Prission Weekly Shabbath Kislev 25, 5770
The Hebrew month is Kislev these Parashahs are for Shabbath Kislev 25, 5770
Parashahs HaShavuah: Torah Vayeshev "and he settled" Genesis 37:1-40:23 Haftarah Amos 2:6-3:8 & The Brit Hadasha Acts 7:9-16
Next weeks Parashahs are : Miketz"At the end of "Genesis 41:1-44:17 Haftarah –Zechariah 2:14-4:7,Isaiah 66:1-24 & The Brit Hadasha 1Corinthians 2:1-5.
WHAT IS CHANUKKAH AND HOW DO WE CELEBRATE IT?
Chanukkah is coming soon - the first night is Yom Reeshone the first day, {Sabbath December 12th.} It's a wonderful family holiday. After we light the candles, we sing Maoz Tzur, eat jelly donuts, tell stories, have quizzes about Hanukah - all in the light of the Hanukah candles. Memories are made up of a collection of precious moments. Hanukah can provide you with many wonderful memories! There are two ways which our enemies have historically sought to destroy us. The first is by physical annihilation; the most recent attempt being the Holocaust. The second is through cultural assimilation. Purim is the annual celebration of our physical survival. Hanukah is the annual celebration of our spiritual survival over the many who would have liked to destroy us through cultural assimilation. In 167 BCE the Syrian-Greek emperor, Antiochus, set out to destroy Judaism by imposing a ban on three mitzvot: The Shabbat, The Sanctifying of the New Month (establishing the first day of the month by testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon) and Brit Mila (entering the Covenant of Abraham through Torah-ordained circumcision). The Shabbat signifies that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and that His Torah is the blueprint of creation, meaning and values. Sanctifying the New Month determines the day of the Jewish holidays. Without it there would be chaos. For example, if Succot is the 15th of Tishrei, the day it occurs depends upon which day is declared the first of Tishrei. Brit Mila is a sign of our special covenant with the Almighty. All three maintain our cultural integrity and were thus threats to the Greek culture.
Matityahu and his 5 sons, known as the Maccabees, started a revolt and three years later succeeded in evicting the oppressors. The victory was a miracle - on the scale of Israel defeating the combined super-powers of today. Having regained control of the Temple in Jerusalem, they wanted to immediately rededicate it. They needed ritually pure olive oil to re-light the Menorah in the Temple. Only a single cruse of oil was found; enough to burn for just one day. However, they needed oil for eight days until new ritually pure olive oil could be produced. A miracle occurred and the oil burned for eight days. Therefore, we light Hanukah candles (or better yet, lamps with olive oil) for eight days. One the first day, two the second and so forth. The first candle is placed to the far right of the menorah with each additional night's candle being placed to the immediate left. One says three blessings the first night (two blessings each subsequent night) and then lights the candles, starting with the furthermost candle to the left. The menorah should have all candles in a straight line and at the same height. Ashkenazi tradition has each person of the household lighting his own menorah. Sefardi tradition has just one menorah lit per family. The blessings can be found on the back of the Hanukah candle box or in a Siddur, prayer book. The candles may be lit inside the home. It is preferable to light where passersby in the street can see them - to publicize the miracle of Hanukah. In Israel, people light outside in special glass boxes built for a menorah or little glasses with olive oil and wicks. The tradition to eat latkes, potato pancakes, is in memory of the miracle of the oil (latkes are fried in oil). In Israel, the tradition is to eat sufganiot, deep-fried jelly donuts. The traditional game of Hanukah uses a dreidel, a four-sided top with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hey, Shin (the first letters of "Nes Gadol Haya Sham - A Great Miracle Happened There." In Israel, the last letter is a Pay - for "Poh", "here.") In times of persecution when learning Torah was forbidden, Jews would learn anyway. When the soldiers would investigate, they would pull out the dreidel and pretend that they were gambling. The rules for playing dreidel: Nun -no one wins; Gimmel - spinner takes the pot; Hey - spinner get half the pot; Shin/Pay - spinner matches the pot!
Here's a question to think about: If enough oil was found to burn in the Temple menorah for one day and the oil lasted for eight days, then the miracle was really only for the seven additional days of lighting. Why then do we celebrate Chanukah for eight days and not seven?
Answer: The Baalei Mussar answer that in fact 7 days commemorates the miraculous miracle of oil burning longer than it was supposed to, but the extra day commemorates the miracle of nature – that oil burns at all! That itself is miraculous. We are typically amazed at miracles of the first kind, however there are miracles present in our every day lives. It behooves us to appreciate those miracles as well.
Parshas Vayeishev
Of Grapes and Pastries
Joseph knew he might never have another chance to get out of the dank Egyptian dungeon in which he had languished since being wrongly accused of making advances toward Potiphar's wife. Indeed, he was fortunate to have escaped with his life. One year after his incarceration, he was joined by two illustrious prisoners, the royal baker and the royal cupbearer, both of whom had fallen from favor. One night they both had dreams that called for interpretation. This was Joseph's opportunity, and he had to grasp it.
