Chabad Auckland New Zealand חב''ד אוקלנד ניו זילנד

19/06/2026

Who Was Mansa Musa?

The ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century, Mansa Musa, was likely the wealthiest person in history.

In 1324, Mansa Musa set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca with an enormous caravan consisting of thousands of people, camels loaded with gold and gifts. When he passed through Cairo, he distributed so much gold that the value of gold in the region reportedly declined for many years afterward.

So how do we measure wealth?

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot teaches: "Who is rich? One who is happy with his lot."

At first glance, happy with his lot can be understood as being content with little and appreciating what one has.

On a deeper level, however, it means rejoicing in the portion one has been given in this world. Every person receives their own role, their own family, their own talents, and most importantly, their own unique mission. It is very easy to look at others and desire their portion, or to try to live someone else's life, especially in a world where social media constantly floods us with images of "successful" people. True happiness comes when a person fulfills their own unique potential and purpose.

In this week's Parshah, we encounter Korach, a man of great wealth and distinguished lineage. Yet despite all this, he was not happy. He looked with envy toward his cousins: Moshe, who became the leader, and Aharon, who became the Kohen Gadol. Why should they receive all the honor? Are we not all holy?

The Torah responds that indeed, all are holy. Yet each person has a unique role and a mission specifically suited to them. Only when every individual fulfills their own unique and important part does the puzzle become complete.

May we merit to achieve unity through our diversity of roles and unique contributions, and may this pave the way for the true and complete Redemption, speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom🍷

Shabbat Parashat Korach (Tamuz 4 | June 19):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 4:52 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 4:48 PM
Saturday: 5:49 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 4:49 PM
Saturday: 5:51 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:39 PM
Saturday: 5:43 PM

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

Christchurch
Friday: 4:40 PM
Saturday: 5:46 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:40 PM
Saturday: 5:59 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 4:51 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 4:47 PM
Saturday: 5:56 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

12/06/2026

Truth or Dare?

The spies who were sent to gather information about the Land of Israel returned to the desert, and the reports they brought spread like wildfire. Despair and fear quickly took hold, and the Jewish people became afraid to enter the Land. As a result of the sin of the spies, a journey that should have taken a short time lasted for 40 years.

The spies were sent to bring back information, and they did exactly that. So were they punished for telling the truth?

The spies fulfilled their mission by gathering facts. The problem was that they went beyond their assignment. They took it upon themselves to decide whether conquering the Land was possible or impossible. This is where they failed. Instead of simply reporting what they saw, they spread fear and hopelessness among the people. They were sent to provide information, but they returned with a strategy for retreat.

The message for all of us is powerful and relevant. When we are carrying out our mission and purpose—whether at home, supporting a child through challenges, standing up for our values even when they are unpopular, or fulfilling Hashem's commandments through Shabbat, kashrut, Jewish education, or putting up a mezuzah—we can be certain of one thing: together with the mission, we are given the ability to succeed.

Our role is not to decide whether success is possible or impossible, nor to let despair take the lead. We are meant to think carefully about the best way forward, but at the same time to know with confidence that success is within our reach.

When Hashem sends a soul into this world with a mission, He also grants it the strength and potential to accomplish that mission.

May we merit the clear awareness that Hashem is with us, giving us endless strength to succeed. And may we soon see the fulfillment of the prophecy that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea," with the coming of Moshiach very soon.

Shabbat Shalom and a Chodesh Tov U'Mevorach!

11/06/2026

04/06/2026

As a child, I read the book "Momo" by Michael Ende. The book tells the story of a special girl who knows how to really listen. People come to her with problems and difficulties, and while talking to her, they find the solution themselves.

One day, the "gray people" arrive in town and convince everyone that they need to save time: work faster, reduce conversations, reduce visiting friends or family. But the more time the town people manage to "save," the emptier their lives have become.

The book deals with a question that concerns us too: How do we make the best use of our time?

In Parashat Be'Halotecha, the story of the Israelites' journeys in the desert is told. Sometimes they camped in one place for a long time, and sometimes for just one day. And yet, at each stop, they completley rebuilt the Mishkan - the wondering Temple in every stop. Why?

It seems that if we're going to continue on tomorrow anyway, why invest?

Perhaps the message is that the value of a moment is not measured by how long it lasts, but by what you put into it. Even a short stop can be full of content, holiness, and meaning.

The Wondering Temple was built at each station reminded the Israelites that every place they reached was part of the path that G-d had personally led them to. They were not “just” transit stations.

And in our lives, too, we often wait for the next stage: when the pressure is over, when the children are grown, when there is more time. But life itself happens here and now.

When we give true and full attention to the person in front of us at that moment, and are fully present in the task or mission that G-d has called us to at that moment in time, time does not lengthen — but it becomes fuller.

