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https://youtu.be/r9qXuF-3KSk #StandupforShabbat Shabbat services this week: Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, November 30 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 1 @ 9:30am Parshas Vayeshev / פרשת וישב Sherry Reiter will be sponsoring the Kiddish on Saturday, December 1, in honor of my mother, Sylvia Richter Reiter's, Yarzheit. There will be bagels and lox. Sunday evening 5:30pm, December 2, Chanukah: 1 Candle / חנוכה: א׳ נר Please join us at the Murrieta Town Square for the lighting of the community menorah at 6:00pm Monday, December 3, Hanukkah I (Holiday of lights) Please also join us at the Canyon Lake Country Club at the Magnolia Room at 6:30pm for the Second Night Candle Lighting Shabbat Services the following week: Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, December 7 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 8 @ 9:30am Parshas Miketz / פרשת מקץ The only time during the year when we use three (3) Torahs for the Torah Service! School Hanukkah Party after school @ 1:00pm on Sunday, December 9. #ParashatVayeshev #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

https://youtu.be/Wl0CH9BtFts Shabbat services this week: Happy Thanksgiving Thursday, November 22 (My wife and I will be out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday) Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, November 23 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, November 24 @ 9:30am Parshas Vayishlach / פרשת וישלח Shabbat Services the following week: Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, November 30 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 1 @ 9:30am Parshas Vayeshev / פרשת וישב Sherry Reiter will be sponsoring the Kiddish on Saturday, December 1, in honor of my mother, Sylvia Richter Reiter's, Yarzheit. There will be bagels and lox. Sunday evening 5:30pm, December 2, Chanukah: 1 Candle / חנוכה: א׳ נר Please join us at the Murrieta Town Square for the lighting of the community menorah at 6:00pm Monday, December 3, Hanukkah I (Holiday of lights) #ParashatVayishlach #TorahCommentary #DvarTorah #Hanukkah #Chanukah

https://youtu.be/kvdHNOSpCG0 #ParashatVayeitzei #TorahPortion #DvarTorah

This week’s portion is Toldot—Generations. We see that Abraham and Sarah have died, Issac and Rebecca have lived their lives and are now leaving the birthright to Isaac. These are the generation of our Patriarchs. What made them so special and to stand out? In this day and age during our current times, politics proliferates. Well, not really politics. Statesmanship has been replaced by something else. We are a divided country. It is not just about your political affiliation, it’s “us vs. them”. How did this happen and how does this relate to our Patriarchs? During the holiday of Yom Kippur we afflict ourselves. This means not eating, drinking or engaging in pleasurable activities. The point is to shut off all external stimuli and focus only on the spiritual. So we are shutting off the material in order to focus solely on the spiritual and get closer to Hashem. Most of our sins come from our temptations. Our temptations are the result of our attachment and focus on the material. Material comforts are what makes us want more and go after them. Sometimes, we want to “cut corners”, that is do things that are immoral in order to satisfy our lust for those material comforts. When we shut off the material but denying ourselves those material comforts, we now can focus more easily on the spiritual. Our satisfaction comes not from bodily appeasement but from the “high” if you will of feeling the ultimate spiritual experience within us, the so-called “Shechinah”. This is what Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew. This is what they experienced. This is why when they died, it was no big deal. The problem with death is that we are all so attached to the material world, we don’t want to leave it. They knew better. They knew that there was more than just the bodies and material comforts. They knew that the ultimate security was that of Hashem. Consider that the problem with our political landscape is that people are so attached to it. They define themselves by it. It is who they are. It is not just a preference of expression. They are so attached to it that it defines their very being. The Vedas of Indian culture have a similar concept. For them, the idea of enlightenment is being detached from the material world. This doesn’t mean hiding in a cave but rather what happens doesn’t affect you. It is a complete appreciation of the spiritual world. What governs your mood and outlook is you, not others. A very evolved woman in our community organized a get-together, a Unity Rally and asked the so-important question of how we can all come together and resolve our differences. In doing so, she defined the problem: we are tribal. We define ourselves through our political parties and our heritage. Anyone who does not fit into our definition of who’s right is wrong. Wasn’t this why Sodom and Gemorrah were destroyed? They despised strangers and treated them with contempt. Our Torah tells us to love the stranger. So Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had it right. They knew that people are people and we are all G-d’s children. One thing about HaShem is that He likes variety. Sort of like a Crayola crayon box. Different colors that really make our world a beautiful and colorful place. How do we make our world a better place? Simple. We take a lesson from Yom Kippur and maybe not shut out the material completely but put it in perspective. We don’t care what political party or candidate or what color or heritage you happen to be. We just care that G-d created us all as His children and created variety, so the world wouldn’t be such a boring place. He created us different so that we could come together with our different ideas as input for how to make the world a better place. Let us all revel in that diversity and appreciate each other as belonging to the same race, the human race. #FridaysSermon #FridayNightSermon