As we read in this week's Torah portion, Joseph interpreted their dreams correctly, one thing led to another, and he was released from prison. The cupbearer dreamed he saw three bunches of succulent grapes on the vine. He squeezed the grapes into Pharaoh's golden chalice and brought it to him. What did this mean? It meant, explained Joseph, that in three days he would be released and returned to his former position.
The baker had a very similar dream. He saw himself carrying three baskets of bread on his head, and in the top basket, there were also all sorts of fine pastries. Then he saw a bird swoop down and eat the pastries. What did this mean? It meant, explained Joseph, that in three days the baker would be hung from the gallows.
And indeed, both interpretations proved correct.
Why did Joseph present such radically different interpretations of two dreams that were essentially identical?
The commentators point out a subtle difference between the two dreams. The images with which the cupbearer's dream opened were of clusters of gleaming grapes hanging heavily from the vine and fairly bursting with natural juices. The cupbearer reaches out, plucks some of these exquisite grapes and squeezes them into Pharaoh's chalice. Then he offers the wine to the king.
The baker's dream, however, did not open with images of golden wheat stalks swaying in the gentle breeze on amber fields. Nor did it open with sparkling waters coursing through a mountain stream. It opened with basketfuls of the finished product, manufactured by human hands.
Where was an acknowledgment of the origin of all the ingredients that went into those breads and pastries? The cupbearer dreamed of the Almighty's pristine grapes, but the baker dreamed of his own craft, as if everything depended on him. Where was the recognition of the handiwork of the Almighty? Clearly, the baker, unlike the cupbearer, did not deserve a royal pardon.
A great sage was walking with a young disciple along the seashore in a famous and wealthy resort town.
"What do you think of this place?" the sage asked.
"I think it is spectacularly beautiful."
"Indeed? And what exactly do you find beautiful here?"
"Why, everything," the disciple responded excitedly. "The gleaming white yachts in the harbor. The magnificent villas and chateaux on the hillsides. The elegant carriages with their liveried drivers and footmen."
"Ah, my young friend," said the sage, "you are like a blind man. All this superficial beauty obscures the true beauty of this place for people like you. Don't you see the surging sea and the soaring mountains? Don't you see the green valleys, the meadows, the flowers, the butterflies, the birds that sing in the trees? Those are the work of the Creator. Let me see one of your villa builders do something like that!"
In our own lives, living in a modern, technological society, we are easily distracted from the magnificent world the Almighty created for us. We look around and all we see are buildings, cars, telephones, computers, asphalt, concrete, with a little patch of green here and there. In such an environment, it is easy to lose sight of the guiding hand of Hashem and become deluded into believing that people control their own destiny. But that is very superficial attitude. Better that we open our eyes and take a good look at the world around us and the heavens above. How can we not be dwarfed by the immensity of what Hashem has wrought on our behalf? If we engender this recognition in our hearts, we will, like the cupbearer, be worthy of divine blessings and delivery from our oppressors.
Mission Updates: Greetings Saints,
Today was a good day as depending on how you look at it, my heart cried so much as I thought I would run out of money for shoes, the above picture is two pair of shoes one for a man the other for a woman. This was my second trip to wal-mart for shoes today. AND DID THEY NEED SHOES ONE PAIR TALKED WHEN HE WALKED!
I had no socks to give them for their shoes as I am barely going to have gas to get home and back, but the day is spent and I made it through it. Mom is going through some bags of clothing that came from out of town.
I was supposed to try and drop the bus off today to fix the blinkers as someone said drop it off and they would pay for it, I did not get down till after the place closed so I have to drive back over tomorrow to get it done, but I am so thankful.
This month has been so low on donations, but I will keep going as long as people keep coming. Please pray that all the needs are met this week, we have so much on our plate.....my faith says he will use one or some of you to accomplish this.......as normal The Pastor the brokest guy on the block
In His Perfect Peace,
Pastor Dan Catlin
WE PRAY YOU ALL HAVE A VERY WONDERFUL & BLESSED CHANUKKAH
Shalom In Yeshua our Messiah,
Praise be to Yahweh for He is Awesome and cares for ALL the needs of His people and His works! I am going to be able to pay all the bills that are in come Monday when I have time to sit down and get them paid. I also will stock the Mission with pasta and veggies today. We will do the January newsletter and mail it out on the 29th so most of you should recieve it by the first. Can you believe it 2010 already. Wow! Thanks to all who have and will answer the call from Yahweh to provide the much needed support to care for His people. Everything looks good as we come to the close of 2009. Please pray about supporting us as we do the works of our Father. We are faithful that He will supply our needs but first we must make those needs known as the word says "you have not cause you ask not". We only want to Serve Yahweh and we only want want He intends us to have. I must close for as always I have tons of stuff to do to be ready to go feed today. We pray you all a very happy an blessed Chanukkah! shalom sisterlinda/family an Messiah's Branch
Shalom B'Shem Yeshua HaMashiach
Peace in the Name of Yeshua, the Messiah
&Mark 9:23,10:27

