Kabbalah Thought for this week
"In our material existence, the differences between good and evil, and truth and falsehood, are often blurred. This makes our spiritual efforts very challenging, and thus very rewarding also. The power of discernment is instilled in our consciousness, so that our choices in life keep us secure in our spiritual path.."
Psalm 94: Psalm for Yom Revi'i, Wednesday, Fourth day of the week, timely for current events
Each morning, Jews end their Shacharit, or morning service, with a psalm of the day. It is chosen to correspond with that day of creation, as well as keep track of the days leading up to Shabbat. Considering the brutality that Hamas inflicted against innocent Israeli civilians, and the corresponding denial of those who spew hate against the Jewish nation, this psalm is especially timely in addressing that:
Psalm 94
God of retribution, LORD,God of retribution, appear! Rise up, judge of the earth,give the arrogant their deserts! How long shall the wicked, O LORD,how long shall the wicked exult, shall they utter insolent speech,shall all evildoers vaunt themselves? They crush Your people, O LORD,they afflict Your very own; they kill the widow and the stranger;they murder the fatherless, thinking, “The LORD does not see it,the God of Jacob does not pay heed.” Take heed, you most brutish people;fools, when will you get wisdom? Shall He who implants the ear not hear,He who forms the eye not see? Shall He who disciplines nations not punish,He who instructs men in knowledge? The LORD knows the designs of men to be futile. Happy is the man whom You discipline, O LORD,the man You instruct in Your teaching, to give him tranquillity in times of misfortune,until a pit be dug for the wicked. For the LORD will not forsake His people;He will not abandon His very own. Judgment shall again accord with justiceand all the upright shall rally to it. Who will take my part against evil men?Who will stand up for me against wrongdoers? Were not the LORD my help,I should soon dwell in silence. When I think my foot has given way,Your faithfulness, O LORD, supports me. When I am filled with cares,Your assurance soothes my soul. Shall the seat of injustice be Your partner,that frames mischief by statute? They band together to do away with the righteous;they condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD is my haven;my God is my sheltering rock. He will make their evil recoil upon them,annihilate them through their own wickedness;the LORD our God will annihilate them.
Psalm 95 Come, let us sing joyously to the LORD,raise a shout for our rock and deliverer; let us come into His presence with praise;let us raise a shout for Him in song! For the LORD is a great God,the great king of all divine beings.
Announcements
-Office Hours
-This week’s 10-Minute
-Events
-Candle Lighting Times for Shabbat (Ontario, CA)
-Shabbat Services
-School
Calendar
This is an overview of upcoming events. Details of each event are below
Sunday, 3 December 2023-In-Person Hebrew School
Monday, 4 December 2023-Torah Study
Thursday, 7 December 2023-(Evening) Hanukkah, First Candle
Thursday Evening, 7 December - Friday Evening, 15 December- Hanukkah
Thursday, 7 December 2023-Judaic Studies
Friday & Saturday, 8 & 9 December 2023-Shabbat Services
Sunday, 10 December 2023-Hebrew School
Sunday, 10 December 2023-General Congregation Meeting
Monday, 11 December 2023-Torah Study
Wednesday, 13 December 2023-Rosh Chodesh Tevet 2023 / רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ טֵבֵת 5784
Thursday, 14 December 2023-Judaic Studies
Friday & Saturday, 15 & 16 December 2023-Shabbat Services
Sunday, 17 December 2023-Hebrew School
Monday, 18 December 2023-Torah Study
Thursday, 21 December 2023-Judaic Studies
Friday & Saturday, 22 &23 December 2023-Shabbat Services
*For your information, I have included below my schedule, including office hours for the next two weeks and specific classes in which I am involved.
**For your convenience and information, Zoom links will be provided in separate emails for security purposes.
***I continue to update our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you.
Rabbi Office Hours for the next few weeks:
Going forward, I am planning on conducting Hebrew School from my office and making Sunday an office day to be more available.
