Midway Jewish Center
Born in 1953; Thriving in 2008!
THE CYBERSHUL

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This Week’s Torah Reading

Vayeshev

vaYEIshev means “Jacob settled” in Canaan. Jacob loved his children but loved Joseph more. The other sons were jealous. Joseph dreams of power over his brothers. The boys scheme to kill him but opt to sell him to merchants. The boys bloody Joseph’s beautiful coat and present it to their father as evidence of Joseph’s death. Brother Judah mourns the death of two of his own children. He treats his widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar, unfairly, and unwittingly has an affair with her. The liaison leads to pregnancy and twins are born. Joseph ends up in Egypt, a servant to Pharaoh’s chief steward, Potiphar. He likes Joseph but his wife likes Joseph more. She tries to seduce him. He resists. She frames him. Joseph is jailed. There he meets Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. They dream. Joseph interprets the dreams, honestly predicting that the baker will suffer death and the cupbearer will go free. The cupbearer leaves prison and promptly forgets Joseph.

A Quick Guide To How To Light Your Hanukkiyah (Menorah)

The first candle: Sunday, December 21, (after sunset when lots of people will see the hanukkiyah burning brightly in your window)

WHAT YOU NEED

1. A hanukkiyah—make sure all candle holders are of equal height, except the one for the shamash (the candle used to light all others) which is either taller or shorter than the rest.
2. Hanukkah candles (purchased in grocery or Jewish book stores).
3. A window sill on which to light the hanukkiyah. We light the hanukkiyah in front of the window to publicize the miracle (pirsum haneis) of Hanukkah.

HOW TO DO IT

1. Load your hanukkiyah the way you read Hebrew, right to left.

2. Light only the shamash.

3. Early in the evening, but after dark, get the family together, stand and sing (or recite, if you don't know the tune)—
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha’olam,
asher kidishanu bemitzvotav, vitzivanu lehadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
 Praised are You, Adonai, who rules the Universe, Who makes us holy through mitzvot and has given us the mitzvah of lighting the Hanukkah candle.

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha’olam,
she’asah nissim la’avoteinu bayamim haheim, bazeman hazeh.
Praised are You, Adonai, who rules the Universe, Who made miracles for our ancestors, long ago, and continues to make them today.

4. On the first night continue with the following— On other nights, continue with #5.
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha’olam,
shehehiyanu, vekiyimanu, vehigi’anu, lazeman hazeh.
Praised are you, Adonai, who rules the Universe, Who has granted us life, sustained us, and has let us witness this precious moment.

5. Light the candles, as you would read English, left to right.

6. Wish everyone a Hag Hanukkah Same’ah—A Happy Hanukkah—give everyone a Hanukkah kiss and you are now ready to exchange gifts.

Let's Celebrate Hanukkah Like It's 1929!
Eight Crazy [& Cheap] Nights

GAME NIGHT
Monopoly, Life, Charades, Bingo, etc. with the family

MUSIC NIGHT
Get out your instruments and try to play your favorite songs; pots and pans are legitimate instruments. Or, decide on a CD to play throughout the house.

ICE CREAM NIGHT
Make your favorite sundaes, no matter what day of the week it is.

POPCORN & MOVIE NIGHT
Everybody decides on a favorite movie to watch as a family, pop popcorn and enjoy!

BOOK NIGHT
Which book are you reading and let everyone else in the family know about it.

BAKING NIGHT
Make your own latkas or sufganiyot or whatever else you’re into. The project must be with everyone in the family and in this case, there can never be too many cooks in the kitchen.

SHABBAT HANUKKAH NIGHT
Invite friends over for Shabbat dinner and celebrate Hanukkah and Shabbat together. Remember that the hanukkiya gets it before the Shabbat candles

WISH NIGHT
Make a wish, throw it into a hat, and everyone draws out a wish and reads it aloud. That person has to fulfill that wish.

Shabbat Thought

In prosperity , our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends 

~~ John Collins   ~~

Come to Camp Ramah in Ojai, California for Pesach

Early Bird Deadline Extended
Register by December 30, 2008 and get $150 off per adult.

