Got this sad video game for Chanukah. It needed a gaming console. (Rabbi Mendel)
You get it? Console. Gaming console. To console the console. Console and console sound very different. Same word but sounds very different. Which is why this pun is best delivered in a letter. Games have feelings too. They just sound different. She got so much money for Chanukah. She felt so Gelty. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Gelt is money. Guilty. Here it’s Gelty. Guilty about Gelt. Gelty pockets are heavy. Something meaningful to that statement. It should be a saying. If it wasn't it is now. And it's very true if it's coins. Chocolate Gelty pockets can get very messy. Check that out. Another saying. It seemed like the paper heard everything. It was a flyer on the wall. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Fly on the wall. Flyer on the wall. We added the “er." Shuls have flyers, so it's a Jewish pun. Yosef saw Yaakov switch his right hand to Efraim, and he started thinking the Bracha about children propagating was kind of fishy. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? He said they should “propagate like fish.” Fish. Fishy. Fishy means suspicious. There’s something fishy about this pun. Especially, Yaakov switching his hands. In order to understand a pun, you should have a decent knowledge of the Torah. That store city Pitom went up real fast. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Pitom means “suddenly” in Hebrew. The name of the city the Jews built. The Jews built it real fast because the Egyptians were burdening them. The Jews suffered with it. Lisbol Sivlotam. Chinuch. And that is why you probably shouldn't be laughing at this pun. Some puns are serious. They're supposed to remind you of slavery. Shoreshes, roots of Hebrew words, are great for puns. Sometimes the pun is the exact meaning of the word. Which begs the question if it’s funny or not. It’s up to you if you want to laugh, or if you want it to be meaningful. I’m not going to judge you all the sudden. Maybe you have a dark sense of punner. The shul had a juicing event. Bernie said, “I didn’t come to shul for a choir.” (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Juicing sounds like “Jews sing.” Juicing is how you make smoothies. They were making smoothies. They were also singing. Jewsing. An event with two activities. The Talmid developed another birth mark, and the rebbe said, “Nach a Mol.” (Mordechai) You get it? Nach a Mol means “still one time.” This hear means “another mole.” You just have to work some English into the Yiddish there, and it works. ***Note: We learned a lot from the puns these past couple months. You will definitely think twice before laughing the next time you hear a pun. We just suggest here at the Kibbitzer that you think about the Shoresh and the puns effect on the Jewish people before you laugh. Tags:
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The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 670:1) teaches that it’s permitted to work on Chanukah. Why he had to teach this. Why he had to let everybody know. Some things are better not said. Could’ve got another day off work.
Whoever the fool was that told the boss that Chanukah is not like Yom Kippur is an idiot… After much research, I found out that men originally didn’t work on Chanukah. But then they found out they had to get their kids gifts. They were going broke. They realized they had to go back to work to afford Tonka trucks. And everybody was happy getting the gifts and not having to see dad during Chanukah. Eulogizing and fasting are prohibited. Couldn’t simply said, “And don’t work.” Would it have been that hard?! And this is why men don’t smile on Chanukah. The only people to say that Chanukah is not their favorite holiday.) Known as Nitel Nacht, there’s a tradition to not learn Torah Christmas Eve. The excuses some Chasidim will come up with to get out of learning Torah. Instead of just playing chess, they had to say that Bitul Zman is now a Mitzvah. And now, because of the anti-Semites, it's important we waste time. Which is the generally accepted forbidden action of relaxing. And then you can’t fast. You must eat Chinese food. I’m sure there’s a Mitzvah somewhere to eat moo goo gai pan. (Kohelet 1:2) “Vanity of vanities, saith Kohelet. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.” Melech Shlomo ran out of words. Very wise. Not a great vocabulary. King Solomon didn’t have access to a thesaurus back then. Would it have been wise to have a created a thesaurus? Probably. Your extravagant use of words is vanity. Due to Tircha DTzibur, a bother to the Kehillah, many shuls don’t wait for the rabbi to finish their prayers before moving into the repetition of the Amidah, and most Jews don’t go to shul. Some congregants are quite annoying. It's a Tircha to see them. Other shuls like to wait for their rabbi to finish the Shema, so they have an excuse for showing up to work half hour late. We hope this wisdom helps you understand why you get mad around Chanukah time, when you're at shul, waiting for the congregants to finish singing MaOz Tzur. Tags:
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Marcie got no gifts this Chanukah, and she is happy. She asks that nobody gives her anything. She’s sponsoring Kiddish. To quote: “Kiddish this Shabbat is in honor of not getting anything I didn’t want. I’m so happy nobody thought of me this holiday.” Marcie also wants everybody to know, "I didn’t need any new winter accessories with Chanukah images that I wouldn't have worn on Chanukah. And that means I now don’t have to shop for people, for stuff they didn’t ask for.” We want to thank our funeral director, Mark, for showing up to the shul Chanukah party, just in case somebody from our shul dies too. We love having Mark at our services. We understand that other shuls also have a good chance of people passing away at services. The eighth night of Chanukah we will have a memorial service for our Jewish brethren in Australia. We ask Bernie and Marty not come. Note to Our Baal Tefillah this Chanukah: You don’t have to do every Shabbat Tefillah to the tune of Al HaNisim. Contemporary Halacha Classes: How to Ruin Somebody’s Holiday with a Sale You Found at Five Below. Chesed Shel Emet- A Reason to Show to Shul. Chesed Shel Emet Part Two- The Financial Benefit of Caring for Our Loved Ones. When You Shouldn't be Present- People Who Are Not Comforting to See Like Bernie and Marty. How to Fit All of the Words of the Repetition of the Amidah to the Tune of Al HaNisim. Rabbi Mendelchem's Drasha Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My Pupils... The famine starts... It wasn’t the shul Chanukah party, where the sisterhood didn’t make enough Latkes... (Bereishit 42:1) Yaakov sees there is food in Mitzrayim and tells his sons to g. And then he asks his sons, “Why do you make yourselves be seen?” Seemingly not much to do with the going down to Egypt. Just, "Why are you wearing your baseball caps off to the side?"... It's annoying. And I would appreciate it if your kids stopped doing that. It's not cute. It's annoying... "Why are you making yourselves conspicuous?" That is the question. And I ask that of our congregants who harmonize so off-tune. Tone-deaf... Yes. That is offensive to deaf people. I'm sorry for comparing you to these people with awful voices, Kimberly. Our deaf congregants sing much better than you... Kimberly. Please sit. I appreciate your support of that last statement. They do sound awful... Benjamin signs it and he sounds better than the rest of the conversation. At least his harmonizing doesn't ruin the song... When you have it better than others, don’t show that to them. Don't be a Baal Gayva. Be on the people’s level. Rashi quotes Taanit 10b, “Why do you make yourselves seen before the children of Yishmael and Esav as if you have plenty?!” For this kind of behavior, will lead to envy and ill will. Now. I know nobody in this shul has anything to show off. I've seen your homes. You all have it very bad. I see your lawns. It’s depressing... Your lawn only looks good now because of the snow... "I understand they were running out of food too. But don’t show them you are OK." Sometimes you have to look bad too. Like one of our congregants... Your harmonizing is not showing off. It's just offensive. When you have the big house, people will hate you... You go to New York. New Jersey. Everybody has to show off what they have. Yaakov asks, “Why do you make yourself conspicuous?!” Truth is the statement has nothing to do with going to get provisions. The Jewish way is one of modesty... I know it’s not. But it is. Jews should not show off... Why? Because Yaakov says it. Do I need more proof?! How much proof does this congregation need for every little thing... It's my parking spot, because it says "Rabbi's spot"... I see little Samantha showing off her Chanukah gifts. That’s not what Jews do. Unless if it’s one of those electric ride-ons. You get one of those, you show it off to everybody. And you don’t share... Because those are awesome. Being seen is not always good, especially when it’s our shul. We all saw what happened in the inter-shul basketball league... There’s a reason our shul sticks to Davening... Of course Marcie is happy not being noticed. She didn’t get any gifts. She has nothing to show off. She doesn’t have to thank people for giving her something she didn’t want... You’re going to flaunt a new scarf with Dreidels on it?!... For some reason, I will not be wearing my gifts. I got gifts and I am disappointed. Marcie is happy and she doesn't have to worry about people being offended that she didn't give them anything they didn't ask for... A gift is something I made a point of not buying. I had to write thank yous... Because I didn’t give them gifts. It’s either a gift or a thank you for something I didn’t want... Money. That makes sense. The one time to flaunt money is when giving a gift... What has Mark ever flaunted, other than his Lincoln Navigator... It’s a hearse. A little respect for Mark. He’s a great funeral director. He shows to all the shuls, because he understands that you go to shul for business. You’ve got to drum it up. Our shul is not the only synagogue where people die... Of course he spends his time talking to the old people... Marty. You ruined the Chanukah party last week. Nobody thought that could be done. But you made it worse than the sisterhood... Showing off your ability to down whiskey in front of the families... Marty seen at an event makes it bad. I am sorry for Shlomo’s Kabalat Shabbat. There is no Chanukah tune other than Al HaNisim or the lighting songs... Lecha Dodi to Al HaNisim... You did Kedusha to Al HaNisim too. We need another Chanukah song... I know you tried changing it up, but you got caught at Lo Teyvoshi and right back to Al HaNisim. You didn’t show off your ability to sing. Or to pick tunes. Very modest. Nobody is jealous of your singing... They were bothered by it... You only do the lighting songs for lighting. Because it's Mutar to do Chanukah carols around the Menorah... There are times to be seen, and that is when you need to be with the people. Show up to the memorial service, you selfish pieces of... You don't show off at memorial services. Marty and Bernie should not be seen... Bernie. They said "thank you for coming" right when you got there, because they wanted you to leave. It was like they were saying, "Thank you for coming. Now please go." You have to join. But you have to sometimes not let yourself be known. Be part of the people... My grandmother would say, “Don’t let them know how much money you have.” She always looked good. Made herself up. She was sick as anything. Nobody ever knew. She always had jet black hair. She was born with jet black hair and she went to Olam Haba with jet black hair... She could've been two-hundred. Jet black hair... It was always status quo. Going on a vacation. Status quo. Going to shul. Status quo. Going to get a heart transplant. Status quo... Don't bring attention to yourself. Only to your hair... You join in the community struggles and care for others. The point is don’t show your selfishness, and you might end up being a good person... I know you're selfish. If you cared about us, you wouldn't sing. Please just don't sing... We have enough troubles. Keep your struggles to yourself. Don’t ruin Kabbalat Shabbat for us with your inability to figure out how to fit Al HaNisim to a Tefillah. Don’t share your messed up family pictures from your vacation Don’t buy your messed up gifts that you had to find on sale because you’re poor... I am saying to be humble... Not when you give gifts... "Why do you make yourself be seen?" "Titrau." With an Aleph. "Titrau" with an Ayin means "make yourselves bad." The Torah doesn’t say that. Yaakov's children were not part of the Markowitz family. The Torah writes it with an Aleph. Even so, we can learn something... If you listened, you could learn something... We can learn that when you make yourself be seen, you make yourself bad. Being seen. A desire to be seen. To show off. That makes yourself bad. "Titrau" with an Ayin... I request you don't sing. Were Yaakov's sons singing? I don't know. Maybe they were wearing nice clothes, showing they had a lot of food, and harmonizing in front of the Yishmaelim. Maybe it's your harmonizing. That is where antisemitism is from... The reason nonJews hate our congregants is pure hatred. Nothing to do with money... You drive disgusting cars. You have nothing to show... You can't show off a KIA. Sharing Latkes with them would not help the situation. There are not enough Latkes to share. And the sisterhood did a very bad job with them... They would hate us for bad food. Our shul is not gloating with Latkes. If you're going to give a gift, make it money... Gifts are Asur because of Maarat Ayin. You see the package. You see the bad. You think it's going to be good. Then you open it and notice that Bracha found a sale... Rivka's Rundown Definitely not enough Latkes at the party. Crazy amounts of Sufganiahs, and nobody eats them. Maybe there were very few Sufganiahs, but nobody eats them. I can't tell you. One person ate the Sufganiahs and said they make you fat. So, nobody else ate them. After looking around, I just assumed that every member in the shul was eating them all year. The deaf congregants thanked the rabbi for letting the hearing congregants know how much better the deaf members sound than them. One deaf congregant said, "It's so painful. Every time they sing my hearing aid starts buzzing." The sisterhood truly didn’t make enough Latkes. I have a feeling they were taking Yaakov’s lesson to heart and making sure nobody had anything. They had nothing to show for. Just people asking why there were no Latkes at a Chanukah party. The rabbi gave a class on how Latkes started with the Chashmonaim, who created french fries. He didn't have sources. But he had a lot of intuition. I believe he said it was Ruach HaKodesh. He's been using the spirit of holiness to explain a lot of Jewish history and our traditions the past few weeks. I think he just got sick of looking up the sources. He was using the statement, "We learn this from Chazal." But he stopped using that when people asked him where that source of the rabbis was. Now that people have found a way to argue with the source of Chazal, he's went to Ruach HaKodesh. We got killed in the Chanukah basketball tournament. I have a feeling our shul is more religious. It seems like these other shuls keep in shape. We need another Chanukah song. These guys think that every Tefillah works with Al HaNisim. I must have sung Al HaNisim in seventy different forms this past week. Gifts are a pain. The rabbi suggested we get rid of the idea of gifts on Chanukah. To quote, "To bring joy to Chanukah, you give nobody a gift." The rabbi truly wants more gifts. Just in the form of money. He noticed that nobody was catching that message, so he banned gifts. By Sunday, the rabbi realized you can't get away without gifts on Chanukah, because the malls have Santa. How Santa is now affecting Chanukah gifts is something the rabbi explained based on Ruach HaKodesh. So, the rabbi started a Chanukah gift registry business for next year. He said that if you get people stuff they can't afford, it's appreciated. So now, for Chanukah you have to buy people dishwashers and fridges. Mark pops in every few months just in case the old members forget he can do their funeral. I am happy the rabbi finally called out the selfish Jews who just take. It’s the same people that take all the Kichel at Kiddish. They take the Kichel and flaunt their plate. I am happy our community is finally coming together for our nation. At least a quarter of the community showed up. The others didn’t show for religious reasons. They said Ruach HaKodesh told them they didn't have to go to the memorial service. I think the rabbi has to define who's allowed to use Ruach HaKodesh. Me and my husband went for a movie and we came back to find the babysitter had her friends over at our house. She said that Ruach HaKodesh said she should eat our leftovers with her friends, and pay her by the hour. Tags:
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And nobody is questioning why the toddler is lighting the Chanukiah. (photo: jewishboston.com)
My Talmidim have been asking me about what to expect at shul Chanukah parties. I did my research. They are all the same. I was at another shul and this is what I saw at the Chanukah party at Temple Breet. The same stuff they had at my shul. They also had a Chinese auction and no Chinese people.
