HAPPY CHANUKAH We light the first candle on the 25th day of Kislev which falls on the evening of December 8, 2012

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1 HAPPY CHANUKAH We light the first candle on the 25th day of Kislev which falls on the evening of December 8, 2012 H ere's a dilemma that every Jewish parent grapples with: When we teach our children Jewish ritual, aren't we also doing them a disservice? After all, when my child says a bracha, he or she is just parroting the words, without any inner sincerity. Take, for example, the Bircas Hamazon (Grace After Meals). We all know the famous tune for bensching that we learned as children. But by teaching them to bensch in sing song, will this only create a by rote type of Judaism within our children? Well, yes and no. Yes, if we're not careful. But the alternative, not teaching them ritual practice is potentially more detrimental. So yes, we must teach our children the rituals even before they're capable of appreciating their true meaning. But, we still need to counteract the by rote type of Judaism, by constantly providing our children with new nuances to these practices. That s what Jewish education is all about. King Solomon said, "Educate the child according to his way, so that even when he gets old he will not turn away from it." We need to find new and innovative approaches to Judaism both for ourselves and for our children, so that even when we "get old", the Judaism that we practice remains fresh and new. It is therefore no coincidence that the Hebrew word for inauguration, as in inauguration of the Temple, is the same word for education, chinuch (or Chanukah, from the same root). The reason these words are the same is because education in Judaism is not making sure that the student can parrot the knowledge you have; it's inaugurating the fertile mind with a newness, just as you would dedicate a brand new edifice. This, then, is another message for Chanukah. Just as we re dedicated the Temple, gave a newness to it, so too did the Jewish people rededicate themselves, or provide themselves with chinuch. The Greeks tried to destroy the excitement of Torah, and Chanukah represents our recapturing of that new and exciting spirit of Torah; making it a brand new experience for ourselves and our children all over again. This is why we always read about Yosef in the weekly Torah portion during Chanukah. The Hebrew word Yosef means to increase, in this case adding on to the old attitudes, and renewing our excitements. This is what allowed Yosef to survive spiritually in Egypt all those years and stay faithful to Hashem his ability to constantly renew his relationship with G d and the Torah. It's not easy to get excited about too much of anything in the middle of the doldrums of winter. Nevertheless, Chanukah falls out right now to remind us of our need to constantly re commit and re dedicate. Education through Inauguration! That's our motto! Have a very joyous Chanukah. Rabbi Daniel Korobkin Mara D Asrah Rabbi Daniel Korobkin Rabbi Emeritus Rabbi Baruch Taub President Dr. Harley Eklove Youth Director Richard Winkler 613 Clark Avenue West, Thornhill, Ontario L4J 5V3 P E. info@bayt.ca F