Spend Pesach in beautiful Ojai, CA! Passover at Camp Ramah is an amazing experience; not only do you get the incredible atmosphere, but you leave all of the holiday preparations to us. The food is delicious, the community is warm and welcoming and the location cannot be beat. Your Passover experience will not only be leisurely and fun, but educational as well! Our Scholar-in-Residence this year is Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, a prolific author, nationally recognized teacher and speaker as well as the Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University. Bring your family and join us for food, fun, learning and relaxation at Passover Camp! Register by November 30, 2008 and get $150 off per adult.

For more information: (310) 476-8571 or Passover@ramah.org

Web Of The Week

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GjNXTQfsL9Y

The Cowboys do Hanukkah...  

SEND A SOLDIER IN THE ISRAELI ARMY A HANUKKAH GIFT, LIKE A PIZZA—

www.PizzaIDF.org

Hanukkah, the eight day Jewish Festival of Lights, will soon be with us and you can again treat the soldiers to traditional Jelly Donuts (sufganiot), giving them a brief holiday break. Our soldiers always appreciate your gifts and especially your greetings, letting them know that they have support from all around the world and that people understand the importance of their job protecting the Jewish people and leading the fight against terror.

Aural Torah

Judith--Ahead of Her Time

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JUSTICE, JUSTICE YOU SHALL… PURSUE?

Dear CyberRav,

Since you brought up the pursuit of justice, that too, has been weighing heavily on my mind. There is a culture of corruption in my firm. One of my major frustrations is that I have wanted justice. For me in the present, and for future people. Unfortunately, I have had to let that go as well. It's hard to do, but it has been freeing to let go of my insistence on justice. I have to accept that it may never happen. Or if it does, it will take some time—a lot of time. The firm would respond, I suppose, if I sued it for a few million bucks, but I don't think that's the right path to take, and I still have to work there. I will have to take a different approach. Fortunately, I have a strong supporter among the partners who is one of the best human beings I have ever met. She inspires me with quotes by Camus, such as: "If man's condition is unjust, he has only one way of overcoming it, which is to be just himself." In other words, take the high road. I am more free and I suffer less if I model justice and if I avoid reacting to the injustice of the cowards in my firm.

Am I copping out? Let me know your thoughts.

Dear Justice On Hold

You make an interesting observation on justice. I, too, have discovered that the pursuit of justice is an exhausting and almost impossible exercise if, in fact, you are gainfully employed and wish to retain your daytime job. The few times I have tried to help people secure justice, I have learned just how complicated and complex a process it can be. Instead of acting as the judge and declaring one party guilty and one party innocent, I now almost always take the tact of explaining that in community mistakes are made all the time, and now we have to let go and move forward. It's much more productive. I guess this is sort of like settling out of court. In any event, there's a reason why the judicial system in our country is a multi-billion dollar business with trials that do not begin until months after a crime is committed, and do not conclude for many months after they begin. There simply is no end to plumbing the depths of justice, and for those who want to dive that deep, they have to be willing to spend an enormous amount of money as well as invest thousand of hours into its pursuit. Don’t get me wrong—there are times when that kind of effort is justified and commendable. But the just end must be of such significance that it justifies the time and effort the enterprise demands.

I don’t think you are copping out, but you have just realized that there are other ways to respond to the injustices of this world. The Torah does command, “Justice, justice shall you pursue…” (Deuteronomy 16:20). Much ink has been spilled over the repetition of the term “justice.” Among the many interpretations that exist is the idea that by no means shall its pursuit be undertaken casually. The pursuit of justice must be undertaken with great seriousness and with the expectation that a comprehensive campaign will take patience, time, and money. For the manifold petty injustices we have to endure, there are quicker and easier ways to respond to them. But when an opportunity arises to alleviate human suffering, or root out racism or prejudice, or protect the vulnerable against incessant attacks, we should all be prepared to pursue justice and pursue it with passion.

Rabbi Rafi Rank
CyberRav

Shabbat Shalom Everyone!!

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