I saw it at my shul, and I saw it here. Here is what to expect. Questions People will ask you questions. Like where you are from, why you haven’t shown up to shul, and why you are single and not good enough for their granddaughter. Sometimes they're asking for security reasons. I don't know what not being attractive, and having a pathetic job, have to do with the safety of the congregation. Even so, they will ask you why you're single. They will also ask how you make a living. And that they will ask if you can make a living that way. The first question is there so that they can ask why you're not a doctor. Which is the only way you can truly make a living. Kids Crying Kids crying is the centerpiece of the shul Chanukah party. There will be kids getting mad they didn't get the prize they wanted. Go expecting to see your child crying, because she didn’t win Chanukah Barbie. The Barbie edition where she puts on fifteen pounds from eating Sufganiot. The children want this and they will cry if they don't get it. Enjoy the experience of children crying. There is nothing more enjoyable than seeing a kid cry because they didn't win an eraser. Dreidel There will be a Dreidel competition. Do not play Dreidel with the youth expecting to make money. And don't chase your losses. I have been to Gamblers Anonymous and I've met many Dreidel addicts. It all starts with chasing your losses. Chaim keeps on landing on the Gimel. Let it be. These little Dreidel sharks will take you for everything. They learn this stuff at school. In class they're building Chanukiahs with slabs of wood and nuts, and they're learning how to land on the Gimel. If you have my luck gambling, you will lose every chocolate coin you ever earned. A Guy with Candy A candy man. A creepy guy who loves kids and loves to give them candies. And he smiles a lot. Don't worry. He's a good guy. May not be allowed back at the Chanukah party next year. But he's a good guy. Too good of a guy. He's too nice to people. And that scares the parents. A Shul Band There will be a shul band. If you're lucky, they worked on the Dreidel song this year. If not, they shall be playing the Dreidel song in the G chord again. That's what they worked on. They have that chord down. That is the song they will be singing. G chord. Half of the performance will be watching the Gabai and the other members of the band, who Daven together, trying to tune the guitar. How do you get accepted into the band? You show up to Minyin. People Singing There will be people who think they can harmonize. And you will have to hear it. If nobody is singing, they harmonizers will break out a song. And there will be no melody. Thank Gd there aren't too many Frum Chanukah songs. Just Al HaNisim. A lot of Al Hanisim singing. We repeat that one. So, get Al HaNisim down. We've worked on holiday songs for other holidays. Chanukah is just Al HaNisim and a bunch of stuff reform people sing. One of the harmonizers will start singing one of the English songs, as they converted recently and still enjoy caroling. Chanukah caroling is what they love about Judaism. I suggest you watch out for the harmonizers. There are many of them. Usually, they talk in an elegant voice. If you hear somebody enunciating, move to a different table. Anything about their youth in a choir, do not stay. Somebody brings up how much they love Aaron Neville, run. Latkes and Sufganiot Got to have Sufganiot and Latkes. Why? Because there is oil in them, and somehow, the Menorah in the Temple stayed lit with fried potatoes with applesauce, and a jelly doughnut. Our history is important. Latkes are the Chanukah falafel to the Israeli event. They don't do the Israeli deserts at Israeli events. They would have baklava at every Israeli event, but nobody can clean that stuff up. And they don't need to add a cleanup committee to the other five Israel committees. I am sure the Maccabees did not have Sufganiot. They never have enough jelly and they Mashmin. If you hear any Hebrew on Chanukah from an Israeli at the shul, it will be "Sufganiot make you fat." No Chanukah party ever have enough Sufganiahs. Yet, there are always leftovers. Another Chanukah miracle left out of the Book of the Maccabees. Kids Running Kids will be running around. I don't think the little guys know what's going on. They're just at shul again, and that means running. And you will not find their parents. Yet another Chanukah miracle. How kids make it to shul without parents. A Bouncy House It's a community event. Therefore, there will be a bouncy house. This is Jewish tradition. In the times of the Greeks, the kids would've never played Dreidel if they didn't have bouncy houses. You should not jump in the bouncy house. There is no age limit written on it, which makes it quite confusing for the forty-five-year-olds who want to have a good time. And again, that was not fair to the candy man. If he would've known, he would not have been rolling around the bouncy house. Mincha Minyin In the middle of the event. That's how Frum Jews celebrate. We go to events to catch Minyin. Is there any place better to find a quorum than shul?! Hence, the Chanukah party at shul. Make sure to bring your Latkes to Mincha. If you don’t, they will be gone. Menorah Lighting A community Chanukah Menorah lighting will take place. This gives the kids something to run around. The Chanukiah lighting is a chance for the harmonizers to harmonize to whatever is going on in their head, and for the band to play the G chord. I guess there are a couple more songs. At the Chanukiah ceremony, you will sing Maoz Tzur. And then everybody will break into their Hanerot Halalu. They will commit to their Hanerot Halalu, thinking their’s is the only Hanerot Halalu. And they will be convinced the other people are singing the same song. And this is what harmony does. Oh. How our people express themselves with song in a very awkward way. My advice to any beginners is to just go to the party and eat. That's how you fit in. Eat a lot. The more you eat, the more you look like a member of the shul. Again. I suggest you watch out for the singers. They will try to pull you in. Just pray they don't start a dancing circle. If they dance and try to make you join, I apologize. I pray they don't do that to you. Nothing brings more discomfort and awkwardness to a Jewish event than a circle dance. Tags:
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The mall, ensuring that they allow the Jewish children to enjoy the full Chanukah experience.
Do not go to the mall for your Chanukah experience. I was walking through the mall, got home, and I found myself humming songs about mistletoe. And that was in August. That seems to be when they start celebrating Christmas.
I was shopping for Chanukah. Not fun when you have to buy stuff for family. And I realized I can't enjoy shopping for Chanukah in the malls of Upstate New York. There is nothing Jewish, other than Christmas songs written by Jews. You can't have a Jewish experience shopping. They have taken over every store. Even the CVS logo now is red and white. It's all Christian. They decorate the mall with every Christmas reef and pine tree, and red pair of socks they can find. Then you see a Chanukah night light they found at the Dollar Tree. Stores are decked out in red and white, and a tiny Chanukiah in the corner. A little electric Chanukiah, just in case the lights on the Christmas tree go out. Got their huge tree and a Chanukiah ornament for the Jews, to let the Jews know they can shop at JCPenney. Christians deck. They deck out the whole area. Decking halls. Jews, we place. We have been relegated to the placement of an electric Chanukah Menorah. Don't take the kids to the mall for the holiday experience. It turns out Santa is not Jewish. That was a shocker the first time I found that out. It's called Ma'arat Ayin. He’s got the beard, but then he's got the red hat. That should've been a dead giveaway right there. It might have been because I was used to the Chabad rabbi with the Tefillin in that spot at the mall. The mall will try to do a lot of stuff to make the holidays good for all. And that means that Santa will also let Jewish kids sit on his lap. How Santa gets away with that?! Our rabbi once shook a kid's hand and got fired. I for one don’t consider it a Chanukah experience to have our children lighting a Chanukiah night light with Santa and his elves, on Santa's recliner. And then he gives the Jewish kids gifts too. On his recliner?! He’s creepier than the candy man at our shul. It’s called proselytizing. They even claimed candy canes. You can't even even eat candy now without being a heretic. Nothing for your Jewish kid to enjoy. Nothing blue. All red. The mall is all Christian stuff and a blue snow cone. If you're lucky. And they probably don't sell those during the Christmas season. Which starts in July. They can't even give us Chanukah. We can't get eight days. Just eight days. Still hearing the Christmas songs on the radio. The mall is blasting Christmas songs. And the Jews now write these songs now. Might as well write the songs. "If you can't beat them, make money off them." That's what I say. They start playing the Christmas songs half a year in advance. Thanks to Mariah Carey they now have enough songs. "Twelve Days of Christmas." Their song should be "Twelve Months of Christmas with Mariah Carey." It's Chanukah and they're celebrating Christmas. They're offended if you wish them a Happy Hanukah. Even leaving out the "Chet," they get offended. You have to say "Happy Holidays" on Chanukah, a month before Christmas. And shopping for the kids isn't fun. For some reason, I don't like spending all of my money. My advice. Don't go shopping. Don’t buy your kids anything. If there is one thing that ruins the holiday, it’s going broke on a new gaming console. For some reason, something that can make your kids feel so good can make your feel so bad. And now that Christmas Tree Shops went out of business. I can't go anywhere to get my Chanukah stuff. The best place you could find in Upstate New York to find Chanukah decorations was the Christmas Tree Shops. And now that it's gone, I have to ask Santa to help me get some Chanukah gifts. I expected to see something Jewish at the mall. Nothing. The closest thing I saw was a two for one sale at Kohl's. And that was at a strip mall. Santa doesn't sit at strip malls in Upstate New York. After the first four months of Christmas, it gets to cold outside. Can't even buy clothes. I wanted a sweater. They've cornered the sweater market. All Christmas. Even the Chanukah sweater was a Christmas sweater. A woven Christian Chanukiah. I can't buy anything knitted till after the first of January. And then I was thinking of sending my friend a holiday card. Nope. Can't do that either. No Chanukah cards. Just Christmas cards. Nothing. Everywhere. They're even wearing the hats in November. In November now. They encroach on us. Can't give us anything. Christmas is supposed to be one day. And the Santa hats don't even keep you warm. I was trying to find Chanukah candles. That's what led to this. I needed Chanukah candles. Couldn't find them anywhere. Not even at Wegmans supermarket. Though, the Kosher section had tinsels. Then, I show up at Target. Thank Gd they have all that Christmas stuff there. They had just enough Christmas stuff to be able to justify their Menorah candle bin in the corner, next to the Silly Putty. All I am asking for is eight days to wish people a Chanukah Sameach. The rest of the year, enjoy Christmas. I just want some Chanukah. Something. Everything is red and white. Stop signs. They even have stop signs. Every time I need to slow my car down, I'm reminded of Christmas. For eight days. That's all I ask. Blue and white stop signs for eight days. One song. Even have a Jew write us our song. Something Jewish. Something about Chinese food. Eight days of something other than a Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the Dreidel song. Something other than the Dreidel song, which I am sure has something to do with Christmas. With all this, I want to thank Chabad for trying to bring the Chanukah spirit to my shopping experience. Chabad, fighting for the Army of H', brought in one of those huge Chanukiahs. An eighth of the size of the Christmas tree. I know they did, because I peeked behind the tree, pushed aside the branches, and was able to see one of the candles, giving an extra glow to the ornaments. I understand if you can't avoid Christmas. It's everywhere. If you have to, do what you can and make your Christmas at the mall a Chanukah experience. Go to the mall and sit on Santa's lap yourself. When was the last time you sat on a grown man's lap?! Ask Santa to talk to the rabbi about making his sermons shorter. Maybe write a song about deer and snow, and make money. They've claimed snow too. Go shopping in January, during the first month of Christmas, when they have the sales. Make it a positive Jewish experience. Give your kids Chanukah gift cards so they can enjoy Chanukah after Chanukah. And that is how Yeshiva Week began. Tags:
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What do little kids love to eat on Chanukah in the sea? A Sufganiah. (Rabbi Mendel)
You get it? The Yam Suf. Sea of Reeds. A Gan is a nursery school. “Iah.” I have no idea what that means. This is what makes this pun riddle unique. The answer is a surprise. Something you would never get. With a good pun, like a good pop quiz, you want to keep them guessing. She was skipping school for her Chanukah job. So, her parents Gelted her into going back to school. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Chanukah Gelt (money). Guilted her with cash. Gelted her into it... Gelt’s more convincing. Especially when you're trying to make money. Artscroll put out a special Chumash for Breslovers. The Stoned Edition. (Mordechai) You get it? Artscroll has a Stone Edition. Stoned Edition is for people who smoke up. Some NaNach Breslov Chasidim have a reputation... Someone will get mad at this. I know. And almost every Breslover I know doesn't get high. But there are those who do. So, let's focus on them for this pun... Ripping out paper from the Stoned Edition to roll is Asur. Asarah BTevet was only ten hours. Boy. It was fast. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Asarah BTevet is a fast. The fast only lasted ten hours. That’s fast. The fast was fast. And then that little extra "ten" for the Tenth of Tevet. The fast comes out on the tenth. A little extra topping on that pun for you. Paroh had compassion on the wine steward, because he was pour. The baker had a lot of dough. (Mordechai) You get it? Poor. It should've been "poor." We wrote “pour.” He poured stuff. We misspelled poor so you could enjoy the pun. Then the extra with the baker and dough. Dough meaning money here, but could mean dough for baking... The pun might have been best three weeks ago. Better than getting it three weeks ago, you get two puns in one. Why is a navy boat that isn’t moving against Torah? It’s an idle warship. (Mordechai) You get it? Idle. Read it “idol worship,” and it will mean something totally different. And it will also sound different. It’s in one spot, hence it’s idolatry. If it would be moving, it would be a boat praying to Gd. When Jews pray, they sway. Thought that last part added a little meaning. We like for our puns to touch people. What do you call it when shorter people do Avodah Zarah? Idolabush. (Mordechai) You get it? Avodah Zarah is idolatry. Say “Idolatree.” Now you’re catching on. Taller idolaters worship trees. Shorter idolaters worship a bush. Wait. Idolashrub. How about that? Idolashrub. For even shorter people. Tags:
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The Kibbitzer Photo Album XLI1/11/2025
Let's take a stroll down memory lane to David complaining about AI being anti-Semitic, praying to Gd and thanking Him too much for Chanukah and being alive, and educating us about proper modest gymwear that clashes, with Kibbitzer's pictures of laughter from last month. We want to thank David Kilimnick for expressing how Sufganiot don’t have enough jelly, while he still put on weight and ate them.
