Greeting from Sin City. I don't mean the French Quarter. The Rivkin family has descended upon Las Vegas to celebrate the marriage of my youngest brother Yosef to Binie, the daughter of Rabbi Shea and Dina Harlig, directors of Chabad of Southern Nevada. The irony of a chassidic boy from New Orleans marrying a chassidic girl from Las Vegas was not lost on the participants. This is the power of the Rebbe's vision of dispatching Shluchim to every community. Here is a boy who grew up in a Chabad House within earshot of Mardi Gras on Bourbon St. and a girl who grew in a Chabad House in the shadow of the neon glitz of the Las Vegas strip and yet are both fine upstanding Jews committed to the Chabad way of life infused with Torah and Mitzvos. It was a memorable affair.
For our family, it was the last sibling to marry and the poignance was not lost on us. We proudly rallied around our parents, Rabbi Zelig and Bluma Rivkin, to accompany them as they watched the last one go off to start his own home. The bittersweet moment was made much more sweet when surrounded by loving grandchildren and seeing the joy of the family's growth. We all wish them a big Mazel tov. This marks the beginning of a new era of Simchas in the next generation, births, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and weddings sometime in the not so distant future. May Hashem grant them health and strength to enjoy the bright future that lies ahead.
Chanukah is around the corner. Next week I will send out a comprehensive email with all of the Chanukah events. In the meantime, check out this slide show preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wWjjTC-MA-g
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin