Shabbat Blast

This Shabbat, since it is Chanukah, I have Antiochus on the mind. Antiochus was the Syrian Greek king who, according to tradition, ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple in 167 BCE. He banned the custom of brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the Temple. We have a history of people denying our right to practice freely. We have a history of many who have tried to destroy us, and we have a history of people expelling us from where we live. This is our people’s memory and it informs how we relate to others who are the targets of discrimination.

Tomorrow I will speak about how our history, our current position, and our Torah can inform our response to the words of presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who called to ban Muslims from immigrating to the US and suggested that Muslims register with the government. We must not think that ancient and current events are separate. We must speak from our own experience with injustice when we contemplate and respond to hateful words that dominate our headlines.

Our Torah portion this week, Miketz, has deep words of wisdom to share in the form of Pharoah’s dream of 7 healthy cows and 7 sickly cows (Note: This is a different Pharoah from Exodus). It has something to say about what it means to do with the power we have. The tropes of human existence live and breathe in our Torah and they live and breathe on the front page of the newspaper as well.  

One last thing to know for tomorrow morning- We will read from… not 1, not 2, but 3 Torah scrolls! One is for Shabbat (Miketz), 2 is for Chanukah, and 3 is for Rosh Hodesh (Tevet).

Join us for what will certainly be a vibrant Shabbat experience.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Bernstein

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1. Tonight: 6:15 PM- Tot Shabbat service plus dinner. Note: There will late services at 8:00 PM.

2. Tomorrow: 9:30 AM- Family Service (also known as Junior Congregation).

3. December 25 Shabbat dinner- 5:30 Service

4. Thursday evening, 7:00-9:00.  Adult education- Engaging Israel Video and discussion series.