How AI sees two Jews on a date. The two were perfect because of the size of their noses. If AI was setting you up with a Jew, they'd make sure the person had a huge nose. Because big noses is how you know they’re Jewish.
I found the jelly. People thought the Sufganiah was a bulkie. We thought we accidentally bought a roll with sugar powder on it. Nope. It was a Sufganiah. You can see we were almost finished with it, and then jelly. We found it... It was a like a Chanukah miracle. Eight holes and no jelly in any of them.
The Chanukah Rosh Chodesh Added Tefillah Board. Scariest thing I’ve seen in a while... The next morning nobody showed up for Minyin. The six extra prayers scared away every Jew. I say, leave out six of the panels. Then, once they get there, slide them in one at a time over the course of Davening. You might lose a member with every panel addition. But you have more of a chance of getting a Minyin that way.
Modesty at the gym is very important. These shoes and this look will ensure no girls will want to talk to you. Keeping you a Ben Torah.
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We want to thank the Simkin Mishpuchi for sponsoring Sufganiot by following the Jewish tradition and going to Dunkin Donuts. We will not be hosting a shul Chanukah party due to not wanting to ruin people’s holidays by having to see members of our shul. The community candle lighting was a huge success. We want to express the community sentiment that we’re happy the Chabad rabbi is now safe. Being held up by a harness fifty feet in the air, we’re happy he made it down safely. We’ll be hosting a fundraiser to higher a construction crew to light the Chanukiah next year. Davening will be at 8:30am in the morning for the holidays. The rabbi asks that people show up for Minyin and remain Jewish, even though they have off of work. Contemporary Halacha Classes: How to Ruin Chanukah with the Wrong Sufganiot: Picking Out Sufganiot Like Morah Betsy with No Jelly. How to Ruin Chanukah by Seeing Congregants. Saving Lives and The Height That Makes a Chanukiah Asur. How to Sleep in and Not Show up for Minyin, Like Our Congregation. Rabbi Mendelchem's Drasha Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My Pupils... It’s about blessing. And that comes from connecting to Gd and not seeing congregants. And with that, you don’t suffer. Hence, Yosef called his kids Menashe and Efraim... He wasn't making fun of them. Those were their names. Their excellent names. I call you stupid face, because you're annoying. (Bereishit 41:51-52). “Menashe for H’ has made me forget all of my suffering.” And Efraim because “Gd has made fruitful in the land of my suffering”... It’s "Amali" and "Aniyi." Different words, but the same meaning according to Artscroll. Suffering... Names have meaning. Here, at Beis Knesses Anshei Emes uSefilah, I called one of my kids Dror, because the shul wouldn’t get me an extra cupboard in my office... I could’ve used another few drawers. My second kid, I called Max. Because the congregation is the bane of my life. Two different types of blessings. They're both strength Gd gives us to deal with issues. Congregants. I have not found a way to deal with congregants. There are two ways to approach issues. One is to forget and one is to tackle them head on. Our board chooses to forget. Which is why we end up with messed up Sufganiot and a leak. This is what makes Efraim greater... I don’t know how. It’s the tackling. He doesn't avoid the issues. No matter how many congregants he has to deal with, he concurs the pain and makes it a success. I will be hosting classes in my home, to make everything a success. Approaching hardship head on allows for the opportunity to change good to bad. Kind of like how I took Chanukah in this community made it a point to not see Bernie and made it beautiful. Fruitful in a way... Artscroll teaches Yosef did not run away from his father. He wanted to do Kibud Av vEim. His brothers barred him from that. Kind of like the shul that bars me from doing Mitzvot. Menashe represents Gd’s help with Yosef dealing with the pain by having something else to thing about... Congregants just add to the pain. That pain of being estranged was something he had not control over. That kind of pain, you can't make it fruitful. You can push aside and move on that way... What did I do with the Morah Betsy Sufganiot. It was just pain. Very painful... No. Artscroll is not Rashi. Bernie. How do we deal with our suffering here? How do we find the blessing? Do we mask it and let people die alone or do we face it straight on and turn it into something beautiful?! I know our congregants don't visit the sick. You haven’t visited Amelia in the Home yet. She’s alone. You should visit and make her cancer beautiful for a day... I am not suggesting Bernie visit. That would just be adding to the suffering. The shul Chanukah parties are something to forget. Gd granted me that strength so that I can enjoy the holiday and serve this congregation. I do that by forgetting this congregation... No. We are not having a Chanukah party this year. We don't want anybody to suffer on Chanukah... We had it before Chanukah. I will explain Fran... Well the other shul that is celebrating Chanukah on Chanukah is not Frum. They're not religioios. It's called Zrizim Makdimim LMitzvot. You want to be quick to hurry to do Mitzvot. So, our board thought to celebrate the holiday quickly, before the holiday. To do it at the wrong time... If you would've got Boston cream Sufganiot, like Israelis, I would've enjoyed the holiday. I am asking for better donuts. Why was there Danish at the Chanukah party last year?... Donuts are not Sufganiot. They’re donuts. There’s a reason they’re called Sufganiot. Because it’s Jewish. Dunkin Donuts makes Sufganiot... Tradition is Boston cream Sufganiot. That is what they ate in the Temple. The second Beit HaMikdash... They didn't eat Sufganiot in the first Beit HaMikdash. In the first Beit HaMikdash they had Danish... It's a matter of where we see the blessing. We can concur every dealing with the congregation with both modes of overcoming issues. Sometimes the blessing is in lighting at home... Seeing you on Chanukah ruins my Chanukah... The community lighting ceremony was off. There is nothing about Chanukah that says a rabbi has to risk his life to light a Menroah... This is why I'm not a Chabad rabbi. I’m too scared of heights... Yes, Fayge. This is why it's called Crown Heights. Very good... We just hope the Chabad rabbi stays safe being held up by a crane... I don't believe it's a Mitzvah to risk your life to light a Chanukiah. They didn't have Menorah crane lighting in the Beit Hamikdash. Just stairs... The rabbi had to rappel down. Both ways of dealing are gifts from Gd. When you have the power and strength to deal, you do. When you have support, you can deal. When there is no support, H' sometimes grants you that strength to forget. Which is what I do when I get home every Shabbis. I forget shul. The same way Yosef had to put aside in his head that he is estranged... Being in this shul, I feel I am estranged from my people... The Minyin has no support. That means you don't show up... No. We're not doing the late Minyin anymore... Because you guys sleep through that too. And we can't do a late Mincha. That's too late to Daven already... Before you have an opinion or an issue with it, first show up for Minyin. You took off all week for Xmas and you took off from shul. Yosef would've shown for Minyin... I don't want to deal. I want to forget. There is no way of making having to see Bernie and Merv at Minyin every day beautiful... If we had anybody in this shul that was smart enough, I would make him second to me. I would give him the power, like Paroh gave Yosef. The Gabai is wise. He shall be second to me. Not the Chazin. The president shall be of no importance. The president only causes suffering. Paroh tells Yosef, (Bereishit 41:44) “And without you, no man shall lift his hand or his foot in all of Egypt.” Paroh had Yosef deal with everything. The same I shall do with the Gabai. People must have permission from my second in command... Our Gabai has dealt with enough. It's time we listen to his wisdom and allow for us to find that Bracha of salvation. No more giving yourself an Aliyah. You will have to wait for the Gabai to be called to the Torah. You will only be able to open the ark with the Gabai’s approval. You can only get a shul locker if the Gabai says you're showing up for preMinyin aerobics. This is how we shall deal with famine in our shul... That calling yourself for your own Aliyah you all were doing was crazy. We had eighteen people go up for Cohen. All called themselves... There are only two Cohens in the shul, Bernie... Shmuel. You are an amazing Gabai. No arguing. The great must bear the burden... With this we can name our kids normal names, like Brian. But only with the Gabais OK... Next year, we will have a Chanukah party, and I will choose a wise person to run it and get Boston Cream Sufganiot... No purchasing of Sufganiot with Shmuel. My second in command. Traditional apple fritters are up to him. Sometimes, it's just too painful. And we have to forget. When I get home at night, I forget the congregants... From now on, any issues go to the Gabai. My second in command. He will make it all good... Rivka's Rundown I do not believe that people getting up for their own Aliyah without being called constitutes famine. The rabbi threw all the shul's issues onto the Gabai. That was his way of dealing with the suffering of the congregants. That is what I call throwing under the bus. I think the rabbi is trying to work less. The rabbi threw himself into Yosef’s issue, blaming us for his suffering. I guess that’s the point of Bereishit. To personalize how annoying your community is. Congregants are issues. When the Torah speaks of hardship and suffering, H' is speaking of our congregants. How Max means “bane of life” I don’t know. The rabbi stopped hosting classes in his house, and started having them back at shul, when the board said they were going to cut his salary. We all suffer at a price. Sufganiot are donuts. Both are deep fried. Both have jelly. However, Dunkin Donuts does not claim to be Sufganiot. The way most of the people in our community make Sufganiot, Dunkin Donuts doesn’t want to ruin their reputation. Dunkin Donuts is fine being mistaken for Krispy Kreme though. The board took the Zrizim Makdimim LMitzvot, hurrying to do Mitzvot, comment by the rabbi to be a compliment. They started doing everything early. The secretary suggested they start doing Shabbat on Thursday. To quote: "It wouldn't be a problem. It would still be Jewish. No other religion celebrates the Sabbath on Thursdays." To which the treasurer said, "We don't know. We were surprised when summertime Ramadan turned was celebrated in the winter." I think we have to work on our community. When a community doesn’t want to see each other, there’s an issue. When you pay dues and don't want to see those people at a ceremony or celebration, you start to think if this is the right religion. I believe the rabbi said, "Anything with the words 'community' and 'ceremony' is going to be painful. No joy." It was scary to see the Chabad rabbi up so high. One light went out. The whole community insisted the rabbi not go back up to light it. They called in a construction crew to relight it. These Chabad rabbis risk their lives to publicize the miracle. They didn’t have construction crews lighting the Menorah, or harness belts, in the Beit Hamikdash. There’s a point where it’s too much. Maybe have a community slab of wood nuts made by the nursery school Chanukah Menorah. I think the rabbi was competing with the Topeka Xmas tree. He saw the Christians get eight stories, a scaffolding and clean windows. Jews should too. People take off of work and they take off Judaism. Vacation is vacation. The congregants were not happy about the late Shacharit Minyin for the week of Xmas break. To quote Baruch: "Shoot. Now we have to go." I don't think Jewish day schools should have Xmas break. They tried having Chanukah at a different time of year, but it falls out around Xmas. I asked the Gabai and said we can't change Chanukah. Tags:
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Speaking Lashon Hara is like ripping a pillow open and letting feathers fly all over. You don’t know where they all go. You can't collect them... Teaching that you can't repent for Lashon Hara by littering. Ripping up pillows and throwing trash on the street does not stop Lashon Hara from spreading.
(Devarim 24:5) First year of marriage man must be there for his wife to delight her. Then reality sets in. She’s happy when he’s gone. “When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army.” After the first year, he goes out to battle. It’s better than fighting in the home. Which happens after the first year. (Shabbat 21a) Lighting Chanukah candles is until people finish walking home from the Shuk. Which nowadays is 3am Thursday night... That’s when the parties finish in the Shuk on Thursday nights- you get it. People wanted to know when Chanukah candles are lit. You light them on Chanukah. The fact we have to explain this. You don't light them on Sukkot. I can keep going with this joke... You should light them from nightfall. If it's Shabbat, you light the Chanukah candles before the Shabbat candles. The Chanukah miracle is not greater than the miracle of Salatim on Challah. Olive oil poured on Chumus Yerushalmi is more miraculous. Tags:
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This is why most communities stay away from choirs... Please know that is not a Kosher Chanukiah and we have no idea if those are blue Jewish Santa hats. And we did not draw those eyes... We will keep using AI.
Make your Chanukah more meaningful with song. Inherently educational, here are some of the newer Chanukah songs for you, and some explanation to bring that extra meaning and joy to your holiday, when the gifts don't pan out and you end up getting knitted socks.
