From the Rabbi's Desk - Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma

Stay in Shul?

Friday, November 29, 2019 - 9:00 AM

If Yom Kippur is so special, and the melody, atmosphere, and mindset so elevated, perhaps one may arrive at the logical conclusion that he or she remain in Synagogue all day, every day. Minor dilemma: we've got a livelihood to earn, errands to run, appointments to meet, and a whole laundry list of other things to tend to.

The good news is, that such a lifestyle is reserved for a select few. One such individual was Isaac. He never even left the land of Israel; he lived a life surrounded by the divine. But there was one major downside. Staying in an environment of holiness didn't allow him to impact other areas beyond the "walls of the Shul".

We, on the other hand, get to do this every day. We traverse across incredibly mundane tasks, navigate very earthly challenges and dilemmas, orchestrate very physical and tangible matters. Yet, it is specifically here where we can have our greatest impact. We can infuse the ordinary with extraordinary, the normal with the special, transform two terrestrial beings into a transcendental relationship of kindness and compassion.

If done right, we can make Paris feel like Israel (think hanging a November 29, 2019.jpeg

mezuzah on an office door), a Starbucks feel like a Shul (by making a blessing on a venti), or a bank deposit an act of love (earmarking a portion to charity).

Along those lines, you don't have to live in New York, LA, or Chicago to have a Jewish experience. You can have the same experience, only in an even more special way, right here in Petaluma.

This was the inspiration behind the Chanukah Shoppe, giving the community an exquisite Chanukah shopping experience just as if you were on 13th Avenue.

Today is opening day (special 10% sale for opening day/black Friday)! Stop by to browse. Hours posted below.

Silence.

Friday, November 15, 2019 - 9:00 AM

Not a command from a judge in a heated courtroom. A state of being. A moment of awareness and higher consciousness.

With all of the lights, the buzz, gadgets, and advertisements all bombarding our senses and pulling our attention every which way, it can really be a chaotic experience. How to make sense of it all? Does it actually make sense? Does this world have a plan, or is it totally random?

So this week at Petaluma Hebrew we explored A Moment of Silence. Taking a minute at the beginning of our day - for students, this can even be part of the morning routine in school - to stop, and bring everything into focus. A chance to think about the greater good, who we are, why we're here. That we matter. That Hashem does indeed have a plan, and that we are center stage, and play a major role in it.

If we all - especially the youth - started our day thinking about how to make the world a better place, imagine the added peace and goodness it would bring. Maybe, just maybe, we would see less violence, prejudice, vitriol, and bigotry. Perhaps, in the place of school shootings and classroom or online bullying, we might see random acts of kindness and love.

DST

Friday, November 8, 2019 - 9:00 AM

Should daylight savings stay or go?

While the California legislature is trying to figure it out, and I'm sure there are many equations to consider - will the morning commute be before the sun thought about rising, will the Passover seder end up going past midnight, will computers shut down the world as we anticipated by Y2K - what's the message in all of this?

"Abraham was elderly, advanced in days". A repetitive statement; elderly = advanced in days. And also, no one ever says advanced in days, the usual expression is advanced in years. What's going on?

The Torah is telling us that Abraham made every day count. He used time (whether DST or not) to the max. It wasn't just passing years referenced only by the age in his passport, but meaningful activity each and every day. Living a life of purpose, everything is mindful, energetic, a filled calendar.

As Shabbat candle lighting time jumps to an early 4:46 today, it's yet another reminder that we've got to make our time count.

Leon Malmed, a holocaust survivor, has put Petaluma in his calendar in between a Belize diving trip and a Skiing trip in the French Alps(!). He'll be here November 19th to share his incredible story of survival. Please join us for this special evening.

Real Light

Friday, November 1, 2019 - 9:00 AM

"Wow, real light!"

During the power outages and evacuations this week, we were in a lucky pocket of "normalcy", minus the air quality. Hosting some friends who were without power, one child marveled at the "real light" that we had.

Except for the fact that lightbulbs are actually artificial light.

For the rest of the day, I couldn't help but notice all the really artificial lights and sounds that bombard us from every angle. The oven signaling that dinner is ready, the dryer announcing that there are freshly laundered clothes, the street light peeking in through the windows at nighttime once you've turned out all the lights. Let's not forget the glow of the computer screen, the phone with its incessant notifications, Alexa, Siri, Amazon Prime. Lots of ambient noise. Reminding us what?

Sometimes, with all of the activity and artificial assistants, instead of helping us focus better, we end up getting distracted from that which is most important. Like in the days of Noah. In a new world with opportunity for business, pleasure, success, and fame, the people had grown too distracted to express kindness and compassion, to live with integrity and morals, to take to heart that Noah building a massive boat in his front yard was a call to refocus, reframe, and reset.

Sonoma County has a beautiful way of coming together when the lights go out. If love and kindness could light up the night, then the mountains would have been brighter than the Kincade Fire's glowing embers. Homes would have been warmed by the warmth of caring hearts.

Now that the lights have been turned back on, let's not let artificial and superficial get in the way of Real Light. Now we have tools to enhance and expedite our real goals.

As I turn off my phone for Shabbat (hopefully the electricity styas on), and as we celebrate tonight at the Community Shabbat dinner without distractions, I'll be thinking about unity, values, and what would I care about if the lights were out.