And just as every station in the journey of the Israelites was part of the path to the destination, so does every moment in our lives, brings us closer to the final and complete "station" – the true and complete redemption by our righteous Moshiach, immediately and right away.

Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Parashat BeHa'alotcha (Sivan 20 | June 5):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 4:53 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 4:49 PM
Saturday: 5:50 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 4:50 PM
Saturday: 5:52 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:41 PM
Saturday: 5:44 PM

Nelson
Friday: 4:47 PM
Saturday: 5:50 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 4:43 PM
Saturday: 5:48 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:43 PM
Saturday: 5:50 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 4:53 PM
Saturday: 6:00 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 4:49 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

29/05/2026

My daughter asked me this week why the prayer is said with a fixed text of our prayer book? Why can't we simply say what's on our minds?

Really a good question. Saying what's on our minds is absolutely important, so why is there a fixed text?

Once, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was asked a similar question:
"Rabbi, tell me the truth, is it possible to pray the exact same text of the prayer every day without getting bored?"

Rabbi Adin looked up amused and replied:
"Yesterday's prayer is indeed exactly today's prayer,
but *you* are not the same person.
So it's not boring."

Then he paused, took a breath and said seriously:
"And if you are the same person you were yesterday,
then it's not the prayer that's boring - but you!"

The fixed text of the Jewish prayer is like a meditation that allows you to look inward, but there are other reasons, one of which concerns our Parasha.

If I were to write my own prayer, it would probably include mostly my family, maybe a few friends, a prayer for the soldiers... but it would mainly deal with the immediate circle I drew around me.
The standard version of the prayer allows for a much broader view than my small world.

Our Parasha opens with the words: "We lift up our heads" and one of the explanations for the verse is that we need to raise our heads and look at reality from a higher perspective. Not just what do I need right now and how will I end my day..? But - where do I aspire to? How do I want to live? What is important to me that happens as an individual and in the world as a whole?

This is a higher perspective. A perspective that allows us to move forward not only in a survival mode, but in a way live my life and the mission I received to the fullest. A perspective that sees not only the here and now but the overall goal. A perspective that advances my small world and the big world to where it needs to go - to days of goodness, love and peace in complete redemption.

In a letter written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1956 to IsraeMy daughter asked me this week why the prayer is said with a fixed text of our prayer book? Why can't we simply say what's on our minds?

Really a good question. Saying what's on our minds is absolutely important, so why is there a fixed text?

Once, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz was asked a similar question:
"Rabbi, tell me the truth, is it possible to pray the exact same text of the prayer every day without getting bored?"

Rabbi Adin looked up amused and replied:
"Yesterday's prayer is indeed exactly today's prayer,
but *you* are not the same person.
So it's not boring."

Then he paused, took a breath and said seriously:
"And if you are the same person you were yesterday,
then it's not the prayer that's boring - but you!"

The fixed text of the Jewish prayer is like a meditation that allows you to look inward, but there are other reasons, one of which concerns our Parasha.

If I were to write my own prayer, it would probably include mostly my family, maybe a few friends, a prayer for the soldiers... but it would mainly deal with the immediate circle I drew around me.
The standard version of the prayer allows for a much broader view than my small world.

Our Parasha opens with the words: "We lift up our heads" and one of the explanations for the verse is that we need to raise our heads and look at reality from a higher perspective. Not just what do I need right now and how will I end my day..? But - where do I aspire to? How do I want to live? What is important to me that happens as an individual and in the world as a whole?

This is a higher perspective. A perspective that allows us to move forward not only in a survival mode, but in a way live my life and the mission I received to the fullest. A perspective that sees not only the here and now but the overall goal. A perspective that advances my small world and the big world to where it needs to go - to days of goodness, love and peace in complete redemption.

In a letter written by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1956 to Israel's second Prime Minister Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, the Rebbe describes what his own aspirations were from the age of three:
"From the day I went to the "Cheder" (jewish classroom) and even before that, a picture of the future redemption began to take shape in my imagination..."

May we too, at every age, be blessed to look at life with the eyes of "Naso" (raised) and elevate my little world and the entire world to days of brotherhood and joy in the true and complete redemption, Shabbat Shalom!

Shabbat Parashat Naso (Sivan 13 | May 29):

Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 4:56 PM
Saturday: 5:55 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 4:51 PM
Saturday: 5:52 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 4:52 PM
Saturday: 5:54 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:44 PM
Saturday: 5:46 PM

Nelson
Friday: 4:50 PM
Saturday: 5:52 PM

Christchurch
Friday: 4:46 PM
Saturday: 5:50 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:47 PM
Saturday: 5:53 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 4:56 PM
Saturday: 6:02 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 4:53 PM
Saturday: 6:01 PM

Shabbat Shalom!