We will stay away from the Hallel and Al HaNisim, as those are the songs we were initially expected to sing when the rabbis implemented the holiday. Which means most Jews don't know them anyways. Chanukah Oh Chanukah "Chanukah Oh Chanuka come Light the Menorah." Love the song, because it tells you what to do. Some Jews forget to light the Chanukiah (Chanukah Menorah). They start singing the song, and they're thinking, "I have to light the Menorah. We should play Dreidel and eat Latkes." And then they start dancing the Horah around the table. It might be awkward to dance around the table, but if you're going to dance around the table as a Jew, it should be the Horah. It's more meaningful than doing the Bachata around Sufganiot. Bachating doesn't bring the Jewish meaning to the holiday. Educational Songs "I Had a Little Dreidel I Made it Out of Clay." Amazing and educational. Before this song people were making Dreidels out of hay. Hay doesn't spin. Many have asked why they weren't making the Dreidels out of cloth. That's because cloth doesn't rhyme with play. "Svivon" is a great song. Svivon is a Dreidel in Hebrew. It goes around, so you turn around. The dance mimicking the Dreidel movement to exemplify the song, Amazing. If you see children spinning around on Chanukah, it's only because they're connecting with the Chag. "Chanukah Chag Yafe Kol Kach." Chanukah is a beautiful holiday. Sometimes I forget Chanukah is a beautiful holiday. I take the snow for granted and call it joyous. I'm a big fan of the Hebrew songs. I feel more connected to the Maccabees when I sing in Hebrew. I know they weren't singing "I Had a Little Dreidel" in 163BCE. They were definitely singing "Svivon Sov Sov Sov. Chanukah Hoo Chag Tov." The Dreidel goes around. It's a great holiday. Just a factual song. No need for explanation. If Hebrew is hard, I suggest you NayNay these Hebrew songs and call it a day. There's no reason to learn a whole language for a couple of songs. Chassidim for centuries have refused to learn Hebrew, opting for the lyrics of NayNayNay. Xmas Songs If it wasn't for Christmas, how would Jews enjoy Chanukah. There is always the Xmas songs. The radio plays them for Chanukah. Written by Jews, the Xmas truly bring out the holiday feeling, capturing the feeling of snow. Not something they captured when writing the "Hallel" and "Svivon Sov Sov.” Don't Learn Laws From Songs Be wary when singing songs. If you want to truly practice Chanukah correctly, you should learn the Code of Jewish Law, and read a cookbook. If you want to bake a Dreidel correctly, I don't know if "I Had a Little Dreidel I Made it Out of Clay" is enough direction. I'm a big fan of the English songs, as I also went to Jewish Day School. However, songs like "Chanukah Oh Chanuka come Light the Menorah" can be misleading. Great song, but the end of it isn't good education. Poor Chinuch. The line, "We light one for each night," is very misleading. You light six on the sixth night. Seven, including the Shamis (the middle light, there for use- we can discuss this next time, my pupil). We have many generations of illiterate Jews due to songs like this. You light one for each night if it is a Yahrzheit (the commemoration of somebody's death), and Yahrzheits candles should only be used as shot glasses, according to tradition. You light the amount for each night plus the Shamis. The song should go, "We light one on the first night, with the Shamis we lit… 4 on the fourth night, plus the Shamis we lit… 8 on the eighth night… And that is because we light like Jews. Oh Chanukah… Come light the proper way like Jews should, the menorah. We will dance other dances that or more Jewish than the Horah..." And then the song should end "Yiddel Dydel Dumb" because that makes it a Jewish song. Maybe add in some Oy Oys and NayNays. Jews don't add Ho Hos. And neither do Christmas songs that are written by Jews. There are many more classic Chanukah songs that weren’t written by Adam Sandler. Nonetheless, they are also meaningful. The only issue is they're not on the radio. For true Chanukah meaning, check out songs in other languages as well. There are always beautiful Yiddish songs about lighting candles and pogroms. Next year, we’ll focus on more Chanukah songs of the religious nature, like “Haneirot Hallalu,” “Maoz Tzur” and “I’m A Latke and I’m Waiting for Chanukah to Come.” Which truly captures the holiday spirit. We are all Latkes. Tags:
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The preChanukah Party will happen this Monday. We will celebrate preChanukah with Latkes and Dreidel playing. Due to the popular request of Katie, we will celebrate Chanukah before Chanukah. The shul is going to be selling Chanukah candles that work. They will not break on you. We ask everybody pay their dues before Chanukah so we can turn the water back on and celebrate Chanukah before Chanukah. The shul Chanukah vacation this year will be the week after Chanukah. This year the vacation will be in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Boca area. Contemporary Halacha Classes: How to Turn Every Jewish Ritual into a Program By Not Doing it At it Right. How to make Not Oily Latkes Nobody Likes, Because There Was No Miracle of Oil Before Chanukah. Where to Vacation: A Session on Places to Go in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Boca. Rabbi Mendelchem's Drasha Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My Pupils... They hate Yosef. When they hate you. they hold that... They hate him because they’re not happy with themselves. Kind of like the board who hates any good idea you share with them. Like doing a Chanukah party on Chanukah... Kind of like most of our congregants who can't stand Simcha, who likes to share his dreams all the time. It can be annoying, Simcha. It's annoying hearing every detail, and then hearing, "And then I woke up." We know you woke up... (Bereishit 37:24) The brothers take Yosef and they throw him in a pit, “and the pit is empty, there is no water.” Kind of like the Bergstein Bar Mitzvah where there was no schnapps. You asked for it, you flipped the bottle over. Tapped it. Nothing in there. And they still expected you to give the kid a gift... This is why people hate the Bergsteins... I'm not suggesting to throw Simcha in a pit. Rashi, answering the question “why does it need to say no water when it is already empty,” tells us that there were snakes and scorpions. There was no water. No life. When you lose the love of family, there is no life. Then there is no connection and hate, there is no life. Just snakes and scorpions, like the board... What’s saves Yosef’s life? Connection. Their hate would’ve killed him. But they realized he has the same blood. I believe O+. (Bereishit 37:27) Yehudah says “let us sell him to the Yishmaelim, and let not our hand be on him, for he is our brother, our flesh...” You don’t kill your own flesh. You sell them as slaves... This is why the mothers at this shul slave in the kitchen. And the fathers talk in shul... There’s a lot of hate here... Bernie deserves it. And now the shul is left with messed up emptiness. Emptiness and some people trying to make it bad for everybody. Snakes. Stealing the meaning from everything we do. Ruining the joy and love of Yiddishkeit... The preChanukah party sounds like a Chanukah party. But it's not a Chanukah party... Because it's not on Chanukah. If it was on Chanukah, you would call it a Chanukah party... I understand you want to prepare for the holiday. You do that by buying the stuff you need for Latkes, and a Dreidel... No. You’re celebrating it the day before Chanukah... What makes it more exciting?... Thank you. So. Before Chanukah, it’s a program. People don’t like tradition anymore. They don’t like Mitzvot. They like programs... People rightfully hate the Chanukah candles... They’re not Chanukah candles if they don’t break. Those are Shabbis candles. You're using Shabbis candles on Chanukah. The shul fundraiser is to sell Shabbat candles for Chanukah... It's like your programs. Done at the wrong time. Might as well do Sukkot Matzah. People love the Sukkot Matzah that tastes just like bread. Thursday night choolante night... I don't care if they do it in Monsey. This is Topeka. People don't even know what choolante is here. More people would come to the program if it was Thursday night overcooked stew night... Everything you do shows no love for our tradition. A hatred for our people. The shul water is off because of hatred. People hate paying dues. And this is why the sink has no water. It's empty... You can’t even do a Chanukah vacation right... After Chanukah is not a Chanukah vacation. Its winter vacation... You like it more because a Chanukah vacation on Chanukah is tradition. After Chanukah it’s more of a program. More fun... Isn't the vacation always to South Florida?... Just making sure. Then I am going to Orlando this year... Our activities committee is calling it a program. It's not a program. People are going on vacation. If it's not organized by the shul and it's not a tradition, it's not a program... We should all find the love back in our lives, so we can end the hate and get the water turned back on in the shul. So that we can vacation without having to see each other... I hate your preChanukah Chanukah... It's not Chanukah. If you put a "pre" before something, it's not that. "Pre" means not the right time. No. PreChanukah is not Chanukah. You can’t light for Chanukah preChanukah. I know many have started eating choolante on Thursday night. It’s still not Shabbat... I hate doing Jewish tradition done as a program. I will hold that hate. I love this shul. So I will not destroy it. But I will do whatever I can to get rid of the programs. I will bring snakes and scorpions if I must... Serpents sounds better. Serpents are scarier. Serpents and scorpions. Even worse. I will add more people to the board... We pray that the kids learn to like the Bergstein boy, and not blame him for his parents not having schnapps... Maybe come to shul, not like your dad, and people will like you. They'll see you as Jewish flesh. Connected... Rivka's Rundown The rabbi truly connected with the Bergstein boy. He spat on his parents and sat in a different section of shul. I think the rabbi just said people who don't come to shul are not Jewish flesh. And I think the Bergstein boy does not like his family. We can all agree that going to a Bar Mitzvah and getting nothing to drink, then having to give a gift, causes hatred. Beautiful teachings. The board is full of snakes. Poetic. The rabbi was making a strong point saying that you sell your brothers as slaves. The board decided to have the CHanukah Party not on Chanukah, because of Katie. Whatever Katie wants, Gd apparently does. Katie wants Purim in the fall, the shul decided to host a drinking party in October. Our shul has decided to now only run programs. People show up for programs. On Sukkot people didn’t show for Musaf. They came for Hookah in The Sukkah. They then ran a Musaf program, where a Chazin leads in the Musaf prayer. Finally, people came for Musaf. That was a fundraiser. To sell Shabbis candles for a lot more than they’re worth. It went great with the preChanukah program. People spend more when they get stuff they're using for the wrong reasons. The rabbi insisted it would've been a Chanukah miracle if they were Chanukah candles that didn't break. The shul got the water turned off. We need money. I think that is the true lesson of the Parsha. Money saves lives. It saved Yosef's life when the Yishmaelim bought him, and it allows for us to have Kiddish. Many people were mad with the rabbi for suggestion that going to South Florida in the winter is a not a Jewish tradition. The vacation to Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Boca was to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and Boca last year too. It seems to be the same vacation every year. It's where the Jews go to get away from Jews. They love programs. Even their vacations are now programs. It just happens to be when everybody goes to Florida. And they all go. So the shul is taking credit for the program. The rabbi found a way to take advantage of this new program thing the board is pushing. The rabbi heads down to South Florida for a day, takes a picture with a couple members, says it a shul program, and he calls it work. No vacation days used on his vacation. Tags:
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For many years the new generation of the Wise Men of Chlem have lit the Chanukah Menorah, known as a Chanukiah or candelabrum for those who like tiny candles, but they never knew why. They were fine with that, until now.
To make Chanukah more meaningful, they had a committee meeting without the rabbi. After much discussion about different types of meditation, they decided it was impossible to make the holiday more meaningful. To quote Sadie, “If we don’t close our eyes and meditate, it’s not meaningful.” Yankel Shares His Idea Known to cause problems, Yankel Tzvi Ben Mendel Simcha always makes everybody say his full name. Yankel told everybody, “I learned at Yeshiva that you're commanded to publicize the miracle of Chanukah. This is why we light.” Berel the Gabai, one to never allow for heresy, jumped in, “You fool. This is how you make of meaning. I learned in Yeshiva too, and our rabbis taught us that we must light the Chanukiah. He knows from nothing.” The Wise Men cheered at the brilliance of their Gabai and his argument against Yankel Tzvi Ben Mendel Simcha. Fayge, captivated by her Gabai, reinforced, “Our Gabai is so wise. How he makes such sense of the rabbis’ laws!!! Now we have meaning.” After a bit more debate, they decided that they should light the Chanukiah on Chanukah. To quote Felvel, "The Gabai is correct. We light the Chanukiah on Chanukah." Yankel Still Makes a Stink Bothered by this idea of publicizing the miracle, Yankel exclaimed, "All Berel says is true. But we should still publicize the miracle." "What miracle?" Rivka Bayla asked. Yankel restated, "The miracle of Chanukah." To humor Yankel, they decided they must find a Chanukah miracle. A Chanukah miracle they could show to people when they're walking home from work, as Yankel insisted it had to be publicized when people are coming home from work. To quote Felvel, "As if they need to be bothered after a full day's work." What is the Miracle of Chanukah That We are Publicizing? The Wise Men and Women of Chelm searched and searched for a miracle. They needed to find the miracle of Chanukah, for they wanted to know what to share with the public. Lazer, the head of the youth group let them know, “Last Chanukah I got an amazing gift. I received a hoverboard.” A silence never heard before was disrupted with a gasp of awe. “Miracles do happen. Hoverboards are awesome,” Chaya Tova replied. Even Duvidel was in awe, as he received a pair of socks last year that his Bubbie knitted for him, and they did not stay up. As Duvidel showed his socks gathered at his ankles, he gleefully shared his joy in Lazer’s hoverboard, “People can receive gifts they like.” He continued to share his newfound hope, “I can use some wireless JBL earbuds.” To which nobody cared. Displaying the Hoverboard They decided to put Lazer’s hoverboard on display in the window, when people were walking home from work. But nobody saw the hoverboard, as they all worked from home. The next day, Duvidel shared his concept, “We can buy all of the children hoverboards and they will see the miracle of Chanukah.” Menachem interceded, to keep the group in line and focused on what was really important. And that is saving money. “Who can afford hoverboards? I can’t even buy one for my kids. Not everybody is as wealthy as the Shwartzawitzs. They even have a flats screen TV.” Bayla, not a fan of Schwartzawits either, added, “If the Shwartzawitzs paid their dues, that would be a miracle.” To which everybody laughed and wished they had a hoverboard. More Chanukah Miracles That Are Easier To Share Chaya Tova recounted yet another miracle, “We didn’t have to go to school today. It’s a snow day. A Chanukah miracle.” And the miracles of Chanukah kept flowing. “The Latkes last year were out of this world. Crunchy, yet beautifully moist on the inside,” Rivka let them all know. “We must let all know. This is a miracle,” responded Menachem, with a joy that could be felt by all who love potatoes that are fried. The kid with the disease they all prayed for, who recovered and was back in school, was not mentioned. They didn’t want to publicize chicken pox. Oily food was a miracle. The snow day was a huge miracle. But none could outdo the miracle of Lazer’s hoverboard and socks that did not fall because they were not made by Bubbie. How Do We Publicize This Joyous Chanukah Miracle of a Hoverboard? The Wise Men and Women of Chelm decided it's time to publicize the true miracles of Chanukah correctly. Ads in the newspaper were too expensive. There was supply and demand and only a group of eight people read the newspaper. Even so, the Wise Men and Women were not deterred from their goal. “We must find a way to advertise the miracle of Chanukah!” Taking initiative, as he does, Duvidel arose with fervor and took to the streets with his megaphone. All the people of Chelm were in shock. They don’t understand Yiddish. “What’s he screaming?” the people asked. He reverted to English. For English is what they speak in Poland nowadays. The rest of the Wise Men and Women at the meeting were inspired, as they followed with megaphones they had amassed in the shul’s food collection bin for the hungry. Cheers were heard all over the streets, “Lazer received a hoverboard.” One fine scholar came to his door, for he heard the cheers of the Wise Men and Women and thought the shul had just received a new Torah scroll. How happy he was to hear that it was Lazer’s hoverboard. He didn’t want to have to go out in this weather to follow a Torah. After hours of cheering for Lazer, none of the townsfolk came out to join the parade of Lazer’s hoverboard. There was three feet of snow and nobody had shoveled their walkway. The only way to share the miracle without taking out an ad was through the window. So, to celebrate the holiday correctly, they decided to light Lazer's hoverboard. And that miracle only lasted one night. Epilogue And Berel, the Gabai, let Yankel and all the committee know, “That is why we light the candles on Chanukah.” “Exactly,” Said Fayge. “Do you want to pay for hoverboards for all the kids of Chelm, Yankel?... You see? This is why we light candles. It's too expensive to buy eight hoverboards.” And Yankel preached in protest, “We light because the one jar of oil lasted eight days. It should’ve only lasted one.” Berel the Gabai responded to this ignorance one last time, “This fool still doesn’t understand. We light eight, because there are eight nights of Chanukah.” On the eighth night, the Wise Men and Women, along with their community, lit their Chanukah Menorahs with the nine candles, including the Shamish candle, to remind them of the Menorah in the Temple that had seven lamps because of the eight nights of Chanukah. Extra Notes on Chanukah The kids didn’t go to school, but they did learn that on Chanukah a great miracle of amazing Latkes and hoverboards took place. So, they lit the Chanukiah for those Latkes. And they lit their hoverboards and their parents grounded them for Chanukah. Duvidel never received earbuds or a hoverboard. However, hoverboard sales in Chelm went up. Duvidel blamed his Bubbie, who took up knitting a few years back. Lazer never road his hoverboard again, as it was too dangerous and banned from use in Chelm. Lighting the hoverboard was not looked upon favorably by the law. That Chanukah the whole community was able to see the Schwartzawitzs’ huge flats screen TV, as the Schwartzawitzs’ publicized their new 120-inch television. The Wise Men and Women knocked on the Schwartzawitzs’ door and asked them to pay their dues. And they did. The miracle of Chanukah was complete. Some people burned Latkes and they said, “This crunch is even a greater miracle.” Discussions continued as to whether the Latke miracle was true, or if it was Tater Tots. Yankel lit his Chanukiah in his window and all tried to figure out what he was trying to prove. To quote Fayge, “This guy never stops.” Tags:
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The paper chain. That is how you make a Sukkah look good.
