
Saturday: 6:18 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 5:18 PM
Saturday: 6:23 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:28PM
Saturday: 6:32 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:25 PM
Saturday: 6:31 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

Covenant or Contract?Some relationships are based on benefit. As long as it's good for us, as long as we gain something ...
31/07/2026

Covenant or Contract?
Some relationships are based on benefit. As long as it's good for us, as long as we gain something from the relationship, it flourishes. Even if we don't say it out loud, there's an internal calculation: Is it worth the investment? How much is it worth giving? What will I get in return? In such a relationship, actions are what sustain the relationship. The more there is giving, attention, or benefit, the stronger the relationship becomes. And when they disappear, the relationship may also weaken.

And there are relationships of another kind. Relationships of covenant.

The essence of a covenant is a connection of the soul. It is a relationship that is not based on benefit, but on the very connection. True, a relationship of covenant also requires investment, maintenance, thought, listening, and work. But actions do not create the relationship. Nor are they the reason for its existence. They keep it alive, reveal it, and allow it to be expressed.

In Parashat Eikev, Rashi explains that the word "Akev" (heel) also alludes to the mitzvot where a person "steps on his heels," meaning mitzvot that seem small and therefore are often disregarded.

But perhaps this is precisely where the message of the parsha lies.

The connection between a Jew and G-d is a bond of covenant. And when there is a covenant, one does not ask whether this mitzvah is great enough to justify the effort. Every mitzvah is from the word Tzavta (team, together, connection). Every good deed, no matter how small, reveals and strengthens another point of connection within this eternal covenant.

And perhaps this is also a reminder for all our relationships.

When we remember that the basis of a bond is a connection of the soul, even small gestures take on a different meaning. A kind word, a smile, listening, or a small act of caring are not just beautiful acts. They are an expression of the bond itself.

Perhaps this is one of the gifts of Parashat Eikev: in a bond of covenant, there are no small acts. Every act is an opportunity to discover a greater connection that existed even beforehand.

Shabba Shalom! 🌿

Parashat Eikev (Menachem Av 18th | August 1st):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:16 PM
Saturday: 6:14 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:13 PM
Saturday: 6:13 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:14 PM
Saturday: 6:14 PM

Wellington
Friday: 5:06 PM
Saturday: 6:07 PM

Nelson
Friday: 5:12 PM
Saturday: 6:14 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 5:09 PM
Saturday: 6:12 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 5:11 PM
Saturday: 6:17 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:21PM
Saturday: 6:26 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:18 PM
Saturday: 6:24 PM

Shabbat Shalom, ShanahTovah U'metukah!

Did you know that almost every sound we make leaves behind a small echo?Sound waves spread around us, hit surfaces, and ...
23/07/2026

Did you know that almost every sound we make leaves behind a small echo?

Sound waves spread around us, hit surfaces, and return back to us, sometimes as a clear echo that we can hear, and sometimes as a subtle reflection that we don’t even notice, yet it is always there.

In Jewish tradition, there is one extraordinary moment when there was no echo, the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

The Torah describes that Hashem spoke with a “great voice that did not cease” (Kol Gadol V’lo Yasaf). The commentators explain that this was a voice without an end, a voice that continued and never faded away.

Why was there no echo?

An echo is created when a sound hits a surface and bounces back. At Mount Sinai, however, it was a voice that pe*****ted inward, a voice that did not remain on the outside and return as an echo.

Perhaps this teaches us a deeper lesson:
Great ideas that we encounter only occasionally may remain just an “echo” something inspiring, but distant, that does not truly transform our lives. But when the Torah connects lofty ideals with our everyday choices, those ideals become a way of life.

A way of life where holiness meets every moment: in the food we choose to eat, in the words we speak, in the money we give to charity, and in the kindness we show to those around us.

May all the good deeds we do not remain as echoes in the world, but instead pe*****te and create a lasting impact, bringing us closer to a world of goodness and kindness, and to the coming of the true and complete Redemption, speedily in our days.

