With schools taking winter breaks this week, we took a day trip down to Cupertino to see Apple Headquarters.
A special edition book displays the evolution of Apple products. Just 17 years ago, the first iPod was manufactured. Since then, the products have become ubiquitous in millions of homes and pockets, as they have become more powerful, advanced, and sleek.
About one month ago, they opened a visitors center across the street from Apple Park, the new massive circular spaceship-like campus that will house 12,000 employees. 
At the visitors center, they have an aluminum model of the campus, designed to "tour" the campus through virtual reality. Pointing an iPad at the massive table, one can explore the buildings and surrounding nature and infrastructure.
This dreamlike new-age concept of virtual reality - the ability to overlay an imaginative experience on top of a tangible realistic one is a central theme in this week's Torah.
In blessing his grandchildren, Jacob crosses his hands to place his right hand on Ephraim's head, despite Menashe being the firstborn. Naturally, this was no random act, but a purposeful message.
The Hebrew meaning of Menashe is "forget" - a constant reminder to Joseph that while living in the spiritually devoid Egypt, he must not forget where he came from. So he would reminisce about life in the "good old days", hanging on to the memories of what life was like growing up in the home of his righteous parents and grandparents.
Ephraim, on the other hand, comes from the word "Pri" (fruit), symbolizing a very different approach. It is the choice to be fruitful in a barren land, to impact one's surroundings, to overlay my dreams and visions over a cold hard surface. Yet not to suffice with a "virtual reality", but to truly transform the environment.
This is the preferred method for dealing with life's challenges. Sure, we can gain inspiration and direction from memories. But the quantum leap into a futuristic, advanced reality, to achieve that success, we must embrace our new reality. Not to simply survive despite what life throws at me, but thrive as a result of it. To turn the darkness of our challenges into the fuel that powers our dreams.
From the Rabbi's Desk
Virtual Reality
Welcome to Winter!
Welcome to Winter!
Well, as much of winter as Petaluma gets. While we are under a freeze warning, it is certainly milder than a Siberian winter.
Considering that even warmer climates still get the winter designation, it got me thinking. What is winter, if not just snowball fights and icy roads? Is it just a signal that a vacation (or stay-cation) is just around the bend?
The common denominator across the Northern Hemisphere is that the nights are longer. There is a lack of light. The sunlight that we became so accustomed to over the summer months, is now something we can't get enough of.
At first glance, it seems like an unfortunate time of year. It's dark, cold, and unfriendly. Yet it is precisely at this time that an opportunity arises. The opportunity 
for us to shine, to share, to warm up the night. Light can only be appreciated in contrast to darkness.
It is this season when we huddle together sipping hot-cocoa around the fireplace. It is during this season when the world as a whole gets into the giving spirit. It is at this time, that we gather together with our family and community to light the Menorah and brighten the night. That is what happened this past Sunday night for Chanukah at the river as 300 gathered together to say no to darkness, to fight for light.
A Yiddish expression describes two ways of staying warm. One is to put on a fur coat, ensuring that I am comfortable and cozy. The second method is to heat up the furnace, thereby sharing the warmth with everyone in our circles, and changing the reality from cold to warm.
So whether you are off to Tahoe for some snow, or your are hunkering down for some family time, let's keep the light of Chanukah shining and create the warmest winter for our families, neighbors, and community!
If the Candles Could Speak
If the Candles Could Speak
As the flames dance atop the Chanukah lights, and I gaze into them, I imagine what the uniques message of each of the candles might be.
Naturally, the 1st Candle is a trailblazer, a Maccabee, forging ahead despite all odds. This candle shines in stark contrast to the heavy darkness surrounding it.
When Candle #2 comes into play, we realize that with a partner in the quest for light, it is warmer. It is brighter. The dense fog is beginning to lift.
Together they resolve to introduce Candle #3. The troops are beginning to rally. Light is no longer a dream. It is a mission.