Summer is over, there is no camp, and you’re feeling the pain of having to see your kids. If you don’t want to see them, you could send them to after school activities. Many parents do that. However, that consists of having to get another job. Only thing worse than seeing your kids is having to see your boss.
If you’re stuck being one of those parents that spends time with the kids, you can do Jewish arts and crafts. Last week we spoke of Jewish origami and Haifa papercut art, which is quite harsh on the fingers. The staples used in the Jewish origami technique have truly helped me achieve many new origami shapes. Now, let us turn our attention to Jewish holiday art. Here are some Jewish arts and crafts projects to help you and your family get through the holidays. Rosh Hashana Apple and Honey Bowl This consists of purchasing a very nice bowl. Then you and your kids paint on it. In order for this piece of art to look nice, you want to make sure the bowl you buy is beautiful. It’s similar to the painting the pottery that you didn’t make, where you come out with a mug that looks disgusting. Sukkah Hanging Decorations Take a gourd and make a hole in it. Put the string through the gourd. Now you can hang the decoration. A great family arts and crafts project. Pumpkins also work, as they're a subcategory of gourds. I would not suggest using butternut squash. As you artistically put the string through it and hang it, it comes apart. Hang a honey jar. This keeps the bees away from the table and in the Sukkah. Inferior to fly paper in its artistic effect, you will at least be able to see bees in the honey jar. Decorations can also consist of Jewish origami. See last week's article for the choice number one on the chart of Jewish art, the paper chain. The paper chain is also versatile, making it quite beloved. You can origami it for the Sukkah, then use it for the window on Chanukah. Other decoration are anything your child worked on in class that year. A cut out of any of the seven species works, as long as it looks like a pomegranate. Still lifes also work as long as it looks like a pomegranate. You can also hang random fruit, as long as it looks like a pomegranate. Pomegranates fall into the Jewish gourd family. A pop Chumash quiz, also makes for excellent wall hangings. Macaroni necklaces SheAvar Alav HaPesach are also good decorations. Pesach Seder Art It's never too early to prepare for Pesach. Most Jewish mothers start worrying about Pesach in June. Hagaddah drawings. Instead of purchasing a coloring book, you download a bunch of pictures, drawn by somebody who had no idea what Paroh looked like. This work of family art consists of you coloring in the pictures. The goal is to color within the lines. As witnessed from my nephews and nieces, this is not easy. They seem to not understand the idea of contained shapes. Either that, or they thought the Haggadah pictures were a work of stone-rubbing. Either way, after you're finished, you take the stone rubbed pre-drawn pictures and staple them together, hence making a Haggadah. A Seder plate. Buy a picture of a Seder plate and have you child mess it up by drawing on it. Best part of Seder plate art is you get to throw the paper out. Ten Plagues art is always fun. Purchase foam balls. You have hail. Purchase smaller balls. You have lice. Color it red. You have boils. Ten Plague art is loads of fun, especially when you through the plagues at family members. Those who don't take it as a curse love it. Saw a Pesach macaroni necklace. Messed up. Apparently, you don't need to know the laws of Pesach to make Pesach art. Chanukah Menorah (Chanukiah) A slab of wood with the nuts on top. That's the art. Take a slab of wood and put nuts on it. The premier form of Jewish art, the nuts hold the candles. Whoever figured that Chanukah candles fit perfectly into nuts is an artistic genius. People spend thousands on Chanukah Menorahs. No need to honor the holiday like that when you have a slab of wood and crayons. You still have the paper chain. Hang that on the window. No need to make a new paper chain. The family fights involved in the Jewish origami taping to a window allows for enough artistic family holiday interaction. Tu BShvat Dried Fruit Art A dried fruit necklace. I thought of that one myself. Maybe stay away from that. The SO2 might not be very healthy. Next Sukkot, you can hang this next to the Pesach themed macaroni necklace. To decorate your Tu BShvat Seder, be sure to you should still have the paper chain. Tisha BAv Art Take whatever you and the kids made, and destroy it. Just keep the paper chains. Next year we'll discuss Purim art for parents who are too cheap to buy you a decent costume. I hope these works of art bring more meaning to your holidays and give you more stuff to hang in your Sukkah. And remember, all Jewish art can be hung in the Sukkah. And all Jewish art can be made in Jewish origami form, with staples and tape. If there's one thing we've learned about fine Jewish art. Never throw out a paper chain. Tags:
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Noah didn't think it was a bad thing when H‘ said the world is full of Hamas. That can be tasty. (Rabbi Mendel)
You get it? It was full of Hamas. Evil, thievery... Noah thought H‘ was talking about Chumus. Had to do the Humus Hamas joke this year. It's in the Parsha. For all our kids out there, please know: Humus isn't evil. Avraham built a Mizbe‘ach to H‘ once he got to Canaan, as he had altar motives. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Ulterior motives. A Mizbe‘ach is an altar. Avraham was promised the land will be for his progeny. Then, he built an altar. Altar motives. Not ulterior motives. They sound the same. Just with less syllables. I got a letter from my Palestinian friend that said he misses me. I wrote back, ‘Cause you have terrible aim.’ (Mordechai) You get it? Misses. He’s shooting rockets at me. Yaakov’s brother was always deceptive when playing cards. He’d just say, ‘Esav.’ (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? That‘s his name. When you‘re playing cards and that‘s all they say, you don‘t know if it‘s an ace of diamonds, an ace of hearts, spades... You don't know. He's only saying 'Esav.' Not very helpful. I didn’t buy my kids any gifts this past Chanukah. I felt so much gelt. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Gelt is money. Chanukah gelt is a tradition. It sounds like guilt. I felt bad that my kids got no Chanukah gifts, but I had a lot of money. I had gelt because I didn‘t spend it on gifts. Gifts from the heart cost a lot in the month of Kislev. (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? Chanukah is in Kislev. Kis means pocket and Lev, heart. This is about understanding money comes from the heart, and Chanukah gifts are from the heart and expensive. The month is why we buy gifts. Puns are better bilingual and when not a joke. My friend told me he needed Sufganiot. I said, 'That's how you make the doughnuts.' (Rabbi Mendel) You get it? It works in audible form. To work, you must say ‘needed,‘ not ‘kneaded.‘ Sufganiot need dough, which you knead. Again. Another pun. Tags:
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No shul family event should start until there is fire for kids to run around. (photo: jewishboston.com)
Throughout the ages shuls have hosted Chanukah parties. And I have taken notes. Here are some of the important ingredients to making the traditional shul Chanukah party a success.
