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

Emotion Gym

Friday, February 28, 2020 - 9:00 AM

Alright, time to be happy!

It's the Hebrew month of Adar - and Purim is right around the corner. Now, I February 28, 2020.png

get it. When faced with Hamantashen, smiling children in costumes (what will the Rabbi dress up as this year at Purim in the Big Apple??), and dancing the hora, it's hard not to catch the happy bug. But how can we turn the entire month into a joyous one?

Unfortunately, there is plenty that can dampen our spirit. Loss (this week, I lost my dear grandmother); hardship, bills, health issues. The world isn't exactly utopia. So how can I muster the stamina to break out my favorite Jewish melody on a dreary morning (figuratively speaking).

The answer is that there are two kinds of emotions. Usually, when we talk of being emotional, we refer to an involuntary reaction to a situation. It can be anger, jealousy, sadness, or gratitude, happiness, and contentment.

But there's another kind of emotion, a deeper kind. The kind that we generate by exercising in the "Emotion Gym". Training ourselves to view the world through a perspective that builds that emotion. This is where emotion becomes a proactive tool in our arsenal, driving us forward and upward toward the things that we are passionate about.

So let's choose to view the world through a lens of positivity, love, and beauty, and fill ourselves with the joy of Life. Smile through the rain and create a rainbow, sing through the silence and let the birds be your choir, do a random act of kindness and watch a hostile world melts away into an oasis of love.

Let's be joyful!

In addition to the Purim celebrations, on March 19th, Eva Schloss will share her story of how she was able to smile after the darkness of the Holocaust.

Better than Sinai

Friday, February 21, 2020 - 9:00 AM

Lightning. Thunder. Revelation. Mount Sinai definitely lived up to the hype. Ten commandments reverberating across the world, birds respectfully paused their chirping song, as the newly minted nation took it all in.

That's what we read about last week in the Torah. This week, by contrast, feels like a crash landing. 53 laws are presented in rapid succession. What happens if an ox gores another's animal; who is responsible if I lent someone my wagon and a tornado came along and decimated it; how much does a thief need to repay. It feels a bit anti-climactic. Party's over, back to business.

The truth is that this week is what it's all about.

Sure, Sinai is fun. Splitting seas is cool. Devastating plagues miraculous. But it doesn't come close to living daily life right.

We wish our friends happy birthday once a year, we make our vows February 21, 2020.jpg

on our wedding day, we give our children attention during that family vacation to Disneyland. But what about on a regular Friday? That's the indicator of whether we are truly a Mensch, if we are truly the spouse, parent, friend, and neighbor that we aspire to be.

So while you are running to do an oil change, organizing your cluttered desk, or walking to the bus stop, let's remember; Sinai's inspiration is only the warmup to live a very regular life the right way. Let's make the ordinary, extraordinary.

Home Alone

Friday, February 14, 2020 - 9:00 AM

What an incredible atmosphere it was last week at Shabbat 100! Nothing quite like singing Kiddush and 99 voices joining in to welcome the peace and harmony, that transcendent vibe, that Shabbat brings.

Do you know what else there's nothing quite like? Tonight when I make Kiddush with my five beautiful children (hopefully they don't spill their grape juice on their clean Shabbat clothes), with Devorah on the other side of the country.

Tonight, Devorah, along with 3,000 Chabad women leaders from February 14, 2020.jpg across the globe, gather in NY for a weekend of inspiration, laughter, brainstorming, and idea-sharing. Devorah's cousins who run Chabad centers in Tasmania and Lipetsk, Russia; her friend who hosts hundreds of college students every Friday night; and others who cater to seniors, teens, or children. Some live in bustling metropolitan areas where there are more Jewish establishments than Starbucks locations, while others have to travel hours before finding another Jewish outpost.

The common denominator is that each one of these incredible women is a powerhouse in their respective communities, bringing warmth, compassion, a ton of talent, and of course, some fabulous Kosher gourmet. They are moms, wives, teachers, friends, chefs, party planners, and so much more.

So while I may spend the better part of the next few days burning my attempt at scrambled eggs, searching for missing pairs of socks, and desperately attempting to clean up a mess of toys faster than this rambunctious brood can make it, I'm cool with it. Perhaps I'll better appreciate the magic.

Celebrating Trees

Friday, February 7, 2020 - 9:00 AM

Tu B’shvat - the Jewish Birthday of the trees. Any Mitzvah connected to February 7, 2020.png thev age of a tree is determined by whether the tree was planted before or after this day.

Yet although it is, of course, vital that we are mindful of the environment, and take care of the beautiful world in which we live, there must be something deeper, giving cause to celebrate. There must be a reason why it is a day dedicated to trees, though there are many beautiful parts of nature, such as mountains, rivers and more.

It says in the Torah that “Man is compared to the tree of the field”. As people, we grow.

As people our lives are not merely personal experiences, rather just as a tree bears fruit, our lives become beautiful through the produce that we grow, the good deeds we do, the lives of others that we enrich.

Tonight we have a Tu B'shvat themed mega Shabbat dinner with 100 people celebrating the growth of the community.

With wishes for a Happy Birthday Trees! May it be a year of growth for us all!