Bonjour / Hello [nickname_else_first_name],
Table of contents
1) Hanukah Party @ the Spanish
2) Perashat Hashavoua - Rabbi Kaprow
3) Halakhat Hashavoua - David Azerad
4) Holy Jokes!
1) Hanukah Party @ the Spanish
The Spanish and Portuguese is having a Hanukkah party for young families on Dec 5th from 4-6pm at the Antebi Hall. More information can be found here
https://www.thespanish.org/event/spy-chanukah-party-at-the-spanish.html
2) PERASHAT HASHAVOUA
A Chip Off the Old Block (Joseph was an extension of his father, Jacob)
We saw in the previous translations, how the Zohar relates the Forefathers to the sefirot. Abraham represents chesed/kindness, Isaac gevura/severity, and Jacob, the mediator between the two, represents tiferet/balance and beauty. In this week's translation, Rebbe Shimon continues that theme and teaches that Joseph represents the sefira of yesod, meaning "foundation". The Forefathers thus represent the vehicle by which spirituality descended back to the world after having ascended and departed because of Adam's sin. To understand the meaning of the Zohar it is also helpful to visualize the "tree" of the sefirot as depicted on the introductory page to this website and remember where yesod stands in relation to tiferet and the other sefirot.These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph… (Gen. 37:2). This is as we have learned, that Jacob and Joseph were similar. Everything that happened to Jacob happened also to Joseph. The two of them go together.
The intention is not that they looked alike. Rather they are similar sefirot, Jacob is tiferet and Joseph is yesod. These sefirot are similar in many ways. Both are in the middle of the sefirot tree. Both receive from above and from the two sides and both pass the sustenance/shefa they receive. Since Joseph is directly below Jacob, he is called the "generations" of Jacob - and not his 11 other sons. This explanation fits the text perfectly and reveals the hidden meaning behind it.This is the secret of the letter vav that the two [vav's] go together, because they are one secret and one form.In order to pronounce the Hebrew letter vav a person has to say the sound "vav'' twice. That is reflected in the way the word is spelled both in Hebrew (with two vav's) and in English (with two vees). The form of both letters is the same. Furthermore, in Hebrew, the word vav means connection or hook. In English the letter V represents a hook and depicts two sides connected at one point in the middle. The letter vav is therefore a perfect example of these "connecting" sefirot in both languages! Just as you can't say vav without including the second vav, so you can't say Jacob without implying Joseph. One represents the body; the other represents the brit/circumcision. In the act of union, all of the powers of the body pass through the brit to generate a new being. From this we can understand why sexual purity was the biggest test for Joseph, because in order to pass on holiness, the brit must be kept holy. The sefirah of yesod connects all of the sefirot above it to the sefirah of malchut that is below it.
The point at which this happened in reality was when Joseph met with Judah in Egypt, but that is another story…
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Kaprow
If any member has a question or in need of assistance feel free to contact Rabbi Kaprow at rabbikaprow@maghenabraham.com
2) HALAKHAT HASHAVOUA
Selected by David Azerad, Hazzan Maghen Abraham
The laws of Hanukkah according to the rulings of Maran Harav Obadiah Yosef z”tl
What blessings do we recite before lighting the candles of Hanukkah?
On the first night before lighting, we recite three blessings: A. Baruch Ata Hashem …..Le’Hadlik Ner Hanukkah . [ Ashkenazim add the word Shel Hanukkah}
B. Baruch Ata Hashem ….She’asa Nisim…
C. Baruch Ata Hashem….SheHecheyanu Vekiyemanu …And only after reciting the three blessings we light the Hanukkiah .From the second night onwards, we will recite only the first two blessings before lighting.
If one lit the Hanukkah candles and did not recite the blessings at all, he still accomplished the Mitzvah. He may not put out the candles and go back and light with the blessings.
Do women and small children also have to light Hanukkah candles?
Women must also light the Hanukkah candles. Therefore, a woman living in her home alone, must light the candles with all the blessings. However, a married woman will have accomplished the mitzvah with her husband Berachot when lighting the Hanukkah. A single woman living at her parent’s home will have accomplished the mitzvah with her fathers lighting the Hanukkia, this Halcha applies also according to the Ashkenazi custom who light one Hanukkiah for each member of their household.