Shabbat Nachamu - Parashat Va'etchanan (Menachem Av 10th | July 24):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:11 PM
Saturday: 6:11 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:07 PM
Saturday: 6:08 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:08 PM
Saturday: 6:11 PM

Wellington
Friday: 5:00 PM
Saturday: 6:03 PM

Nelson
Friday: 5:06 PM
Saturday: 6:09 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 5:03 PM
Saturday: 6:08 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 5:05 PM
Saturday: 6:12 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:14 PM
Saturday: 6:21 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:11 PM
Saturday: 6:20 PM

Shabbat Shalom🍷

17/07/2026

Shabbat Shalom ❤️

Shabbat Chazon, Parashat Dvarim (Menachem Av 4th | July 18th):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:06 PM
Saturday: 6:06 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:02 PM
Saturday: 6:03 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:03 PM
Saturday: 6:06 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:54 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Nelson
Friday: 5:00 PM
Saturday: 6:04 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 4:57 PM
Saturday: 6:02 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:56 PM
Saturday: 6:05 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:07 PM
Saturday: 6:14 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:04 PM
Saturday: 6:13 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

💛 Shabbat candle lighting times:Matot - Massei (Tamuz 26 | July 11th):AucklandFriday: 5:01 PMSaturday: 6:02 PMHamiltonFr...
10/07/2026

💛 Shabbat candle lighting times:

Matot - Massei (Tamuz 26 | July 11th):

Auckland
Friday: 5:01 PM
Saturday: 6:02 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 4:57 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 4:58 PM
Saturday: 6:01 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:49 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Nelson
Friday: 4:55 PM
Saturday: 5:59 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 4:51 PM
Saturday: 5:57 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:50 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:01 PM
Saturday: 6:00 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 4:58 PM
Saturday: 6:08 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

There is a known story of a group of women from New York who flew to a conference in a distant city. When it was time to...
03/07/2026

There is a known story of a group of women from New York who flew to a conference in a distant city. When it was time to return home, it turned out that the flight had been postponed to an unknown time due to severe weather. They were stressed – Shabbat was approaching, they wanted to return to their families, and now... what do they do?

They called the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s secretary and asked: “We are stuck at the airport. What should we do?”

The Rebbe asked: “Stuck?”

They repeated: “Yes... we are stuck.”

And the Rebbe asked again: “Stuck?”

And then they understood the message: A Jew is never stuck.

If G-d left them at the airport, they probably have a mission there. They scattered throughout the terminal, met Jewish women, handed out Shabbat candles to them, and explained the mitzvah of lighting the candles. Shortly after they finished their mission, the awaited call arrived that their flight was about to depart.

We are used to thinking that the main thing is the destination: to reach New York, to open the business we have always dreamed of, to fulfill the goal. The path seems to us to be just a transitional stage.

But the "Pinchas" parshah teaches us otherwise.

The parsha describes the division of the land into inheritances. Rashi states that Fate itself "screamed" and announced which tribe would receive which inheritance land.

We ask why was such a miracle needed? After all, the main thing is that each tribe would receive its inheritance. What is the importance of the manner of the division also being accompanied by a clear miracle?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the Torah teaches us a great principle: when the goal is holy, the path to it is also holy. Not only is the destination important, but so is every step that leads to it.

Therefore, we must also give the path our full attention. Be present in the moment we are in, and not just wait for the next moment. This moment is neither a mistake nor an accident. It was prepared especially for us, so that we may do in it what only we can do.

We are all waiting and looking forward to better days – for ourselves, for the people of Israel, and for the entire world. We pray for days of peace, tranquility, and abundance with the coming of the Moshiach.

But until we reach the great destination, let us also strive to make the path to it a path filled with joy, mitzvot, good deeds, and missions.

May we be blessed to see miracles and wonders Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Parashat Pinchas (Tamuz 19 | July 4th):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 4:58 PM
Saturday: 5:59 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 4:53 PM
Saturday: 5:55 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 4:54 PM
Saturday: 5:57 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:45 PM
Saturday: 5:49 PM

Nelson
Friday: 4:51 PM
Saturday: 5:55 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 4:46 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:45 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 4:57 PM
Saturday: 6:04 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 4:52 PM
Saturday: 6:03 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

❄️ Looking for a fun and meaningful Winter Holiday program for your children? ❄️Join us for the Gan Israel Kids Winter P...
01/07/2026

❄️ Looking for a fun and meaningful Winter Holiday program for your children? ❄️

Join us for the Gan Israel Kids Winter Program! 💙
Give your children three exciting days filled with creativity, games, baking, friendship in a warm Jewish environment.

Highlights include:
🎨 Arts & Crafts
🧁 Cooking & Baking
🎲 Games & Fun Activities
🍎 Breakfast & Lunch Included

👧🧒 For children ages 5–12
📅 July 13, 15 & 17 (Monday, Wednesday & Friday)
🕘 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 788 Remuera Road
💲 $20 per day
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 $15 per child for families with more than one child.
Spaces are limited, so register early!
For registration and more information, please contact: 0220428900

We can't wait to welcome your children for a winter holiday filled with fun, creativity, friendship, and smiles! 💙

Address

788 Remuera Road Remuera
Auckland
1050

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