https://youtu.be/1ZlLdv2MjqI Rosh Chodesh Kislev Thursiday, November 8 and Friday, November 9 Beginning of new Hebrew month of Kislev Ma'ariv Friday evening, November 9 @ 7pm Services Kid-Friendly Shachrit Saturday morning, November 10 @ 9:30am Services Parshas Toldos -This is a 1-1/2 hour shortened service for pre-B'nai Mitzvot kids who will take part in the service #ParashatToldot #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

Great interview. Bari Weiss attended Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and had some very profound and spot on commentary about people's feelings about Jews and Israel. https://youtu.be/U-9ry71e0fU

This week’s portion, Chayei Sara, honors our two sages and prophets, Abraham and Sara. It opens with Sara passing on and ends with Abraham passing. We are reminded that these two great people are who set the stage for the world’s first ideas of Monotheism of a loving, just G-d and kindness and respect to all. So that’s it, that’s the sermon. Really, we could just leave it there. But let’s dive in and see just what made the two so great. Consider that Abraham used to sit outside his tent in his free time waiting for travelers to whom he could play host. Thus the beginning of the last portion when the angels came by. Abraham was waiting to play host even though he was still recovering from his circumcision. Consider that he did this in a world in which aliens were mistreated to the point of being murdered. Sara, of course, rushed to gather up food to serve them as well. When G-d came to Abraham to tell him of the impending demise of Sodom and Gemorrah, he pleaded for mercy for them, knowing full well who these people were. He felt that if there were but at least ten righteous people, they should be spared. He even had the affrontery to confront Hashem, such was his feelings of compassion. Abraham also stood up for what was right as well and was loyal. When his nephew Lot got in the middle of a war and was taken captive, he rounded up his men and went after him. He showed his fierceness in battle and resolve to do what was right. Sara was always right behind him. True, she isn’t mentioned as much, but it is taken for granted that she, too, had the same qualities. She believed as he did as is evidenced by this incident of serving the guests. We would do well to follow his example. We live in a world where fear-mongering has reared its ugly head. It’s become “us” vs. “them”. If you’re not “us”, you’re “them” and not welcome. Contrast this to Abraham welcoming strangers with hospitality to the point where it’s become a commandment to honor the stranger. We live in a world of bigotry as well. We are all still recovering as the horrific killing of our brothers and sisters in Pittsburg who did nothing more than follow in the ways of Abraham and express their heritage and culture of honoring the one, true G-d. They followed in Abraham’s footsteps. Abraham had an un-dying faith. Hashem told him to leave his home of paganry and set out. No planned goal, no specific destination, just go. And did without question. As a result, Abraham became very wealthy. But he was always sharing. But he always shared and thought of others. When his and Lot’s servants fought and they decided the best way to handle this was to separate, he let Lot pick his place first. Even though Abraham was the elder and by custom should have got the right of first refusal, he deferred. How would Abraham have handled this recent killing of Jews observing the Sabbat? Certainly he would have mourned and lamented that people feel that way. He would also make sure that his people were protected against future attacks. Maybe he would also try to reach out to those who may have similar budding feelings. Perhaps he would invite them in to his tent and offer his hospitality. Perhaps he would show them just what a mensch is that while we have our faults, all we really want is peace and for all humankind to live together under the blessings of Hashem. Perhaps he, and Sara, would pray that they find peace as well. Perhaps Sara, being the more realistic one, may have seen that some of these people are irredeemable and want them away. Perhaps she would feel that it’s more important, after seeing some of their behavior, that they not be around us. She seemed to be a safety first type of person. So together, consider that we have two sides of the same coin in our prophets. It is always good to reach out to people and promote understanding. On the other hand, there might also be a point when you have to face reality as well. #FridayNightSermon