27/05/2026

Sweet as 🇳🇿 the Torah ✨️
Parasha inspiration from New Zealand 🩷

20/05/2026

Shavuot is a powerful moment when an entire nation connected to faith, values, and a way of life that continues to guide us until today.

But Shavuot is not only a memory of a historical event.
According to Chassidic teachings, each year a new spiritual light enters the world - a fresh opportunity to reconnect with God, with ourselves, with our families, and with the things that truly matter in life.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe especially emphasized the importance of bringing children to hear the Ten Commandments, because children have a pure, sincere, and natural connection that reminds all of us what is truly important.

This Shavuot, we warmly invite everyone to come hear the Ten Commandments and once again feel part of the ongoing Jewish story.

📖 The reading of the Ten Commandments will take place, B"H, on Friday at 10:00 AM, and again at 4:45 PM - so everyone can find a time that works best for them.

May we receive the Torah with joy and inner depth, and may we soon experience the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our days!

Gut Yom Tov, Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom 🌿

Chag Shavuot and Shabbat Shavuot (Sivan 5| May 21):

💛The blessings for Yom Tov candles are:

1.בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲ-דֹנָי אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם טוֹב (בשבת אומרים:לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שבת ויוֹם טוֹב)

Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm ah-sher ki-deh-shah-noo beh-mitz-voh-tahv veh-tzee-vah-noo leh-hahd-lik nayr shehl yohm tohv (on Shabbat we will add: leh-hahd-lik nayr shehl Shabbat ve-yohm tohv.

2. בערב הראשון מוסיפים גם את הברכה הזו:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לִזְּמַן הַזֶּה

On the first night we add this blessing:
Bah-rookh ah-tah ah-doh-noi eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lekh hah-oh-lahm sheh-heh-kheh-yah-noo veh-kee-yi-mah-noo ve-hig-ee-yah-noo liz-mahn hah-zeh.

💛 Yom Tov snd Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Thursday: 5:00 PM
Friday: 5:00 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Hamilton
Thursday: 4:56 PM
Friday: 4:55 PM
Saturday: 5:55 PM

New Plymouth
Thursday: 4:57 PM
Friday: 4:56 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Wellington
Thursday: 4:49 PM
Friday: 4:48 PM
Saturday: 5:50 PM

Nelson
Thursday: 4:55 PM
Friday: 4:54 PM
Saturday: 5:56 PM

Christchurch
Thursday: 4:52 PM
Friday: 4:51 PM
Saturday: 5:54 PM

Dunedin
Thursday: 4:53
Friday: 4:52 PM
Saturday: 5:58 PM

Queenstown
Thursday: 5:03 PM
Friday: 5:02 PM
Saturday: 6:07 PM

Invercargill
Thursday: 4:59 PM
Friday: 4:58 PM
Saturday: 6:06 PM

Gut Yom Tov and Shabbat Shalom!

15/05/2026

Finding True Rest

Even people who go on a perfect vacation or to the most beautiful place in the world, often discover that even after a few days of rest — their mind is still busy and their heart is still not calm.
It turns out that true rest is not only about location… but more about inner focus.

In Parshat Bamidbar (“In the Desert”), the Torah describes how the Jewish people camped in the desert — each tribe in its designated place, arranged around the Tabernacle.

When the Tabernacle was at the center, the entire camp became more organized, focused, and calm.
The true center/focus of life gives a person stability.

Very often, people think that true rest will come when the stressor ends, when there is more time, more money, or fewer worries. But in the wilderness, in the desert itself — a place of uncertainty and discomfort — the Jewish people managed to find order, direction, and peace through holiness.

This is a very relevant message for today:
Even in the rush of life, travel, work, and daily chaos — a Jew can find a moment of true rest by connecting to Torah, prayer, Shabbat, and a warm Jewish home.

We cannot always stop the “wilderness” around us,
but we can choose what is at the center of our lives and focus on it.

And perhaps this is also a gentle reminder that we are moving toward the Final Redemption — a time of true peace, rest, and harmony for the entire world.

Shabbat Shalom 🌿

Shabbat Parashat Bamidbar - Shabbat Mevarchim Sivan (Iyar 28 | May 15):

💛 Shabbat candle lighting times:

Auckland
Friday: 5:04 PM
Saturday: 6:02 PM

Hamilton
Friday: 5:00 PM
Saturday: 5:59 PM

New Plymouth
Friday: 5:02 PM
Saturday: 6:02 PM

Wellington
Friday: 4:54 PM
Saturday: 5:55 PM

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

Christchurch
Friday: 4:57 PM
Saturday: 6:00 PM

Dunedin
Friday: 4:59 PM
Saturday: 6:04 PM

Queenstown
Friday: 5:09 PM
Saturday: 6:13 PM

Invercargill
Friday: 5:06 PM
Saturday: 6:12 PM

Shabbat Shalom!