https://youtu.be/q4njeMR_sWg Please join us for SERVICES: Shabbat services this week: Prayers & Torah Class , Fri December 21 6:15pm-to 6:45pm (PST) Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, December 21 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 22 @ 9:30am Services Parshas Vayechi / פרשת ויחי Shabbat Services next week: Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, December 28 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 29 @ 9:30am Parshas Shemos / פרשת שמות

https://youtu.be/96pPDjIw95A #ParashatVayegash #DvarTorah #TorahCommentary

This week is Hanukkah. Many Jews observe Hanukkah as if it was the main, most important, holiday of our people. This is certainly a fun festival of eating oil-imbued foods like potato latkes and sugoniyot or jelly donuts. We spin the dreidel, light the Hanukkiah and generally have a fun time. Hanukkah is actually a minor festival because it commemorates a battle. Nevertheless, we should remember that there is an important lesson here. At the risk of being glib: They tried to destroy us, Hashem intervened, let’s eat. While this is a joke we Jews like to tell, there is a lot of truth to it. During the Amidah or Tefillah, we add a prayer during Hanukkah. It is inserted in the first of the last three prayers that are ubiquitous throughout all versions and adaptations of the silent, standing prayer. We say “Modim anuhnu lak”—we gratefully thank you, Hashem…for all the miracles you grant us every day. This lead in is appropriate placement for this particular miracle. This, by the way, is also the placement of the particular prayer for Purim, another miraculous save by Hashem. These two holidays have this in common, that enemies tried to destroy us but in different manners. The Seleucids tried to destroy and violate our Temple and Haman tried to kill the Jewish people, respectively. Both attempts failed. Thus the festivals. With current events, consider that this holiday becomes more important. As the Greek-Assyrian Seleucids tried to destroy our Temple, we have had attacks on synagogues and Jews recently. We have had a gun man attack a synagogue during Shabbat Shachrit, we’ve had someone attack two people leaving their shul after Shabbat services, and a college professor have her office defaced with anti-Semitic symbols. In Europe, attacks are also rampant. Not only are Jews randomly attacked on the streets of various cities, but there are government parties that are hostile to Jews. Many elected government officials in various countries are making known their enmity towards Israel for oppressing a people who make it a weekly practice, on our sacred day of Shabbat, to launch explosive and inflammatory devices at innocent and civilian Israelis, and then launch missiles at Israel while declaring a truce. Many of these same governments are also defaming our holiest rites in order to make it hard, if not eliminate, Jewish practices and Judaism. They are making it illegal for Jewish parents to circumcise their sons, a procedure of the covenant so important that Hashem allows this even of Shabbat. These same governments are also preventing us from engaging in ritual slaughter—Schitta—to kosher an animal for consumption; this is an interesting declaration since the sole purpose is to kill the animal in the most humane and painless manner. The situation is so dire in England that one of their most prominent citizens made world headlines by immigrating to Israel citing how hostile the environment is to Jews. All of this is reminiscent of other such enactments in our history. Reading of the Haftorah originated because the state governments made it illegal for us to read the Torah. Our sages got around this by selecting an appropriate portion from the Prophets that captured the theme of the respective portion. In our daily liturgy, the Shema is said at the beginning of the service during the Morning Blessings because, again, the state governments prohibited us from saying it during the service. Finally, the United States ambassador to the United Nations recently tried to hold the Gazan terrorist group, Hamas, accountable for the wonton attacks of the recent launching of over 400 missiles at Israel by introducing a resolution at a recent meeting of that body. It did not get the two-thirds majority it needed to pass. But there is hope. While the resolution didn’t get the required two-thirds, it did get a majority vote. While many anti-Semitic actions are in play in Europe, the European Union recently started a process of clamping down on anti-Semitic acts. As the Democratic party in the United States is now set to take control of the House of Representatives come January, the new Speaker of the House and Minority Leader of the Senate has reaffirmed their party’s support for Jews and Israel and rebuked some in-coming freshmen Representatives for their condemnation. For us, we must stick together. We are probably the most conspicuous and well-known minority in the world. #StandUpforShabbat and support your local synagogue. We must keep our culture and heritage alive and doing things together is important. Keeping the faith is important for future generations. Our people have survived because we’ve adhered (the meaning of the word “religion”) to the principles of our people and observed. As we state every week, “[E]ven though evil seems to flourish, their doom is sure to come because Yours is the ultimate triumph”. And we will continue to take precautions to keep our people safe. Hanukkah has borne this out. It has shown that if we are resolute, we will prevail. So observe this holiday and enjoy it. While all of the above seems pessimistic and dire, remember that by sticking to our practices we have survived and thrived for 3500 years. And we will continue. #FridayNightSermon #Hanukkah5779

