As Yaakov prepares to face his brother Esav after many years apart. The Torah tells us that he approached the moment with a remarkable balance of confidence, humility, and faith — a powerful and timeless strategy.
He prepares a gift to create peace, he turns to Hashem in heartfelt prayer, and he takes practical steps to protect his family and be prepared for war. This teaches us a powerful lesson:
When we face challenges — whether emotional, personal, or communal — we are strongest when we combine our efforts with trust in the almighty.
We prepare by reaching out with kindness, grounding ourselves in faith, and taking thoughtful and powerful action. When we combine all three, we discover the strength to move forward with confidence, clarity and courage.
And ultimately, it is the G-dly element — the connection to Hashem — that carries us through and keeps us strong.
The Maccabees also combined smart action, courage, and deep faith, but it was their G-dly conviction that brought the miracle and lit up the darkness. Chanukah reminds us that when we add light — even a small flame — it transforms everything around it.
As we prepare for Chanukah, this message calls us to action. Let’s come together to add light, strengthen our faith, and bring the warmth of our community to life. Each of us has a light to contribute, and when we show up — to celebrate, to connect, to be part of something bigger — that light grows stronger.
We invite you to celebrate Chanukah by lighting the Menorah at home with your family and join our Chanukah events, celebrate with us, and enjoy the new Jewish Education Center with joy and Jewish pride. Your participation makes a real difference, and we can’t wait to celebrate together!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Mendel & Elke Zaltzman
Shabbos Times
Friday, December 5
Candle Lighting: 4:10pm
Evening Service: 4:15pm
Saturday, December 6
Morning Service: 10:00am
Kiddush Lunch: 12:15pm Mincha Service: 4:00pm
Shabbat ends: 5:14pm
Kiddush sponsored by
The Kiddush Fund
A Bissele Humor
A couple had two little mischievous boys, ages 8 and 10. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons would get the blame.
The boys' mother heard that a rabbi in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The rabbi agreed and asked to see them individually.
So, the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the rabbi in the afternoon.
The rabbi, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is G-d?"
They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open.
The rabbi repeated the question. "Where is G-d?"
Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.
So, the rabbi raised his voice some more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "Where is G-d!?"
The boy screamed and bolted from the room. He ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.
When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"
The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied: "We are in real big trouble this time! G-d is missing, and they think we did it!"
WEEKLY eTORAH
Jacob used several different tactics in dealing with Esau. He knew his brother was far more powerful than he was. Esau had four hundred warriors. By contrast, Jacob had with him only his wives and children. At that time his oldest son was twelve. These children were to be the basis of the future Jewish people. But would they survive?
Jacob tried conciliation, sending a large gift of several different kinds of livestock to Esau. Jacob succeeded in persuading Esau to accept this gift. With this went an implicit acceptance on Esau's part of the existence of Jacob and of the fact that he was in the right when he received their father's blessing. At the same time, Jacob prayed to G‑d, in a beautiful prayer expressing his feelings of humility. He felt that he was not worthy of all the great benefits that G‑d had already granted him.
He was also ready to do battle. His tactic of dividing his camp in two was part of a military strategy. Jacob was completely outnumbered, and he also hated the idea of harming others. Nonetheless, in order to protect his own life and the lives of his wives and children, he was ready to fight.
These are all different methods of relating to Esau, the enemies of the Jewish people through the ages. In different ways, these approaches have been used at various times in our long history to ensure our survival.
Prayer of course is a constant, which is always needed. Striking the right balance between conciliation and readiness for battle is the key to saving lives for everyone concerned. The goal is peace and safety, and Jacob's meeting with Esau provides an example of skilful negotiation which was eminently successful.