Call it a Gala What makes it a gala event? No idea. Why do we serve 'delicacies'? That's what Frum Jews call it. Always use words like deluxe, delicacies and gala to describe your use of plasticware. Deluxe describes everything Frum. Nothing is better than Tuv Taam deluxe tuna fish. The word 'deluxe' brings up the tuna and mayonnaise to a level above salmon. How 'deluxe' made it into the Yiddish lexicon? No idea. It's Yiddish. Festivate Your Table All tables should have paper plates coated in Chanukah festivities. It should feel like a birthday party without cone hats. And as Frum Jews we celebrate with disposable dishware. One cannot celebrate, serve H', and worry about the environment at the same time. Streamers help festivate as well, as you can throw them out after the gala. To celebrate the table should also have a bunch of chocolate Chanukah Gelt. What are we celebrating? Oil. And you celebrate that with chocolate coins. Chocolate coins also adds to the galaness of the evening. Menorah Lighting You want to start the program with a Chanukiah lighting. Depending on how religious your congregation is, will dictate how much of a ceremony it is. If you're a very nonFrum congregation, you will want to call it a Menorah Lighting Ceremony. If you're a very Frum shul, you'll want to call it a Lichting. Preferably, a Deluxe Lichting Gala. That's a full sentence in Yiddish. At the Lichting you'll say the Bracha and everybody else will be talking. At the Lichting, you also will not find yourself dedicating each candle to a dear member of the congregation who you hope died already. Note: If you're a not Frum congregation, do not have the Chanukah party on the first night. Only lighting one candle will kill the ceremony. If you're in a bind, light eight candles on the first night and tell them it's the last day of Chanukah. It's only time before the reform community takes Chanukah down to one day as well. It will happen as soon as the gifts get worse. Gifts for Kids All kids should have gifts. And all gifts should be bought at the Dollar Tree. If you don't have a Dollar Tree near you, Five Below has a dollar bin area. You can give the children of the congregation Silly Putty from there as well. No child should receive any Chanukah gift that they will enjoy for more than three minutes. If you have a holiday party at a Jewish nonprofit organization, be sure to have a Secret Shlomo. This way people can feel like they're not doing something Jewish. You may want to also host your Jewish nonprofit Chanukah party on Christmas. If you're doing a secret gift giving thing for the kids at shul, you should probably call it a Secret Santa. This way the children won't blame Jews for the bad gifts. Bouncy House That's what you need to bring Jews. Jews are about tradition. Chinese Auction Or you can call it a basket raffle. But that wouldn't offend Asians. What to raffle off at a Chinese auction? Shabbat Challah trays. Kiddish cups. Netilat Yadaim cups. Yarmulkes. All things that are made in China. A Dreidel Spinoff If your child walks away from Chanukah and does not know how to play roulette, something is wrong with the Jewish education that child is receiving. At my father's shul A"H they had a huge Dreidel. My father A"H would spin the Dreidel and the kids would put their Gelt on whatever letter they figured the Dreidel would end up on. That is what we know as Chinuch, Jewish education. Latkes If your shul does not smell disgusting, you have not hosted a proper Chanukah party. The shul should smell disgusting and people should leave feeling disgusting. That is how you know it was a successful gala. Tags:
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Announcements
The Chanukah Gala program will include a Chinese Auction. It will also include latkes and a Dreidel gambling circle. All children are expected to attend. They should all have a Dreidel experience. Parent Child Learning this week will include a psychologist, a social worker and a representative from child services. We have noticed a lot of parents who are not impressed with their children’s Gemara skills. We remind you that the children are only in elementary school. They still have not learned Rashi script. Please don’t make Shlomo look bad again. Our children are dependent on a decent Secret Shlomo this year. To quote the kids at youth group last Shabbat: ‘We are not expecting anything decent from our parents. Their gifts are pathetic. We are praying that Secret Shlomo loves us more than our parents and buys us decent gifts.' Rosh Chodesh is Wednesday. Please show up to shul. We understand it’s a long Davening. Please don’t pretend like you’re sick again. Rabbi Mendelchem's Drasha Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My People... VaYeshev... He wasn’t just sitting. Yaakov wasn’t lazy like the president of our board... Did you settle Israel? No. Exactly. Yaakov settled in the land of his fathers... Far Rockaway is a good area too. (Bereishit 37:14) Yosef is told by his father to check on his brother’s 'Shalom.' He went for peace. Kind of like the way I came to the shul. The way I was hired as rabbi. At the time, I didn’t know there would be a Gabai and a president... (37:17) The man Yosef sees in Shechem tells him his brothers went to Dotan. The Midrash teachs that Dotan comes from the word ‘Dat’ which means law... I know it means religion in modern Hebrew... Because there are laws, Bernie. If you kept the Mitzvot, you would understand our religion is about keeping laws. Not driving to shul on Shabbis... 'Law' meaning ‘they are seeking legal advice to put you to death'... How many religious people have died? A lot, Bernie. Yosef's brothers were looking to find a legal way to kill him... I have nothing to do with the last president that we have not seen in many years... You can’t have Shalom and judgement together. You can’t have a kind rabbi who loves the people and a shul board... We need peace. We need honesty. We need a simple shul that does stuff right, unlike our board. We need a reason to not judge each other... You guys mess up so much. You lie. You ruin Chanukah... You weren’t sick. We saw you shopping at the mall and working out... You just didn’t want to go to Davening. There is no Shalom if there is no Minyin. If we can't pray together... I can't pray with Bernie and Merv because they're chuching the whole time... You overdo everything. A Gala? What is the gala? Latkes do not make a gala. And a Chinese auction??? Why not call it a raffle... It’s offensive to Chinese people. Shalom with the Asian community... You guys jump the gun with your children. Take it easy... Why don’t you learn how to learn Sam?! Before yelling at your kid for not knowing the Sugiah of Shnaim Ochzin, maybe you should stop fighting over Tallises with people. If you want Shalom, maybe you'll stop whacking people with the tassels. Learn how to put on the thing... The brothers see Yosef and say 'let’s kill him, or buy him really bad gifts'... It’s the same thing. Getting a Rubik’s Cube for Chanukah... Who is Rubik?! How about you buy better gifts for your kids... Nobody knew that Shlomo secretively buys really bad gifts. If you buy your children decent gifts they’ll love you. They will not want to kill you... That's why they yell all the time. Bad gifts. I feel abused by you. The gifts you give me are so pathetic. If family services came to this shul, they would take me away to another shul... And the Dreidel. Now we have eight year olds showing up to gamblers anonymous. (37:17) The man thus began by teling Yosef, ‘They have journeyed on from here.’ Rashi teaches, ‘They have left themselves from brotherhood.’ There is no peace here. Yosef was looking for peace. He found really bad gifts. He found a congregation who hosts gala events with a Rukik's Cube as a prize... A gym membership would be a good gift, if our members used it to get in shape and not skip shul... Rivka's Rundown It’s pathetic how the members have to pretend that they’re sick to not show up to shul. The Gala event had a bouncy house. That is what constitutes class in our shul. I believe churches and synagogues have Chinese auction to keep Asians from converting. We had a Chinese Auction to offend Asians. The rabbi wants Shalom with the Asian community of Topeka. He told them that Chinese is another word for raffle. Now we have a few new members from Beijing. We have a lot of gambling addicts in our shul. And they wonder why. I told them to stop with the Dreidel. Why AA and GA are always in churches is an anomoly. Saint Catheran's has more Jews from our shul going there for gamblers anonymous than we see on Shabbis. If we had GA in our shul and the Minyin saw them, there is no way anybody would be anonymous. If Shirley saw them, everybody would know. Nobody showed up to Parent Child Learning. The parents want to help their kids advance too much. They have aspirations for their children, and that means abuse. At least it means a lot of crying. Kids cry when their parents have hope, and they give bad gifts. Parents were worried they would have to deal with their kids crying about the Chanukah gifts. And child services would break up families due to lack of electronics. A lot of screaming at shul. Believing your child is smart is abusive. Unless if you give them drones. Decent gifts do equal love. That was what the rabbi was teaching us. Even if your parents are broke, if they love you, they’ll buy a good gift. The shul apologized for the Secret Shlomo. From now on, they will not trust the congregants with gift giving. There is a lot of hatred in our shul. Not much Shalom. I don't even hear 'Shabbat Shalom.' They just say 'Good Shabbis' now. People judging each other in our shul is well deserved. If we can find a way to ligellay take action against people paying dues, that will be appreciated. People literaly hit others with their Tallis. There is no legal justification for that. Tags:
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The Kibbitzer Photo Album XXVIII12/9/2023
Let's take a stroll down memory lane to support for Israel by wearing Tzizit or a flag, and the joy of lighting Chanukah candles within the reach of babies, with the Kibbitzer's pictures of laughter from last month. We want to thank David Kilimnick for complaining about chocolate covered coins that everybody else likes.
Wearing Israeli flags. Showing their support for Israel at the rally in DC. It would’ve been smarter if they brought coats. Based on my experience as a Zionist, flags don’t work as good windbreakers... Now looking at it. All the people with jackets don't truly care. The real supporters of Israel don't need coats.
Chocolate coins have to be the biggest rip off. Inflation on this currency is beyond explanation. And 7-Eleven still doesn’t take chocolate as legal tender.
That’s what soldiers look like when they’re going to war in comfortable undershirt Tzitzit. Unity. Smiling and happy, with an unkempt beard… If the Palestinians would just be able to enjoy a decent thread count of cotton like our soldiers…
No shul family event should start until there’s fire for kids to run around... Whoever thought the three-month-old lighting is a good idea. Even Beit Shamai would be against that (probably the biggest diss in Judaism- bringing in Beit Shamai just hurts). (photo: jewishboston.com)
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Bad Chanukah Gifts I Got This Year12/8/2023 
Still trying to figure out the use in these coins. Still can't use these as currency.
And I got more bad gifts this year. And people are still telling me it's the thought that counts. If you ever find yourself saying ‘it’s the thought that counts,’ that is a bad gift. That being said, here are some of the gifts I got.
Before we get into the gifts, I want to say, 'Thank you for thinking of me.' Pasta Pusher Has anybody ever made pasta that was not from a bag?! Exactly. If there was a pasta pusher that pushed pasta into something that cooked it for me, with no thought, that would be a worthwhile gift. I appreciate the appliance. I will forever keep it in my storage. Gift Certificate I still haven’t used the gift certificates you got me for my Bar Mitzvah. Next time, give me currency with a stamp on it that says ‘Expired.’ That is what is going to happen to the gift card. Either that, or a piece of paper that says, 'You will lose this.' And how much thought did you put into the gift certificate when you were online to check out at the Christmas Tree Shops. A Fitted Shirt & Tight Pants Somebody thought this might help me meet a woman. Fitted shirts look good when they fit. That shirt didn’t fit me. Neither did the skinny pants. The size 38 pants were smaller than size 38 pants. They should’ve marked them 34s, like they were, and sold them to me as four sizes too small. I am hoping they pay for my Weight Watchers membership this year, so I can fit into the pants. That would be a decent gift. Stuff to not buy teenagers, because it makes them annoying: Skinny Pants, UGGs, anything tiny with a screen on it. A Paisley Shirt Sorry. The bad gifts reminded me of the paisley. This was not a gift. This was a hand-me-down. This was something my dad didn’t want. Paisley has been out of style since the 1970s and The Salvation Army didn’t want it either. My parents forgot to pick up a gift for me that year. It was the worst year of my life. I wore it as smock. The whole class thought I splatter painted my shirt. My parents didn’t even wrap it up. They didn't even say, 'Chanukah Sameach.' It was given to me with a simple command of, ‘Try it on.’ Challah Cover That is usually a wedding gift. I got the point. My family wants me to get married. They could have just said something. Even people getting married don’t appreciate Challah covers. They don’t need more than four of them. If you are purchasing a wedding gift, check out the registry. I have never seen a registry with Challah covers. Why Bed Bath & Beyond doesn't sell Challah covers bothers me too. Chanukah Registry I am starting this to help. My way of giving back to the children of our next generation who did not get a drone this year. You all deserve a camera that flies without concern for privacy. There is no reason you should be getting clothes for Chanukah. The registry will only consist of stuff that flies, video games and phone accessories. I feel for our children who want a decent gaming system. The Thought Does Count is the Lesson When purchasing Chanukah gifts this year, put a little more thought into it. Maybe think a little more. Think to yourself, ‘What would make a gift that somebody would enjoy? Something meaningful?’ I am assuming that if you think a little more, you will come to the conclusion that you should get them money. I love every one of the gifts I received over the years, because it's from the people I love. With the gifts I have received, I do question if you truly love me. Maybe it's just mistakes. Many of you think that buying something for the person that they would never think about purchasing themselves is the way to go. There's a reason I don't pick up pasta pushers. Remember ‘It is the thought that counts.’ So, bring out the holiday spirit in your loved ones and give money. To note: chocolate coins don’t count as legal tender. Though it may appear that I am not happy with the slap on bracelet that cut into my arm, I appreciate everything you got for me. I also love the pen you bought me. As you know I am at work a lot, I will take that BIC classic medium point wherever I go. Along with the ink stain. Tags:
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Announcements
You can make reservations for the shul Chanukah party by contacting the office. Do not bother the president. He is an angry person. The shul Secret Shlomo will have certain gifts that are not allowed. Due to how bad your gift choices have been the past many years, here is a list of gifts you can’t give that the rabbi will discuss at Temporary Halacha Class: The paddle with a ball attached, socks you stitched, sweaters you knitted, chocolate coins that are dairy... The Mikvah cleaning project will start this Wednesday at 2pm. We want to thank the sisterhood for organizing the event. It’s promised to be an exciting day of cleaning. No more giving Divrei Torah without consent. Many congregants have been complaining about abuse at Kiddish, having to hear Torah thoughts while eating herring. We hired a rabbi for a reason. Divrei Torah are relegated to sermon. Rabbi Mendelchem's Drasha Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My People... Yes. You are my people. You mess up. But you're my people. My flock... You give gifts. It’s part of making peace. Shalom. That’s what Yaakov gave Esav, to appease him. Something. You give something. You try. You pay your dues every once in a while... (Bereishit 32:14) ‘And he took from what came to his hand, a tribute to Esav.’ You can give me from your house. A nice vase. A coffee table. A lawnmower. Nobody gives gifts here. That’s why there are always fights in the shul... I understand you’re the Gabai. If you gave a gift instead of an Aliyah, they would like you. If you gave them a Sudoku puzzle pad... I don’t even get Chanukah gifts from you. That's why I don't like you. That's why I can't stand the board... Maybe a raise. That’s a gift... Yaakov seperated the gifts. It’s more exciting. That’s why you give gifts each noight of Chanukah. That’s why your kids don’t like Judaisim. Bad gifts... If Yaakov gave Esav chocolate coins, he’d hate Jews more... Dairy chocolate coins. Not even the dark chocolate ones. This is what you give. I have never opened a dairy chocolate coin and not had it melted before it was in my mouth... Licking your fingers like Bernie flipping a page in the Siddur is disgusting... Chocolate coins are not a gift. They're not even money. I learned that the hard way. You feel like a fool when you're ten years old, trying to buy a Slurpee with chocolate coins... Slurpees would be a better gift. I would be happy with oxen. Camels... Yaakov plans his meeting with Esav. Yaakov seperates his family. There would be more peace in shul if we seperated the shul... We should split the shul. Unimportant ones first... I am sending you away from me... I would have sent the president first. A very angry person You have never made plans before in your life... Every Chanukah program, you show up and you expect a spot. Kids have went without latkes because of you... Because they didn't make the twenty extra latkes you devour Menachem... Your Chanukah gifts are not a plan. Unless if that plan is to make people unhappy. Socks you stitched are not a gift. They fall every time... because there is no elastic in them. I need a rubber band to keep it up... No. Rubber bands don't look good. And knitting a sweater?! This isn't Christmas... No. You shouldn’t Shnur. You should pay for the Chanukah event. The only thing you plan is to not help. You never help. Will you show up for the Mikvah cleaning project? No. It’s a project. You don’t have to be a woman to show. The sisterhood is not just for women. Do you men show up to men’s club events? No. Exactly... Maybe help by not giving Divrei Torah... Beacuse your Torah thoughts are messed up... Quote Rashi and don't respond. Just quote Rashi and Ramban in Hebrew. No English translation. Nobody needs your commentary about how the Mikvah should be clean and how you shouldn't have to help. Nobody needs your commentary about how to give bad gifts... It's a fight with you guys. It's a struggle... A struggle to make Jewish life a decent thing here. (32:25-30) Yaakov wrestles with the angel... We don't even wrestle here. Yaakov understands that life is about struggle. Wrestling. With you as congregants, it's a struggle. You give no energy... I’m not here to fight with you. Yaakov fights with the angel all night. I am ready to take on any one of you until I get a decent gift... He gets the name Israel. I feel like the people of our shul should be called lazy... Rivka's Rundown Bernie changing pages in the Siddur is the most disgusting sight I have ever seen. I believe it would be better if he spat into a tissue. Even that would be disgusting. I think the reason Bernie can't change the pages anymore is his Siddur's pages are all stuck. Thanks to Bernie and his caustionary tale about phlegm, the children of our synagogue don't smoke. Nobody in our shul has ever made reservations for anything. I don’t know why we have reservation as an option. I’m surprised Bar Mitzvahs have guests with table cards. There is no way our congregants are RSVPing. The sisterhood organized the cleaning project. They didn't show up. Nonbody showed to the Mikvah cleaning. They thought that if it was a sisterhood event people would show. They also though that if cleaning is involved, they should not show. At least the Mikvah is not dirtier. You can try to advertise cleaning as fun. 'Exciting' doesn't get people to come if cleaning is involved. If the rabbi ever asks people to help clean at Kiddish again, we will lose all the congregants. An exciting day of bouncy house jumping. That would draw people to clean the Mikvah. At least to the Mikvah. To clean it, that might not happen. Dvar Torahs need consent. That is the greatest decision our board has made since the founding Avot and Imahot of our sul. The Dvar Torahs as given over by our membershiop are a form of abuse in our shul. People use Divrei Torah to express their political opinions about Trump. How they compared Esav to Trump at Kiddish this week with such ease, it just flows out of their mouths. The shul president is a very angry person. That's true. He has to listen to every Dvar Torah the congregants give. It's painful. Chanukah in shul is not enjoyable. I agree with the rabbi. No good gifts. This is why there are so many fights in shul, and everybody hates the Gabai. If you know Bernie will never give you anything decent, why should you be nice to him?! Take his seat in shul. There are no repercussions. Just phlegm. A bar of chocolate would be better than chocolate coins. And then I have that stuff stuck in my fingers all week. After I open a chocolate coin, I have to go to the manicure to deload the chocolate from my nails. I am never satisfied from the chocolate, because half of it I can't get to. And I won't start biting my nails. The basic point is that the rabbi is expecting gifts from the congregants this Chanukah. Each night. The proposal of seperating the shul for peace was taken very well by all members. I believe they realize they won't have to listen to Ruchel Sarah's Divrei Torah anymore. Did the rabbi just challenge the president to a fight?! I believe he called it a fisticuffs. I don't know anybody under eighty who has said that. He challenged the president to a fight in the 1930s. The next shul event is MMA. It's called the Yisrael Wars. We've pinned up the president vs the rabbi on the poster. If the president shows up with a decent gift with oxen, the rabbi said he will call off the fight. Rabbi said this is the season of miracles. I think he’s been watching Hallmark. I’ve also gotten into the holiday shows and Santa. Later on the rabbi qualified his statement, 'If this is the season of miracles, nobody will get one of those rackets with a ball attached from Bernie this year... They stay attached for a minute... I am not sure even H' can cause the ball to stay attached to the racket with that rubber band. Those rubber bands are just as bad as the ones our congregants use on their socks.' Tags:
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Announcements
Kids are mad about their gifts again this year. One kid threw his Rubik's Cube and yelled, 'Are we living in the 1980s?!!!' He then went on, 'They didn't buy me a computer for Chanukah because my parents don't love me.' Falafel latkes was a disappointment to all. They tasted exactly like falafel. And they looked like falafel. Now, the community has no idea what to do for the Yom HaAtzmaut celebration this year. It's snowing and windy. We'll see you in shul next week. Shabbis candle lighting times are after Chanukah candle lighting times, whenever that is. Sisterhood meeting will take place at the Sokolich residence. This way Mrs. Sokolich can air her grievances about the flower arrangements and the new head of the sisterhood who she doesn't like. She will also serve tea and coffee to let you know how coffee at Kiddish should taste. Rabbi Mendelchem’s Sermon Excerpts Shabbat Shalom My Pupils… If you cared, you'd figure out the Chanukah lighting times... The times are important. But you forgot them... Paroh had a bad dream… I had a bad dream. Killed me. Woke me up. I dreamt I was still working at Beis Kneses Anshei Emes uSefilah in seven years… I had a second bad dream too. I dreamt Bernie didn’t move down to Florida, and he was still here in seven years. The Gabai explained my dreams to me. He said it will be seven bad years with annoying congregants and a president you can’t stand… No good years. Just seven bad years. A president who forgets stuff. You forget everything decent... Like Shabbis times and when Minyin is. And when to light Chanukah candles. And whose kid is getting Bar Mitzvahed... You make the wrong announcements. Paroh can’t get anybody to explain his dreams. At least I have the Gabai. And even he can’t explain the president or Bernie to me… It's Paroh. I wanted to reiterate that for the president, so he remembers who had the dreams when he gives announcements... All the sudden, the Head of Drinks comes and tells Paroh, (Bereishit 41:9-13) ‘My sin, I remember today… me and the Chamberlain of the Bakers… there was a Hebrew youth with us, a slave of the Head of the Butchers, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams…’ You guys can't even remember your sins... Well let me help you. Not showing to shul. Not visiting the sick. Throwing your parents in nursing homes and never visiting. Do you keep Kosher?... That's another one. Lashon Hara. You all talk bad about everybody... I rebuke you in the sermons. It's to your face. Not educating your kids correctly. Karban Pesach... All the sudden, he remembers Yosef. You didn't remember my raise. There was no all the sudden with that... The Head of Drinks forgot. Kind of like the time the president forgot to tell me. ‘Ooops. We announced Shabbis for 5:30 instead of 4:30…’ Yes. That’s a big deal. People are starting Shabbis on Shabbis... An Am HaAretz. I don't know why we print the announcements anyways... Just read them. Stop being creative and people will know when to light candles. Am HaAretz... His sin Why does he say ‘My sin’? What’s his sin? He forgot the good Yosef did for him. You don’t forget the good people do for you. Unless if you’re one of my congregants... It's a sin to forget the good people do for you. HaKarat HaTov. Recognize the good... You can't recognize the good if you forget it all the time... It's easy to remember the bad. Just look at Bernie... If Head of Drinks was in this shul, he would've forgotten the lighting times. You guys light your Chanukah candles at the weirdest hours... I know, because I have to sit in meetings with you people. And the meetings go on. And they go on. You guys don't stop. You talk about nothing... Your definitely not talking about Chanukah lighting times. You forgot to turn on the heating in the sanctuary today… Yes. It’s a sin. When you forget, people freeze. Yosef suffered because the Drink guy forgot... You forgot to filter the coffee. You killed Kiddish. Nobody likes the coffee. Mrs. Sokolich is right… If the Head of the Drinks had made coffee like that, Paroh would’ve killed him too… Yes. The Chamberlain of the Cupbearers. What? Are we living in 15th century England?! Head of Drinks... If he forgot to add creamer like the new head of the sisterhood, Paroh would've killed him... I had a nightmare that I would eat falafel instead of latkes, and it came true... H' interpreted it for me. The dream meant I would have to attend a really not good Chanukah party... Yes. I remembered to show up to the shul's Chanukah party, because I care. Most parents don't care. If you cared about your kid, you would've gotten him something other than a Rubik's Cube... Yes. That shows you don't love him... It's good not many people are here today... They didn't forget. They just don't want to come to shul... It's not COVID. You can't use COVID as an excuse anymore... Rivka’s Rundown A lot of forgetting in our congregation. I think the rabbi has to give the same message each week, because people forget they're wrong. The rabbi went through everybody's sins. He even brought up Chanan being single and how that's a sin. The single girls in the congregation started crying in the middle of the sermon. They thought they just felt bad about not having kids. They now heard they're sinning too. I think the rabbi is going to reuse this sermon for the Yom Kippur Yizkur Appeal. He saw people crying and he likes to exude tears with those sermons. Three years back, his Yizkur Appeal was about how singles are losers. They cried then too. The rabbi wasn't talking to many people. They didn't show up because of the snow. It's amazing how Sakanat Nifashot, danger to life, because the most important law when it comes to going to shul. None of the congregants have ever been worried about their life at the supermarket. It's cold in shul. Most people wouldn't know that as they don't show up. They're still using COVID to get out of coming to shul during the summer months. During the winter it's nippy. Kiddish coffee has not been good. I think they're serving decaf now. Parents are starting to buy more stuff for their kids. They find it easier to not have to talk to them and to express their love with gifts. One parent gave their kid a gift certificate tot he Dollar Tree and said, 'That's eighteen gifts... That's how much I love you. None of your friends got eighteen gifts.' One of the kids friends got a gaming laptop. To which the mom told their kid, 'But that's only one.' Like fools, they lit at the end of the Chanukah party. Even at the Chanukah party they couldn't get the lighting right. You light when people come. A board member said it was too dangerous to light around people, as there are kids. And so nobody saw it. And because the members forgot how to do a Mitzvah, the only miracle of Chanukah the community saw was the bouncy house. Tags:
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Kibbitzer Album XVII12/24/2022
Let's take a stroll down memory lane back to Chanukah, cold and Kotel Kippahs, with the Kibbitzer's pictures of laughter from last month. We want to thank David Kilimnick for sharing his anger at the Chabad rabbis for spreading the beautiful word of Chanukah with extremely huge Menorahs.
How you know you're spending Shabbis... After the first four feet that day, there's your sign. When you have to shovel the top of your car, there's your sign. When you're sure you shoveled and nobody believes you, there's your sign. When they ask you if you can help them run errands once your car starts, there's your sign. When nobody accuses you of being a bad Jew for not going to shul, there's your sign. When you're stealing Bill Engvall's tagline and you're not even a fan, there's your sign. When you finally admit your parents were right for insisting you always travel with more than two days’ worth of food, even when you're traveling to work in town, there's your sign.
That's how the real Kotel Yarmulkes are made. Jewish origami. We origami with staple, because we're smart and it makes sense. The same way we make our Sukkah decorations. We origami with staples, and it's faster. Jewish tradition... I miss those Kippahs, they worked great for holding nachos too.
Christmas wouldn't be meaningful without red and green corn chips. B"H. I want to thank the Chaf K for making sure they have a Hashgacha... I appreciate that the Chaf K is here to allow the Jews who keep the laws of Christmas to keep Kosher.
Chabad lighting. You can't compete with them. They measure their Chanukiahs in stories. Mine is 12cm... The rabbi is on a scaffolding. Never worked a day of construction. When it comes to the Chanukiah, the Chabad rabbi is sitting with the architect, standing there painting it, soldering, lighting the thing three hundred feet in the air. Sometimes in a bucket. I’m still gluing nuts onto a slab of wood… That’s commitment to a Mitzvah. There must be a fairy tale of a rabbi that lives in a Chanukiah. If there isn’t, we’re not being creative enough. We’re too focused on stories of rabbis in wagons sometimes…
He gave them Bitcoin... and Mordechai's kids were still not happy with their Chanukah gelt.
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Rabbi David. Why do we not do Hallel on Purim? We say it on Chanukah.
I don't believe that last part is a question. That's a statement. As such, I shall answer the first part, which ends with a question mark. Questions should always have question marks. If you can please tell the other congregants that a statement is not a question; that will help with the next guest speakers Q and A. They will appreciate questions being in question in form, and not speech form. The reason we don't say Hallel on Purim is that we're reading the Megillah. After reading the Megillah it would be way too painful. After an hour or so of Megillah and groggers to have to also then do Hallel, we would lose members. People would run from shul in fear. Reading the Megillah is an hour or so. It can last up to an hour and half with excitable kids. Hence, you should always be sure to read the Megillah without kids. Why do we say Hallel on Chanukah? Now, that's a question. Because there are no decent Chanukah songs for Frum Jews. 'I Had a Little Dreidel,' 'Sevivon Sov Sov Sov,' 'Hashkeidiah Porachat,' 'Chanukah Chag Yafeh Kol Kach.' I question if there are any Jewish Chanukah songs. We need Hallel to ensure some Jewish songs are sung on Chanukah. If it was up to our congregants we'd be singing 'Silent Night' around the Menorah. We're going to sing Hallel. Why does everybody in Israel constantly say 'Sufganiot make you fat' all of Chanukah? They're not going to say it on Pesach. It's annoying and it ruins my Chanukah. We all know doughnuts are not good on a diet. Weight Watchers doesn't have doughnuts on their list. They have munchkins. And nobody is enjoying a Sufganiah munchkin quota. They always say it right when they're eating the jelly filled oil doughnuts, to ward off the demons of fat. I can't enjoy the sucking out the jelly from a third Sufganiah when I'm hearing, 'These things make you fat.' They kill the whole holiday for me. Nobody should be worried about fat till after the holiday, when they have to take off fifteen pounds. That's the Psak. If these people really cared, they would give you a Sufganiah and a new pair of pants, and they would tell you to enjoy your Chanukah. Truth is, they would say it on Pesach. But Pesach they're saying 'Matzah makes you fat.' They find way to ruin my Pesach. Do I have to purchase gifts? If you want your family to love you. Why is Chabad's Chanukiah so much bigger than the one we lit at shul? I'm not willing to risk my life to light the Chanukah Menorah. Are you? Exactly. It's Sakanat Nifashot. I was never involved in construction. I will not start now with a Chanukiah, at the age of fifty-eight. I won't be raised fifteen stories in a bucket. Nor will I stand on a scaffolding to light for the third night. I saw that rabbi up on the Chanukiah. The Chanukiah was bigger than his house. The real question is if the Chabad rabbi is going to do additions to his home. Like a room with a big window, to light Chanukiahs on Chanukah. Chanukah lighting is not a competition. How long your Seder lasts is a competition. That's something to brag about. Where should we shop for Chanukah? You need milk? Yes. The grocery store. There's a decent convenience store down the block as well. It used to be a 7-Eleven. Rabbi David's Notes These congregants are so annoying. I understand I'm a Gadol, but everybody comes to me with the most annoying questions. Can any of these people make decisions themselves? I have to answer that question too now. Why do I always have to compete with the Chabad rabbi? I do believe our shul should get a new Chanukiah. The tin Menorah is pathetic. Especially when the Chabad rabbi is lighting from a scaffolding six stories up. You will never see me driving around with a Chanukiah on my car, as that is a fire hazard. Tags:
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How every shul Chanukah party should look. All generation lighting together, including toddlers. (jewishboston.com)
This interview took place three days before the Chanukah party at the shul.