https://youtu.be/qmkgAMfXAQU SERVICES Shabbat services this week: Ma'ariv Services Friday evening, December 7 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 8 @ 9:30am Parshas Miketz / פרשת מקץ The one time of the year (not all years!) that we take out three Torahs. Please join us. School Hanukkah Party after school @ 1:00pm Shabbat Services the following week: Ma'ariv Family Services Friday evening, December 14 @ 7pm. Shachrit Saturday morning, December 15 @ 9:30am Services Parshas Vayigash / פרשת ויגש #ParashatMiketz #TorahCommentary #DvarTorah

One the unique things about Judaism is how we portray our Patriarchs, Matriarchs, prophets and sages. Each one of them is human, each one of them had frailties and thus challenges. Each one of them was human, imperfect and addressing challenges not always successfully. Consider a couple or reasons why this is so. We humans need inspiration. We need role models upon whom we can emulate. We need people to serve as examples. On the other hand, how do you relate to a Being who is perfect, as there are in some other cultures? You’re always going to fall short, so what’s the point? The example of our ancestors demonstrates that we, too, can rise above our imperfections. It shows us that even though making mistakes is a certainty, it does not doom us to eternal damnation. It shows us that the purpose of life is to succeed despite those imperfections, to rise above and do great things in spite of them. This week’s portion, Vayeishev, demonstrates that. We see two different situations in which two progenitors of our tribes, Joseph and Judah, achieved greatness in spite of their human imperfections. Both of them overcame their human imperfection. Most of the rest of Genesis is devoted to Joseph. Here is someone who is seen by some sages to be an immature, spoiled kid who lords his favoritism over his other, older brothers. While his older brothers are out in the fields working for a living, he is at home with daddy studying. He is given the task of checking up on the latter to make sure they are not sloughing off. This, of course, creates contention and discord among this large, blended family. He even uses his gifts of prophecy to denigrate them. Yes, he has dreams that portend future events of his brothers appeasing him, but he presents them in an immature manner that infuriates his brothers to the point of planning on killing him. It is only the mercy of his oldest half-brothers that spares him. For his arrogance, though, he is sold into slavery ending up in Egypt. Chapter 38 takes a sidebar into a piece of the life of Judah. Wanting to strike out on his own, he forms an alliance with a local merchant. He gets married and has three sons. His oldest dies prematurely without an heir, so it is up to the next son to marry the widow and father an heir. This is according to the customs of the time, and according to Kabbalah this would be the reincarnation of his deceased older brother. He fails to carry out the task and ends up with an early demise himself. Judah is concerned that his daughter-in-law is too much of a risk and uses the pretense that the surviving brother is too young to save his life. He has now failed to bear his responsibility for “yibum”, or the levirate that gives the widow an heir. His daughter-in-law, Tamar, sees instinctively that she needs an heir because her son’s lineage will lead to the Davidic reign and ultimately the Messiah. She tricks Judah into carrying out yibum by posing as a prostitute thus ensuring he carry out his responsibility. She has done a great job of disguising herself because when she is three months pregnant, she is accused of adultery and puts Judah into a situation in which he would pronounce the death penalty. Still, she is silent rather than embarrass Judah. Very complicated and trying situations. The mettle of both men are being tested; their character is being pushed to the limit. Now they have to rise up to the occasion. We see that Judah is dealing with a life-or-death situation and Joseph has to use his gifts of prophecy to intervene in life in Egypt. We see the Judah eventually admits that it was he who is the father of Tamar’s child and praises her for doing the right thing. Joseph, pursued by his benefactor and master’s wife, avoid her even as he is put in prison for what ends up being the next twelve years. Both accept the consequences with grace, acknowledging as the result of their own actions. Both, however, end up being great men. It is their lofty superior character that resolves their respective situations in the most efficacious way and results in advancing our heritage. Both are able to overcome their basest temptations and character flaws, rise above them and go down in our history as role models, revered by later generations as the epitome of Jewish character. Yes, we can all gain by seeing their examples. We must emulate their resolve that doing the right thing in the eyes of Hashem is more important than any ephemeral and worldly ego elevation. We learn that doing the right thing may not be the most esteem-building direction, but in the end it is always the right way to go. #FridayNightSermon #FridaysSermon

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