Last week was the horrific tragedy in Pittsburgh, PA. A gunman, a self-described white supremist, walked into a large synagogue and opened fire. Eleven people were killed, six people were wounded. It is human nature to want to ascribe blame in order to have a target for our anger. This helps us vent and get some vindication, and acts as a catharsis. The most evident target is the President. People were quick to associate this action with the President’s remarks last year in response to marches by white supremists marching in West Virginia. These people were out in the open, chanting the anti-Semitic slogan “Jews will not replace us.” People felt that the President’s lackadaisical attitude and remarks that there were some fine people and there’s blame on both sides gave license to these people to display their bigotry publicly, rather than remain in the shadows as a fringe element. Anti-Semitic incidents, according the Anti-Defamation League, is up 57% this year. People point to the President and his remarks and alleged acceptance of any one or group that supports him. They claim that his narcissistic attitude makes him accept even bigots as long as they like him, and thus he downplays their attitudes…which has the effect of making these groups more mainstream. Now they feel emboldened to display their negative attitudes in the open. Having said that, let’s revisit the ideas that there’s blame on both sides. Consider main news sources like the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC and Agence France-Presse, considered to be progressive or liberal. They have reported on Israel and the conflicts with Gaza and seem to always put the onus on Israel as using excessive force. They consistently open their stories with headlines about how many people are killed and injured by Israeli army gunfire. You have to read well into the article before they talk about how Palestinians are massing at the border sending over incendiary devices that have burned much arable land in Israel that has ruined a lot of businesses. They also downplay that the Gazans are the antogonists. A recent article ran a headline about how three Palestinian youths were laid to rest after being shot by Israeli forces overnight. They said that while it looked like they were setting up explosives, none were found. They also mentioned that these were kids were 13 and 14. There was no discussion as to why these kids were out at night in a war zone and why the parents were not monitoring them. And by the way, this article appeared in the Pittsburgh Gazette, the same town where the gunman killed eleven Jews. These media serve to vilify and demonize Israel and by extension and association, Jews in general. Consider that there are organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine and BDS. While proclaiming to be peaceful, they often disrupt speakers who are either Israeli, Jewish or pro-Israel. They are very active on college campuses proclaiming how Israel has oppressed their people and taken their land. They don’t mention how Israel was created by UN proclamation, nor do they talk about their own people attacking and killing Israelis without provocation. Consider some groups such as BlackLivesMatter and the Gay Rights Organizations. In their manifestos is verbiage about not accepting oppressive regimes, a veiled reference to—you guessed it—Israel. Consider that leaders of the MeToo movement, which seeks to get equality and justice for abused women, are women who have openly attacked Jews and Israel. Many vigils have occurred all over the country for those slain. Even the Foreign Minister of Iran sent his condolences. in Hollywood, where is the outcry and outrage? Where are statements from George Clooney, Matt Damon, Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey about this tragedy? Where are statements from Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner and Bette Midler? To date, the only celebrity that seems to be speaking out is Donna Pescow who has been very active on Facebook. Twitter? Barely a peep, and this topic isn’t even trending. Politicians. Anybody heard from Bernie Sanders? Chuck Schumer? Nancy Pelosi? We heard from Mike Pence, the Vice President, who brought in a Messianic—let’s call him a—Minister, something we Jews don’t accept. Not appropriate. A lot of people in Pittsburgh, upon hearing that President Trump was going to visit, protested and said they didn’t want him to come. They said that his acceptance of the “alt right” was why this happened and along with other, misanthropic policies, have led to this animosity. This is the wrong tact. To the contrary, he should come and be welcomed. People should take him on a tour of the site of the attack and show him the carnage. They should explain how nervous they are now and implore him to act. They should educate him. This attack wasn’t the result of a single person’s policies; it was a whole culture of anti-Semitism. But guess what? We’ve been there before. We’ve survived because we’ve supported each other and lived our heritage. We are strong in our commitment to G-d and I would say His commitment to us. We’ve survived because we value morality and integrity and that is our strength. Nevertheless, we’ll probably be there again. Or maybe not. Maybe we can use this tragedy to wake people up. Maybe we can use this to show people what happens when they denigrate and vilify and demonize a people over and over again. Our strength is our humanity. Our acceptance of everyone. When this killer was wounded and brought to the hospital, who were the doctors that healed him? Jews. When the daughter of a Hamas leader needed crucial surgery where did he take her? To a hospital is Israel that successfully healed her. This is who we are. This is why we’ll survive. #Pittsburgh #PittsburghSynagogueShooting #PittsburghShooting

https://youtu.be/UZDW_ACgHYo #ParashatChayeiSara5779 #DvarTorah #TorahPortion

https://youtu.be/Z97BSN1ciUk #TragedyinPittsburgh

https://youtu.be/2NSc-ZpTq6I #TorahPortion #ParashatVayera #DvarTorah

https://youtu.be/JE6rR-36aAQ #ParashatLechLecha #TorahPortion #DvarTorah