That's a very nice chair? It's the committee chair. You are the head of the committee? The chair. Why is it called a chair? Because the person heading the committee sits in a chair. They don't sit on a stool. Then they would call it a stool? You see. Nobody respects people sitting on a stool. They need a chair. That's why I'm the chair. That's a very nice chair. Why thank you. Bed Bath and Beyond. They sell that at Bed Bath and Beyond? At their online store. Black Friday deal. Very good deals on Black Friday. It was six percent off the suggested retail place. Should this be a chair, being that it's only for an event? You want to treat the event with Kavod. Respect. How did they chose the person to run the event? The chair? Yes. I said yes. I said I will do it, and they said, 'You're the one.' So. Nobody else wanted to help? Nope. Nobody else. They don't respect Chanukah. I respect Chanukah. So, you chaired this all alone? All alone. Thank Gd. It worked out so much better this way. It was my ideas and my ideas went through the committee. Unlike the Purim party last year, where we argued over whether we should serve Hamentashen or chocolate Danish. That was an argument? Four meetings. We sat in there for four meetings. There was a big split in the committee. The argument was that people eat Danish all year. The counter argument was people eat Danish all year. We ended up with a split in the committee. We had to have two different chairs. Everybody likes chocolate Danish. Exactly. What ended up happening at the Purim party? After much argument, they served latkes. No Danish? For Shalom in the shul, people ate the Danish and Hamentashen in their cars. People were running to and from the parking lot the whole Purim party. Especially the drinkers. They had their trunks open, eating Hamentashen. Tailgating Purim? They started tailgating everything. It's been a year since we had another committee meeting in the shul. Instead of meetings, people started hanging out outside of shul, drinking and having BBQs. How did you plan the Chanukah party? Food. A lot of food. Anything else? Activities and chocolate coins. The kids love the chocolate coins. That's an activity. Trying to open them. It can be very challenging to get that first little piece of foil folded over just right to have a clean chocolate approach. You do that wrong, you have to spend the rest of Chanukah cleaning your nails. Some parents complained about the danger. They're fools. If you raise a kid that thinks that eating tinfoil is safe, the kid's an idiot. And if they think it's money... These parents have to teach their children about currency. And that was a fifth grader who ate the tinfoil last year. I thought it was a toddler who put the chocolate foil in their mouth. It was too small. That too. We're going to have chocolate coins again this year. I'm going to make sure it happens. Did you get any pushback? There's no one else on the committee. Are there going to be gifts? Of course. What gifts? Anything from the Dollar Tree. All Chanukah gifts should be from the Dollar Tree. Any other gifts? No. Why not? A committee decision. Conclusion The committee chair also shared the other activities that will be happening. She insisted on the importance of Dreidel games, as this is the time of year our Jewish Kinder learn how to place bets correctly. She was also mad that the Purim committee didn't let the children drink last year. To quote, 'How else will they learn?' She made sure everybody had a good time. She started off the party with a speech about how everybody should respect Chanukah and the Dreidel game. She said that the Greeks would've cheated. She was a tough woman. I think she would've overpowered anybody on the committee. She was very stern about her ideas of what truly makes a Chanukah gift. She was adamant about the Dollar Tree. Most of the gifts at the Chanukah party were Silly Putty, miniature action figures and dish sponges. Some of the kids at the Chanukah party were not very happy with the laundry detergent pods. They got a 'Shin' on the Dreidel game. It was their fault. The angry kid remarked, 'You get more than two pods at Costco. That's where my mom shops.' Some of the toddlers were eating the miniature action figures. She told the parents to teach their kids that tiny dolls are not food. She was sitting in an extremely elaborate chair the whole interview. It was an Eliyahu Bris style looking chair. Very detailed woodwork. I I believe she used much of the budget for that chair. She felt that chairing the committee was the most important part of the event. There was no Menorah lighting at the event. The budget couldn't cover the Menorah. Tags:
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Gifts to Not Give on Chanukah12/14/2022 
At least those weren't crocheted socks (photo: inc.com)
There is such a thing as bad thoughts. I know this, because I have received many Chanukah gifts over the years.
You want an article about what gifts to get, look on Amazon and check out what you missed on Black Friday. I never got a drone camera. Here is a list of Chanukah gifts you should not get for people. These are really bad gifts that ended up in my room. And one thing all of these gifts have in common is that when I got them every gift was followed with, ‘It's the thought that counts.’ Every time I heard that, I knew it was a mistake. There is such a thing as a bad thought. A Calendar From Last Year Certain gifts are time sensitive. There's an end of year sale on calendars and I respect that. My aunt is very good at finding deals. Around December time, the previous year’s calendars go on sale. Last year I got a calendar from 2021. I can use it in 2035, if it's a leap year. Otherwise, I have to wait till 2056. It would have also been nice if my aunt did not mark it up with all of her appointments. A Racket with a Ball Attached My mom should've just given me a card that said 'you don't have any friends to play with.' That racket and ball kept me frustrated for all 8 days. I spent all of Chanukah trying to figure out why I can't hit a ball that's attached. The Rubik’s Cube also got me on edge for a while. Want to make my holiday a nightmare? Give me a game that takes any amount of skill or knowledge. I have been looking at the Sudoku book for a good four years now. Four years of numbers I can’t figure out and failure. Drawings I love my nephews and nieces, but his drawings are bad. I said it and I care. I am a good uncle. I did not put the picture up on the fridge. I don’t want to have to show that to my nephew and tell him, ‘Do not become an artist. You have no talent.’ It looks like a dinosaur tree, with no detail; just a green marker circle. My sister already stopped him from eating popsicles when she realized he would never make a decent architect. The kid could've worked, saved up, and given me something meaningful from the Dollar Tree. Such as a real Chanukah card. Children should not get credit for everything they do. I am still trying to figure out if my niece deserved to graduate kindergarten. She couldn’t read the diploma. I don’t even think she could trace it, inside the lines. Trivet It might have been an ashtray. Every pottery piece I ever got looked like an ashtray. Pottery class should not be something they allow in elementary schools. It seems to condone smoking. Paper-mache should be banned altogether. I cannot tell you how many gifts I have received over the years that look like balloons. Socks that My Aunt Stitched together I like when my socks stay up. Maybe David didn’t purchase the socks that have no elastic band on the top, because he likes it when his socks don’t constantly fall. Everything stitched falls. Crocheted sweaters with no neck are also not good gifts. Anything crocheted is not a good idea. Marshall’s has a hard-enough time getting my waist size right. Chocolate Coins Also known as Chanukah gelt (money in Yiddish), this is not real money. They are chocolate with tin foil on top. You got me the first time you gave me these chocolate coins. You aren’t going to make a fool of me again. I will not be mocked by people at 7-Eleven who do not accept chocolate as currency. Instead of spending $50 on two dollars worth of chocolate, give me $48 and a couple of Hershey’s bars. Please don’t be angry if you receive a racket with a ball attached to it, a calendar from 2011, my nephew’s paper-mache Chanukah card drawing, socks that don’t fit me, or silver foil in the shape of a coin. I need to make space in my room for the pants and crocheted sweaters I am going to receive this holiday. Come to think of it, I think she got that calendar for free. The calendar had Chabad written all over it. And there was an envelope marked with an address for a donation. Tags:
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The weekly news report that comes out once every half a year.
ISRAEL
•Tel Aviv drops from first to third on most expensive city to live in. One more thing Israel is losing at. In order to aid in Tel Aviv reclaiming their spot as the most expensive city to live in, the city is making it impossible to park in without getting a ticket. And shawarma is up to 83nis a pita. Our Israel consultant, Tzachi, is now visiting the US to get a shawarma and falafel meal he can afford. •Bollywood will be coming to Israel to shoot the film Heroes of Haifa, focusing on a WWI battle against the Ottoman army, won by India with a dance troupe. ART & ENTERTAINMENT •A Jewish adaptation of A Christmas Carol is now to hit the stage, as the Hallmark network has not worked in enough Chanukah themed Christmas parties. 'A Hanukkah Carol, or GELT TRIP! The Musical' (JTA). Rachel (our senior writer) is very excited, as this should make it easier to help our kids integrate into Christian society. To quote Mark, 'There is not enough Christmas stuff out there. We need Chanukah to be more like Christmas. I hope this helps.' The creators hope that Christmas brings them a lot of money this Chanukah. •The Gett, a new play about Jewish divorce is out in the theaters. The director is hoping it can influence a higher level of divorce. Rabbi Matt Green, who is behind the production, has been trying to grow programming for 'cultural Jews' (JTA). As divorce is the number one practiced and beloved mitzvah in the Jewish community, Rabbi Matt feels it is important that all Jews first connect to Yiddishkeit through a Gett. •The new show on Netflix Mo claims Israelis kicked their family out of their home in Israel, though their family doesn't recognize that Israelis exist. JEWISH •Fordham University has decades worth of Jewish artifacts from the Bronx. 'A Catholic university may be the unlikeliest place for what may be the largest depository dedicated to the Jewish history of the Bronx' (NY Jewish Week). We did not know the Vatican had access to the Bronx when the Second Temple was destroyed. •Channukah themed pop-up bar is making its way to NY, from Boston, with drinks like the Latke Sour (JTA). How you fry a drink is still a question our staff has. We will have to go to check out how you serve a drink in a dreidel without spilling it. Mark has made it very clear that he can't wait to taste the Flamining Chanukiah and the Maccabee on the Beach. •The price of oil in tiny cup holders has gone up eight-hundred percent to $145 a pack of forty-four. Market speculators are saying the price is expected to go down to $9.99 on December twenty-seventh. They are still trying to figure out the reason for the price hike. ISRAEL POLITICS •Caroline Glick reports 'Arab Israelis are building an army.' Effie Eitam says, 'This is my old soldier ear which can hear... it is not just shooting at weddings' (JNS). It goes beyond the Arab Israeli tradition of shooting your new mother-in-law. Though many people are still trying to find ways to shoot their in-laws, many Israelis feel it is wrong to bring M16s to weddings. The Arab Israelis call this racism. •Iranian cyberattacks on Israel are up 70% (JNS). The US is going to attack the nuclear factory creating these cyber weapons. ISRAEL INNOVATION •Israel puts out the first frozen dessert machine to market. 'It’s Like A Nespresso Machine… But For Ice Cream!' (Janglo). Many people are made and have complained that the ice cream machine puts out the worst espresso they ever had. And you thought Shkeidei Marak, soup-nuts, was the height of Israeli creation. No, it is not. We've moved way past Ben Gurion's rice (it's shameful Ben Gurion didn't know the difference between pasta and rice). Now the people of the great country that brought you SodaStream are finding a way to make homemade ice cream more expensive. Like any local Israeli who has ever used a SodaStream, they will soon create a way to make the ice cream without having to purchase the capsules. ANTISEMITISM Antisemitism still exists. Kanye West is still around. •Our weekly Kanye quote (we tried creating jokes, but nothing is as ludicrous as what he said in his interview with Alex Jones): 'Obama was not the first black president. He was another Jewish president.' Kanye is sending a strong message to Kyrie Irving that Kyrie cannot compete with his anti-Semitic creativity. 'I'm much more anti-Semitically creative. Kyrie. Just wait till you hear what I say about Hitler and the Nazis. Catch this. "Evil should not be associated with Nazis. That's not fair to them."' Kanye then went on to blame the Jews for the price of gas, Pearl Harbor and his glasses that he lost the other morning. SPORTS •No greater place to show you hate Jews than sports. Australian-Jewish teenager Harry Sheezel gets picked third in the Australian Football League, causing antisemitism. As Australian Football fans said, 'It's because of the Jews that a Jew was picked.' •Israeli UFC fighter, Natan Levy, tells Kanye West (Ye) to come and see him. '...I will fight for my people in the octagon...' (JTA). We want to thank Natan for expressing the strength of our people. Natan will fight anybody who promotes antisemitism or racism in the octagon, as long as they way in at 155lbs or under. Tags:
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Iran’s IRGC is now the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpse. You get it? Was a Corps. Now it’s a Corpse. We added the “e.” Bringing you a feel-good pun. 
Guy slips at work. Since Sakanat Nifashot is very important, they put up a stick figure, mocking his fall. Would be funnier with a hard hat flying off too. I think he whacked his head on the metal stairs. Boy. That would’ve been funny if the stick figure smashed their head like Mike Tinsker.
Click on the picture for tickets to share laughs with David Kilimnick in Jerusalem on Thursday, February 12th
Everybody must fight in a Milchemet Mitzvah. (Rambam Hilchot Melachim 5:2) A war to protect Israel from enemies “you force the nation to go out.” Rambam left out the part, “Unless if you’re Charedi.” I said it.
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The Kibbitzer, where we take Jewish comedy seriously!!! If you are offended, it's satire written by David Kilimnick and poorly edited by David Kilimnick.
So, blame his pseudonyms.
A friend of the Off The Wall Comedy Theater, JHF and The Kibbitzer are here to bring unity and Jewish connection for you, in honor of Rabbi Kilimnick ZT"L.
The Kibbitzer is Funded by the JHF (The Jewish Humor Foundation) and you.
Contact us to share ideas, make a donation and to sponsor Harbatzas Tzchok, the spreading of tradition through laughter, with articles or series in honor and memory of your loved ones.
The Kibbitzer, where we take Jewish comedy seriously!!! If you are offended, it's satire written by David Kilimnick and poorly edited by David Kilimnick.
So, blame his pseudonyms.
A friend of the Off The Wall Comedy Theater, JHF and The Kibbitzer are here to bring unity and Jewish connection for you, in honor of Rabbi Kilimnick ZT"L.
The Kibbitzer is Funded by the JHF (The Jewish Humor Foundation) and you.
Contact us to share ideas, make a donation and to sponsor Harbatzas Tzchok, the spreading of tradition through laughter, with articles or series in honor and memory of your loved ones.
1/26/2026
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