Sunday, December 3, 2023 9:00am - 2:00pm (In-Person Hebrew School 10:00am - 12:00pm)
Monday, December 4, 2023 9:30am - 1:30pm
Friday, December 8, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Hanukkah Party @ 6:15pm followed by Hanukkah-themed musical Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm)
Sunday, December 11, 2023 9:00am - 2:00pm (Hebrew School 10:00am - 11:30am)
Monday, December 12, 2023 9:00am - 2:00pm
Friday, December 15, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm)
Sunday, December 17, 2023 9:00am - 2:00pm (Hebrew School 10:00am - 11:30am)
Monday, December 18, 2023 9:00am - 2:00pm
Friday, December 22, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm)
(Subject to change. Please call for appointments)
Gift Shop Extravaganza!
Sunday, December 3, 2023, 10am - 2pm
Adult Torah Study Class
Next Session: Monday, December 11 at 7:30 pm PT
December 4 probably preempted due to possible Jury Duty
Zoom Links sent in separate email Monday morning. Please reply if you do not receive them.
Parashat Vayeshev 5784 / פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּשֶׁב
9 December 2023 / 26 Kislev 5784
Parashat Vayeshev is the 9th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Genesis 37:1-40:23; Numbers 7:18-23
Vayeshev (“He Settled”) begins the story of Joseph, describing his rivalry with his brothers, slavery in Egypt, and imprisonment after his master’s wife frames him in response to Joseph’s refusal of her advances. It also contains the story of Tamar, her husbands, and her father-in-law, Judah. [1]
Commentary and Divrei Torah
Hertz Chumash: pp. 145 – 147 Triennial Year 2 (Full Kriyah pp. 141 – 151)
Artscroll Chumash: pp. 208 – 213 Triennial Year 2 (Full Kriyah pp. 198 – 221)
Etz Chaim Chumash: pp.233 – 237 Triennial Year 2 (Full Kriyah pp. 226 – 245)
Judaic Studies
Next session: Thursday, December 21, 2023 @ 7:30pm
We won’t be meeting on December 7 since it’s the first night of Hanukkah, and not meeting on the 14th because that’s the Board. So we will resume on Thursday December 21. Moving forward with the Book of Job, with selections from several chapters in the middle, looking forward to the closing chapters, those where Hashem speaks to Job out of the whirlwind and the closing epilogue, and the final discussion about what it all means.
Links will be available but much closer to December 21.
Chanukah 2023 / חֲנוּכָּה 5784
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication
Chanukah for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on Thursday, 7 December 2023 and ends at nightfall on Friday, 15 December 2023.
Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah or Chanuka), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
Chanukah Day 1 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם א׳ Friday, 8 December 2023 / 25 Kislev 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:1-17
1: Numbers 7:1-11 · 11 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:12-14 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:15-17 · 3 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 2 (on Shabbat) / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ב׳ (בְּשַׁבָּת) Saturday, 9 December 2023 / 26 Kislev 5784
Torah Portion: Parashat Vayeshev · Genesis 37:1-40:23; Numbers 7:18-23
1: Genesis 37:1-11 · 11 p’sukim ·
2: Genesis 37:12-22 · 11 p’sukim ·
3: Genesis 37:23-36 · 14 p’sukim ·
4: Genesis 38:1-30 · 30 p’sukim ·
5: Genesis 39:1-6 · 6 p’sukim ·
6: Genesis 39:7-23 · 17 p’sukim ·
7: Genesis 40:1-23 · 23 p’sukim ·
maf*: Numbers 7:18-23 · 6 p’sukim · *Chanukah Day 2 (on Shabbat)
Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7 · 21 p’sukim
Chanukah Day 3 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ג׳ Sunday, 10 December 2023 / 27 Kislev 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:24-35
1: Numbers 7:24-26 · 3 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:27-29 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:30-35 · 6 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 4 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ד׳ Monday, 11 December 2023 / 28 Kislev 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:30-41
1: Numbers 7:30-32 · 3 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:33-35 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:36-41 · 6 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 5 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ה׳ Tuesday, 12 December 2023 / 29 Kislev 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:36-47
