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Shul Schedule
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SHABBAT CHANUKAH & ROSH CHODESH TEVET
SHABBAT PARSHAT MIKETZ
Friday, December 26
Minchah 4:25 PM
Dvar Torah by Rabbi Kugel
Kabbalat Shabbat 5:00 PM
Shabbat Day, December 27
Parshah Shiur 9:00 AM
Shacharit 9:45 AM
Dvar Torah by Rabbi Ossey
Kids Shul & Junior Minyan 11:00 a.m.
Kiddush is sponosred by Murad and Ety Shasha
in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father,
Ezra ben Mordechai on 2 Tevet
Kiddush approximately 12:30 PM
Rambam 3:15 PM
Minchah 4:15 PM
Ma'ariv & Havdallah 5:15 PM
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Chanukah on Ice: A Great Night!
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 Close to 1000 people took to the ice on Central Park's Trump Wollman Rink for an evening of Jewish unity on Tuesday, December 23, the third night of Chanukah. Chabad's Chanukah on Ice NYC drew people from all five boroughs and beyond, to as far way as Hungary, South America, Israel and France.
Surrounded by snow covered hills and trees, with the dramatically lit NYC skyline overhead, Central Park's iconic skating rink was the perfect setting for Chanukah On Ice.
Skaters of all ages circled the rink to the sounds of lively Jewish music. The food concession, koshered for the occasion, served a kosher dinner and drew long lines as people came in to warm up on the complimentary hot drinks and donuts.
In the heated tent, families stopped in to enjoy crafts, videos and Rabbi Yisroel Fried's Olive Oil Workshop demonstration while Kosher.com offered visitors goodies and a chance to win free kosher groceries.
Rabbi Chayim B. Alevsky led the lighting ceremony as skaters gathered around the dramatically lit Ice Menorah to participate in the lighting.
"Finding the flask of pure oil, represents that there is always a place inside each of us that remains untouched and pure. This place is our Neshama, soul, an actual part of G‑d, the Great Creator of the universe, and we connect to G‑d through studying His Torah and living as a Jew, fulfilling His commandments, His Mitzvot," Rabbi Alevsky said. He described the Mumbai Shluchim Rabbi Gabi and Rivkah Holtzberg as examples of those who shed light in the world with their good deeds, faith and Torah teachings. In the wake of the terrorist attacks that took their lives and others' in the Chabad Nariman House, he urged the assembled, "to share the light that had been put out in Nariman House by adding in Mitzvot and learning Torah in their merit."
Violinist Andrew Hait-Merczynski, 12, and soloist Adam Powers, 7, performed a moving rendition of the Chanukah classic Banu Choshech L'Garesh. Jay Blumenstein accompanied the duo on the keyboard.
CNN commentator and political consultant Hank Sheinkopf lit the Chanukah candles.
The success of Chanukah on Ice NYC follows last years' inaugural program when Chabad of the West Side, together with Chabad of the Upper East Side, threw a Chanukah party at the rink with 400 people attending.
This year, event organizers Rabbi Chayim and Sarah Alevsky rented the entire rink for Chanukah on Ice. Chabad Centers of the West Side, Upper East Side, West 60s, Beekman-Sutton, Chabad Israel Center, Columbia Univeristy, Gramercy Park/ Center for Jewish Discovery, Washington Heights and Riverdale all participated. Other New York City synagogues, organizations and schools also publicized Chanukah on Ice with their members and families, helping bring the entire Jewish community together for this event.
The management and staff of Trump Wollman Rink came outside to enjoy the lighting of the Menorah.
Manager Barry Weisselberg put his cell phone on speaker to allow his father, Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg, to hear the Menorah lighting ceremony. "We usually spend Chanukah together as a family in Florida, and they were celebrating without me, so I called them at the family party to hear what was happening at the rink. It was really moving."
Director of Special Events Gwen Weinstock said, "We look forward to working together with Chanukah on Ice again, and we already circling potential dates for next years' event!"
Chanukah on Ice drew rave reviews from the attendees, with many calling it the highlight of their Chanukah celebration. As one participant wrote, "Amazing, amazing time last night, it really was a whole new level of celebration with kosher food and our music. It was great. Our kids started skating better after the menorah and could have gone on all night!"
See our photo gallery below:
Close to 1000 people attended and had a great time on and off the ice. They enjoyed skating to Jewish music, an uplifting lighting of the dramatically lit Ice Menorah, kosher food, crafts, videos and olive oil demo. Chanukah on Icen NYC was a joint project of Chabad centers in NYC. Photo credit: Meir Pliskin Photography
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Rabbi Fried Takes The Workshop on the Road
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Rabbi Yisroel Fried brought his Olive Oil Demonstration to hundreds of Jewish children in schools, Synagogues, JCCs and Chanukah celebrations. Below are some pictures of Rabbi Fried in action!