With Candle #4, it seems like we are finally shifting the equilibrium. The Menorah is balanced. And though half still remain unlit, the darkness already knows that it doesn't stand a chance against the confident advances of light. This is proven on night #5 when the scales tip in favor of truth, positivity, love, and kindness.
By the time Candle #6 is lit, it seems like we are unstoppable. Nothing will get in the way of eradicating darkness and evil.
As we light Candle #7, we enter into a full sprint towards the ultimate finish line. And as Candle #8 leaps to greet the Shamash (leader candle), the world practically explodes in a dazzling light show as victory is achieved.
This may seem like a distant dream, wishful thinking in a chaotic world. Yet, when we each light a Menorah in our own home, this journey becomes a reality for our own family. Displayed proudly in windows and doorways, it extends to our neighbors. And as the streets fill with light, a community of light warriors (present-day Maccabees) emerges.
On Sunday, this community will come together at the riverfront in the heart of Petaluma to light the community Menorah, and the path of light will expand. And the unstoppable force of Candle #6 will race across the hills and join cities around the world from the original public Menorah lit by Chabad in SF's Union Square since 1974, to the menorah at the Eiffel Tower, in Rome, and the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin. It all starts with one candle at home with your loved ones, and culminates with a world overpowered by a unanimous quest for light.
Let your light shine this Chanukah!
We'd like to wish you and your family a happy, luminous, and meaningful Chanukah!
Oil Experiment
Sizzling golden delicious latkes. Fluffy, jelly-filled doughnuts. The miracle of the oil.
After a hard-fought battle, the victorious Maccabee soldiers returned to the Holy Temple, only to find it in a complete disarray. The Greek army had turned the place upside down, and in doing so, had broken the seal of ev
ery jug of oil, rendering them unfit for use in the Menorah.
After a search and rescue operation, one flask of oil is found, Though it is meant to burn for one day, it miraculously burns for a full 8 days, the time needed to produce new oil. Hence the celebration of Chanukah. Hence the oily delicacies. Hence the extra calories.
But why oil? What is the significance of oil, turning Chanukah into the most celebrated Jewish holiday of the year?
Try this. Take some oil, and mix some other liquids in with it. Shake it up, turn it upside down, dance a Hora with it balanced on your head. No matter how hard you try, the oil will rise to the top. It will not be daunted by these other (dark) forces pouring down upon it. It will not be influenced these outside forces. It wil simply bounce back like a spring.
It is this message of the oil that is so important to internalize. When negativity gets us down, when challenges seem to rock us off our feet, when life mixes us up like a cocktail at a party, don't panic. Whether this chaos is taking place in our personal lives or it seems like the whole world is upside down, we can be confident that we will persevere as the Jewish Nation has throughout the millennia. Inside of us we have an oil-like quality that will help us float back to the top.
On Chanukah, somewhere between the Menorah and the Sufganiyot (jelly donuts), we find our inner oil. And the flame burns bright.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Chanukah!
1st Time Shabbat Candles
You may have noticed that our weekly email is late this week, and has arrived after Shabbat, rather than before.
On Friday, we celebrated our daughter Bella's 3rd birthday, and with it, the very first time she lit the Shabbat candles.
Please enjoy this video of Bella preparing for Shabbat!
As a young girl begins her journey through life, she has dreams and aspirations of changing the world, making an impact, doing monumental things. But the thought may occur to her, how can I? The world is so big, the da
rkness so intense. How can my candle illuminate beyond my immediate circle? How can the warmth penetrate the sometimes frigid atmosphere that surrounds us? How can I hope to transform an entire complex world?
So she lights her Shabbat candle. A single flame. Yet a radiant one. And the nature of light is that it attracts. Everyone wants to be next to the campfire. Light does not remain lonely for long. And so a wick shows up nearby. A quick transfer of light later, and the impact has doubled.
Before long, a veritable army of light has emerged, ready to take on any dark forces out there. And as we all march with our candles held high and flames burning brightly, the darkness can sense: it doesn't stand a chance.
It's this message of empowerment that we want Bella to take as she lights her Shabbat candle every week. Yes, she can light up the world, one brilliantly shining flame at a time.