A child under the age of Bar Mitzvah should not be allowed to light a Hanukkah candle. For he is not obliged by law to light, and only his father is obliged to educate him to do the mitzvot, therefore if a little child lit the Hanukkiah for the entire household the Mitzvah was not accomplished.
How many candles do we light on Hanukkah?
In principle, it is enough to light one candle per household every night, whether the members of the house are many or few. Am Yisrael however has taken the beautiful custom to observe the mitzvah elegantly, and add one more candle each night as a complementary candle until the last night we have eight candles lit so that the miracle of Hanukkah is more noticeable.
It is customary that at the end of every night after lighting the candles to light the last candle called the Shamash. Some however have the custom to light all the candles with the Shamash and then place the Shamash back in the Hanukkiah . The Shamash that is added should be lit higher than the other candles .
Who in the household may light the Hanukkah candles?
It is the custom of the Sephardim that one of the members of the household lights the candles, and accomplishes the Mitzvah for all the members of the household by lighting them.
It is the custom of the Ashkenazim that each member of the household lights his own Hanukkiah candles alone with the blessings. When doing so It’s better to light at different windows, in order to advertise the miracle as much as possible to the people passing by in the streets.
It is not obligatory for the all members of the household to be present in the house at the time of lighting, therefore anyone who was not present has no obligation to light the candles later on since they were acquitted by the household members
Bevikat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
Chag Urim Sameach
Bevirkat Shabbat Shalom Umevorach
David Azerad
3) HOLY JoKeS!!
At the funeral of the richest man in town, a stranger saw a woman crying very loudly. The stranger said, “Are you a relative of the deceased?”
“No.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“That’s why!”
Hanukha Jokes
- Which hand is best to light the menorah with?
Neither, it’s best to light it with a candle.
- How can you recognize a Hanukkah hippie?
He’s the one with his hair in dreidel-locks.
- How much Hanukkah gelt did the skunk get?
One cent.
- What’s the best Hanukkah gift for the person who has everything?
A burglar alarm.
- What do you call a speck that falls into the latke pan?
An unidentified frying object.
- Why don’t we eat clowns at Hanukkah?
Because they taste funny.
- What’s the difference between Hanukkah and a dragon?
One lasts for eight nights, the other sometimes ate knights.
- What’s the best thing to put into the sufganiyot?
Your teeth.
- What did the candles say when the menorah complained about getting too hot?
“Whoa, a talking menorah.”
- What did the older Hanukkah candle say to the younger one?
“You’re too young to smoke.”
- Why was the broom late to the Hanukkah party?
It over-swept.
- Miriam goes to the post office to buy stamps for her holiday cards. She asks the cashier, “May I please have 50 Hanukkah stamps?” The cashier asks, “What denomination?” To which Miriam replies, “Oh vey, has it come to this? OK, give me 6 Orthodox, 12 Conservative, and 32 Reform.”
- Why are there only 8 days of Hanukkah?
Because 7 ate 9.
- How many potatoes does it take to make potato pancakes?
A latke.
- Why do you put candles on top of the menorah?
It’s too hard to put them on the bottom.
- What did the loaf of bread say to the other loaf of bread during Hanukkah?
“Happy challah days!”
- Why did the dreidel go to the doctor?
It kept getting dizzy spells.
- I asked the waiter if my latkes would be long.
He said no, they’ll be round.
- A little latke gave his mom a gift. “Aww,” she responded. “Why are you so sweet?”
He replied, “I guess that’s just the way I yam.”
- What did the stamp say to the Hanukkah card?
“Stick me and you’ll go places.”
- What’s a dreidel’s favorite song?
“You Spin Me Right Round.”
- Who is a dreidel’s favorite musician?
Dr. Dreidel!
- What did the little girl call her dreidel?
Clay.
- What does Simba say to celebrate every Hanukkah?
“Hanukkah matata!”
- A Jewish guy’s mom gives him two sweaters for Hanukkah. So, the next time he visits her, he wears one. As he walks into the house, his mother frowns and furrows her brow, asking, “What — you didn’t like the other one?”
- Why did the boy put his Hanukkah money in the freezer?
He wanted cold hard cash.
- What’s green, spins round, and has wheels?
A dreidel. I lied about the wheels.
- What do vegetables say to each other on Hanukkah?
“Happea Hanukkah!”