1: Numbers 7:36-38 · 3 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:39-41 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:42-47 · 6 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 6 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ו׳ Wednesday, 13 December 2023 / 1 Tevet 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 28:1-15, 7:42-47
1: Numbers 28:1-5 · 5 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 28:6-10 · 5 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 28:11-15 · 5 p’sukim ·
4: Numbers 7:42-47 · 6 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 7 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ז׳ Thursday, 14 December 2023 / 2 Tevet 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:48-59
1: Numbers 7:48-50 · 3 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:51-53 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:54-59 · 6 p’sukim ·
Chanukah Day 8 / חֲנוּכָּה יוֹם ח׳ Friday, 15 December 2023 / 3 Tevet 5784
Torah Portion: Numbers 7:54-8:4
1: Numbers 7:54-56 · 3 p’sukim ·
2: Numbers 7:57-59 · 3 p’sukim ·
3: Numbers 7:60-8:4 · 34 p’sukim ·
Shabbat Times for Ontario, California, USA
🕯️ Candle lighting / הדלקת נרות Friday, December 8⋅4:23 – 4:23pm
🕎2️⃣ Chanukah: 2 Candles Friday, December 8⋅4:23 – 4:23pm
✨ Havdalah (50 min) / הבדלה - 50 דקות Saturday, December 9⋅5:22 – 5:22pm
🕎3️⃣ Chanukah: 3 Candles Saturday, December 9⋅5:22 – 5:22pm
Powered by Hebcal Shabbat Times
Hanukkah Party
Friday, December 8 @ 6:15pm - 7:30pm
Followed by Hanukkah-Themed Shabbat Service 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Upcoming Services
Hanukkah-themed Musical Shabbat Ma'ariv Service Friday, December 8, 2023 @ 7:30 pm
Shabbat Shachrit Service Saturday, December 9, 2023 @ 9:30 am
Zoom Links sent in separate email Friday afternoon. Please reply if you do not receive them.
We are now incorporating guitar accompaniment with our Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv
Parashat Vayeshev 5784 / פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּשֶׁב
9 December 2023 / 26 Kislev 5784
Parashat Vayeshev is the 9th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Genesis 37:1-40:23; Numbers 7:18-23
Vayeshev (“He Settled”) begins the story of Joseph, describing his rivalry with his brothers, slavery in Egypt, and imprisonment after his master’s wife frames him in response to Joseph’s refusal of her advances. It also contains the story of Tamar, her husbands, and her father-in-law, Judah. [1]
Triennial year 2
1: 38:1-5 · 5 p’sukim ·
2: 38:6-11 · 6 p’sukim ·
3: 38:12-14 · 3 p’sukim ·
4: 38:15-19 · 5 p’sukim ·
5: 38:20-23 · 4 p’sukim ·
6: 38:24-26 · 3 p’sukim ·
7: 38:27-30 · 4 p’sukim ·
maf*: Numbers 7:18-23 · 6 p’sukim · *Chanukah Day 2 (on Shabbat)
Haftarah*: Zechariah 2:14-4:7 · 21 p’sukim *Chanukah Day 2 (on Shabbat)
Commentary and Divrei Torah
Hertz Chumash: pp. 145 – 147 Triennial Year 2 (Full Kriyah pp. 141 – 151)
Shabbat Mevarchim Chodesh Tevet
Saturday, December 9
Molad Tevet: Tue, 1 minutes and 3 chalakim after 20:00
Hebrew School at Temple Sholom of Ontario
Sunday, December 10, 2023 Hebrew School 10:00am - 11:30am
Join us at the synagogue for our monthly live learning. There will be music and singing, and activities for your children. We will also meet with the adults for a special in-preson, on-site learning.
December 10th, 2023 12:30 p.m.
Annual congregational meeting. There will be a bagels/lox lunch
provided.
10 de diciembre de 2023 12:30 p.m.
Reunión congregacional anual. Se proporcionará un almuerzo de bagels/salmón ahumado.
Rosh Chodesh Tevet 2023 / רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ טֵבֵת 5784
Start of month of Tevet on the Hebrew calendar
Rosh Chodesh Tevet for Hebrew Year 5784 begins at sundown on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 and ends at nightfall on Wednesday, 13 December 2023.
Start of month of Tevet on the Hebrew calendar. Tevet (טֵבֵת) is the 10th month of the Hebrew year, has 29 days, and corresponds to December or January on the Gregorian calendar. רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ, transliterated Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh, is a minor holiday that occurs at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar. It is marked by the birth of a new moon.
Next Miller Course
We are planning our next Miller Course to start tentatively in January 2024.
Stay tuned for more information.
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