Rabbi Fried takes his show on the road to shuls, schools and organizations. From choosing the olives to lighting the Menorah, the kids learn all about how to make olive oil, recreating the miracle of Chanukah.
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Stay Tuned and Save the Dates!
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Upcoming events in 2009 include:
Saturday night, January 10
Chabad Boys Club -Talent Show!
Monday, January 12
Chabad Kids Club - Kids Cook/Chabad Cafe
Tuesday, January 13
Chabad Women's Circle - Levana Cooking Demo
Shabbat, January 14 - 15
Chabad Shabbaton with Dr. Yisroel Susskind
Sunday, January 16 - MLK Weekend
Chabad Family Pocono Ski Trip
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Candle Lighting Times for
New York, NY [Based on Zip Code 10025]:
| Shabbat Candle Lighting: |
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Friday, Dec. 26
4:17 PM
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| Shabbat Ends: |
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Shabbat, Dec. 27
5:21 PM
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Torah Portion: Mikeitz
Genesis 41:1-44:17
Haftorah for Shabbat Chanukah:
Zechariah 2:14 - 4:7
Earliest Tefillin (latest of the week)
6:26 AM
Latest Shma (earliest of the week)
9:37 AM
Rosh Chodesh Tevet
Shabbat and Sunday, Dec 27 & 28
Molad for New Moon:
Shabbat, 12/27, 4:10 16/18 PM
PLEASE NOTE
On Friday afternoon, Chanukah candles are lit before Shabbat candles. On Saturday night, we light after Havdallah.
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| The campaign of the Greeks was, as we say in the Al Hanissim prayer, aimed to "make them forget Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will." "Let them study Torah," the Greeks implied. "Let them practice the logical mitzvot and the 'testimonial' observances. But they must not mention that the Torah is G‑d's Torah and the mitzvot are the decrees of His will. Torah and mitzvot must be severed from G‑dliness..."
— Hayom Yom, 7th day of Chanukah
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the parshah in a nutshell
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Parshat Mikeitz
Joseph's imprisonmentfinally ends when Pharaoh dreams ofseven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grainswallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of hunger, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the plentiful years. Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt. Joseph marriesAsenat, daughter of Potiphar, and they have two sons, Menasseh andEphraim.
Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt. Ten of Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; the youngest,Benjamin, stays home, for Jacob fears for his safety. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him; he accuses them of being spies, insists that they bring Benjamin to prove that they are who they say they are, and imprisons Shimon as a hostage. Later, they discover that the moneythey paid for their provisions has been mysteriously returned to them.
Jacob agrees to send Benjamin only after Judah assumes personal and eternal responsibility for him. This time Joseph receives them kindly, releases Shimon, and invites them to an eventfuldinner at his home. But then he plants his silver goblet, purportedly imbued with magic powers, in Benjamin's sack. When the brothers set out for home the next morning they are pursued, searched, and arrested when the goblet is discovered. Joseph offers to set them free and retain only Benjamin as hisslave.
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Chanukah means dedication. It is so called because the Hasmoneans, immediately after their miraculous military victory over the Greeks, decided to put their victory celebration aside and set out instead to rededicate the Temple.
It is also revealing that the name Chanukah is translated as Chanu Chof Hey - they rested (from battle) on the 25th (day of Kislev - the first day of Chanukah). According to many opinions, we observe Chanukah on the day after the war ended, rather than on the day of the final battle. This teaches that we do not revel in the victory itself, but rather in the positive outcomes that victory brings in its wake. In this case, we celebrate the fact that we gained the ability to practice our religion in tranquility.
Chanukah is also an acronym for "Chet Neirot V'Halachah K'Beit Hillel - Eight lights and we follow the opinion of Beit Hillel." This refers to the well-known dispute between the Houses of Hillel and Shammai with regard to the proper way to light the Chanukah candles. The School of Shammai teaches that we should light eight candles on the first night of Chanukah, on the next night light seven, and so on, in descending order. Beit Hillel, on the other hand, feels we should light our candles in ascending order, starting with one candle on the first night, and then two on the second night.
The two schools argue about the following point: Beit Shammai feels that Chanukah mainly represents the destruction and elimination of evil. On Chanukah, as we celebrate the victory over the forces of evil, we see the negative forces becoming less potent each night and therefore the need for light - which comes to counter and dispel the evil -diminishes as well.
Beit Hillel, by requiring us to add a candle each night, points out that - in addition to celebrating the downfall of evil - we need to focus on the increase of holiness and goodness as well. By saying that the very acronym of the name Chanukah teaches us to follow Beit Hillel, we echo the sentiment that Chanukah is not so much about defeating evil as it is about increasing light.
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