A regular meeting for participants of the “Bnot Melech” (“Daughters of the King”) program was held at Machon “Chaya-Mushka,” the leading educational institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community for girls. The gathering was timed to the beginning of the month of Shevat and dedicated to a profound conversation about the human soul, memory, and the good deeds that remain in the world forever.
The lesson’s theme was the words of the sages: “The candle of G-d is the soul of man.” Through this concept, the girls explored the idea of ner neshama, which symbolizes the soul’s connection to the world of the living and the light of good deeds that continues to illuminate the world even after a person has completed their journey in this world. Together with the program’s leader, Morah Zivi Smilianska, the participants discussed how every good deed becomes a spiritual light capable of elevating the soul and leaving a lasting mark.
The girls were particularly moved by a video from the Rebbe about the significance of Shabbos mesibos—gatherings where older girls organize meetings for younger ones, filling Shabbos with joy, warmth, Torah study, and the performance of mitzvos. The video recounted how, many years later, grown women expressed gratitude to their former counselors for these gatherings, sharing that the light they received back then helped them, at crucial moments in life, choose a path of Jewish living, Jewish education, and life according to the Torah.
The practical part of the session took the form of engaging games and discussions of real-life situations, during which the girls talked about how to support a friend, help in difficult moments, and demonstrate sensitivity and responsibility. The meeting concluded with each participant receiving a personal, individualized plan of good deeds for the month of Shevat, designed to help them fill each day of the month with the light of concrete actions.
“When a girl understands that every good deed she does is the light of her soul that remains in the world, she begins to truly feel her responsibility and value,” noted Morah Zivi Smilianska, the head of the “Bnot Melech” program. “It is in this way, step by step, that an inner connection to Torah, mitzvos, and one’s Jewish identity is formed. This is especially important for our students, who are growing up in the atmosphere of care and spirituality of the Dnipro Jewish Community under the leadership of its Chief Rabbi, Shmuel Kaminezki.”
