Wishing you a very Happy Chanukah. The first candle is to be lit on Sunday night, December 21. This week's Torah portion is called "VaYishlach."
Shabbat Shalom MeHa'Hillel sheKayam lifne sheHayu Batei Hillel.
Shabbat Shalom from the Hillel that was before there was a Hillel Organization.
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Wishing you a very Happy Chanukah. The first candle is to be lit on Sunday night, December 21
This week's Torah portion is called "VaYishlach." You will find it in Genesis 32:4-36:42. To a great extend this week's parashah revolves around one of the Torah's most complicated figures, Yaacov or as he is known in English, Jacob. Jacob as a literally personage is both charming and frustrating. He is romantic but ruthless, and we are never quite sure how we feel about him, if we love him or hate him.
In the beginning of his life, Jacob clearly loses a part of his integrity and the cost of this loss is his exile abroad for over two decades. On the other hand, in his latter years, Jacob seems to realize that he must reconcile with his brother Esau if he is to regain a sense of who he is. It is as if Jacob has learned that the way to regain his integrity is through his brother. In the days prior to his return to Canaan Jacob sends Esau gifts. The text does not tell us if these gifts merely a means to placate his brother's wrath or if Jacob came to understand that until he righted past wrongs, until he learned not merely to say he was sorry but to do something about his past errors, that he would never reclaim his total integrity and thus never really be at peace with himself.
It is interesting that we study this section comes just a few days prior to Chanukah. The parashah then makes us question why we give gifts. Are the gifts that we give merely to keep the peace? Do we give gifts out of necessity or out of desire? Are the gifts that we give a symbol of our integrity or are they given out of obligation and therefore destructive of personal integrity?
Perhaps Jacob's gift giving teaches us that the most important gift that we can give is from the soul. The gift of sharing life is never easy; it is filled with risks and, at times, losses. Jacob's gifts teach us that there is no quick fix to righting past hurts; that gifts alone never totally right past wrongs.
Instead we need to think about the intention behind the gift. Do we give gifts out of love or simply out of obligation? Will the gift renew ties? Are the gifts that we give merely reasons to assuage anger or do we give gifts as a real sign of teshuvah, of rebuilding relationships?
During the break, Parashah la'Shavuah is published at irregular times. Normal publication resumes during week of January 19, 2009
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Friday night services will continue throughout the semester break
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Sefardic Jews:
If you are interested in Sephardic culture, the below website is worthwhile. In it you will find a number of articles written in English and Portuguese on the new scientific findings proving through chromosome technology that at least 20% of the present population of Spain and Portugal is of Jewish origin. The site also contains some examples of Sephardic music sung in Ladino with Hebrew and Arabic translations.
The URL is: http://www.ladina.blogspot.com/
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L'Biddurchem/The Humor Page
Here is some Chanukah Music You Do Not Want to Miss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjNXTQfsL9Y
And here is another one....
Twas the Night Before Chanukah
'Twas the night before Chanukah
and all over the place
There was noise, there was kvetching
Soch ah disgrace!
The Kinderlach, sleeping,
uneasily felt
The chocolate rush
from the Chanukah gelt
And me in the easyboy,
so stuffed with latkes,
I stretched the elastic
which held up my gatchkes.
When up on the roof
(and it has a steep pitch)
A fat alte kakker
was making a kvitsch.
I jumped up real quick
and I ran to the door,
Was it a bandeet,
or only a schnorrer?
He wasn't alone;
he had eight ferdelach,
And called them by name
as he gave a gebrach:
"On Moishe, on Yankel, on Itzik, on Sam,
On Mendel, on Shmendrik, on Feivush, on Ham;
My kidneys are kvelling;
do you give a damn?"
He had a white beard
and payyes to boot,
And to keep out the cold,
he had such a nice suit!
A second from Peerless,
I could tell at a glance,
But the cut was okay,
and so were the pants.
He was triple XL,
a real groisser goof,
So I yelled out,
"Meshuggener! Get off from Mein roof!"
He jumped down and said
as he shook hands with me,
"Max Klaus is the name.
You have maybe some tea?"
So I gave him a gleisel,
while he shook his white mop,
Mutt'ring, "Always the same thing,
They're dreying my kopp!"
From Vancouver to Glacer Bay,
Outremont to Reginek,
Every shmo in the world
hakks meir a cheinik!
They're screaming for presents,
and challah with schmaltz,
And from Brooklyn alone,
the back pain, gevaltz!"
So we sat and yentehed,
and we spun the old dreydels,
(He took all of my money,
and one of my kanidels)
He said, "Business is not bad,
a living I make,
But I'm getting too old
for this Chanukah fake;
And the cell phones, you see
how my pacemaker dings?
For two cents I'd quit,
and move to Palm Springs?"
And he gave a geshrei
as he fled mit a lacht,
"Gut Yontiff to All,
Vey is Mir, Such a Nacht!"
Wishing you and yours a Happy Chanukah and very good New Year.
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Check out our new-and-improved web page and Peruvian Sister Community's website too.
Texas A&M Hillel Online!!!
<http://www.tamuhillel.org/>www.tamuhillel.org
You can read about upcoming Hillel events, see Hillel news and history, and much more!
Visit our Peruvian Sister community's webesite at
http://www.judaismo-reformista.es.tl/
To skip the introduction, go to the bottom of the first page and click on "salir de introducción". This will get you to the main page.
Please visit our new Crypto-Jewish Website at:
http://www.mnemotrix.com/crypto/
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B'shalom u-vrachah,
In peace and blessings,
Rabbi Peter Tarlow
(979) 764-8402 (home)
(979) 696-7313 (office)