2 From the Youth Director Well here we are it s Chanukah. The time has just flown by like a turtle. The Youth Department has been busy the last few months with a wide range of programming for everyone. We had a full schedule during Chol Hamoed Sukkot and we are now in the midst of our weekly ongoing events such as Sunday Funday, Music with Susan for Moms n Tots, Girl Guides / Brownies, Boy Scouts, Floor Hockey, Cooking with Amy and more. Jr. Congregation enjoyed a wonderful shabbaton in Montreal with the kids from TBDJ in Cote St. Luc. Latke Night was a baal agan, lots of fun and we all got through it with minimal medication (now there s your Chanukah Miracle!). The Youth enjoyed putting on a pre-chanukah talent and variety show for the residents of Baycrest. We have so much coming up over the next few months including our 1 st annual Chanukah Family Skate Party Motzoei Shabbos, December 15 th. Please reserve your spot at and click on Skate Party. There will be prizes, food, music and lots of fun for the whole family. Watch your and weekly bulletins for upcoming programs such as the new weekly kids book club, teen night out, sports days, onegs and so much more. Our weekly Shabbos programs have been growing in attendance including our new Middle School Minyan and our Jr. Congregation is outgrowing it s space and is on the hunt for a new location. Our 3 rd floor rooms look and feel so refreshed due to new colourful painted walls, new toys, furniture and rugs all supported by last year s Pesach Youth Appeal. In the Holy Day Bulletin I mentioned that there were a couple kids who came up to me with some questions and comments. Well, that hasn t stopped. I would like to share a couple more with you. In the grade 1-3 girls group, I told one little girl that I was so proud of the way she was davening. She said, I was thanking hashem for my new baby brother. I said, that is so nice. She then said I guess but I had been praying for a puppy. During Yom Tov, there was a boy about 12 years old. He came up to me and said I don t like you very much. A few minutes later he came up to me again and said Your programs are boring. This went on a couple more times. Finally, I went over to another boy and said Who is that person? He said Oh don t pay any attention to him, He likes repeating everything he hears. I hope to see everyone at our upcoming youth events. May this Chanukah shine bright with renewed peace in Israel. Wishing you all a wonderful Chanukah, and may we all be inscribed for good health in the book of light. Rich Winkler CHANUKAH CONTEST Answer all the questions to the quiz on the following page. Send your completed page to Rich by Sunday December 16 th. One name will be drawn from all correct entries. Winner will receive a gift card from the Israeli Source. Winner will be announced in the Shabbos Bulletin on December 22 nd. Good Luck!

3 What holiday is not mentioned in the Torah? Passover Hanukkah Yom Kippur Shavout The word 'Hanukkah' means Re-dedication Re-new A great victory was ours The oil lasted 1 Shield of David How many blessings do we say on the first night? 2 3 The word 'Maccabee' means HaShem's Chosen Soldier 4 Hammer What is the name of the candle used to light the others? Shamash Menorah Sivivon Dereidel What is the total number of candles lit during the holiday of Hanukkah? Left to Right Enoch We PLACE the candles in from to Right to Left No specific order One on each side working our way in Who was the villain of Hanukkah? Atiochus Cain Methusaleh Left to Right Nun We LIGHT the candles from to Right to Left No specific order One on each side working our way in Which letter is NOT on the sivivon (dreidel)? Gimmel Bet Shin The miracle of Hanukkah was The Syrians helped rebuild the Temple The state of Israel was founded Judah became King The oil lasted for 8 days The Maccabees lived in what city? Modi'in Beth El Tel Aviv Arad How many days is Hanukkah celebrated? What letter on the dreidel is different on an Israeli dreidel? Pey Samech Hey Gimmel Who was the father of Judah the Maccabee? Solomon Mattathias Abraham Lot Happy Chanuka!

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6 C - OPYING THE GREEKS A LONG TIME AGO, H - IDING THEIR FAITH THE JEWS DO NOT KNOW, THAT A - NTIOCHUS THE RASHA IS PLOTTING TO KILL, N - OT SPARING ONE SOUL, IS HIS VERY WILL, U - NTIL THE GREAT ARMY OF MACCABEES, K - EEP FIGHTING AND FIGHTING, WINNING WITH EASE, A - ND IN THE END A GREAT MIRACLE OCCURS, WITH ONLY ONE JAR OF OIL, THAT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT PURE, H - AVING NO CHOICE THEY USE IT TO LIGHT, THE MENORAH, WHICH LASTS FOR ALL EIGHT DAYS AND EIGHT NIGHTS. AND, THEREFORE, TO CELEBRATE, WE PUT FOODS FRIED IN OIL, LIKE LATKES, ON OUR PLATE. AND A GAME OF DREIDEL WE PLAY, TO THANK HASHEM FOR ALL MIRACLES DONE TILL THIS DAY. CHANUKAH GELT WE MAKE SURE TO RECEIVE, AS WE SPREAD THE JOY OF OUR VICTORY, IN WHAT WE BELIEVE!!! POEM BY: LEVANA YOUDOVITCH

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