Welcome to Shabbat Chanukah.  I was thinking as I was preparing for today’s service how fortunate it is that we chose this special Shabbat to say farewell to our friend Ken Greenfield.  Why?  I think it is fortunate because I can see a correlation between the shamash, the main character in today’s Torah portion, Yosef, and Ken.

The shamash is the helper candle that lights all the other candles.  It is the one candle that enables all the other candles to be lit and shine as they make known the miracle of Chanukah.  Without the shamash the other candles would remain as candles but would not burn brightly.  The shamash is an enabler.

Yosef was also an enabler.  He came up with a plan to help the Egyptians store food prior to the years of famine that befell their land. As Yosef moved into a position of power within the country, he accepted the idea that it was G-d who had brought him to Egypt after being sold into slavery so he could help his family secure a place in Egypt when Canaan was also struck by the famine. His destiny was to save his family and provide them with security during trying times.

In this day and age, we think of the word “enabler” as if it has a negative connotation.  We think an enabler allows others to avoid taking responsibility for their actions or to sponge off of others.  In the case of the shamash and Yosef, however, the word enabler is truly a positive term.  These enablers allow others to thrive, to reach their highest potential.  It is in this sense that I also see Ken as an enabler.  Let me explain.

Ken is not afraid of reaching out to others who need help.  Whether its lending his presence at a minyan so others can say kaddish, loaning friends his van so they can move their household items easily, or providing rides to individuals who need transportation to get to services or down to the Mill, Ken enables others to fulfill their needs.  Whether it was helping his own mother who needed someone to look after her in her last several months of life or visiting sick individuals who need to sense that someone cares about them, or keeping a watchful eye on Charlie while we traveled through Israel together, Ken has been present to assume the role of one who has assisted others.

  I once heard Ken question his role in life….whether or not he was the one who just mopped up after others….I prefer to think that his role has been a very special one, one that not everyone can fulfill.  He is an enabler who helps others feel supported.  Even as a relatively new member of our synagogue, he has managed to leave an indelible mark on the hearts of many in our congregation.

So, Ken, we know you are excited about your move to warm and sunny Florida and we are excited for you as well to be fulfilling the next part of your life’s journey.  We know the connections we have made with one another will not fade just because of distance, but we do want to impress upon you that our doors are always open here and we hope to see you walk through them many times in the future.  You have enabled us to say “Lihitraot” and really mean it….Until we meet again!

Shabbat shalom.