Shabbat Shalom - Chanukah Samayach - 25 Kislev

Shabbat, First Candle, Sisterhood Family Dinner - Lots happening this evening. We begin, at 6:30 PM, with the annual Sisterhood Family Chanukah Dinner, presumably with the traditional menu of Chanukah Grease: fried chicken, latkes, salad and undoubtedly too many delicious home baked desserts to contemplate.

At 7:30 PM we have our monthly family Erev Shabbat service, conducted by Rabbi Dreyfus with music by Nancy Friedman and the Youth Choir. with blessings of those children with birthdays in the month of December.

Tomorrow Morning’s Shabbat Service, conducted by Rabbi Dreyfus with Carole Fefferman as Cantorial Soloist, will begin at 10:00 AM.
The parasha is Vayeishev , Genesis 37:1 ?40:23, the beginning of the Joseph stories. Jacob takes his huge family to live in Canaan where his father had lived. Joseph i 17 year old, and most beloved by Jacob, because Joseph is the child of Jacob’s old age. Jacob has given Joseph a long colorful coat. Joseph is also a gossip about his brothers. He also interprets dreams which tend to show that he will eventually rule over the brothers. The brothers appreciate none of this and decide to kill him. One of the brothers, Rueven, suggested merely faking the death, and selling Joseph into slavery, instead. They carry out Rueven’s scheme and sell Joseph to a passing trader. Eventually Joseph ends up in Egypt, owned by Potipher, Pharaoh’s Chief Steward,.The brothers soak Joseph’s tunic in blood, and bring it back to Jacob to prove Joseph’s death by wild animal, and Jacob mourn’s his loss.
We interrupt the Joseph story with another “we don’t teach it in Sunday School” story about Judah, his son Er, his son Onan and Er’s wife Tamar. Er did something to displease G-d, who killed him. As Tamar was childless it was, by law, Onan’s duty to impregnate Tamar to carry on Er’s name. Onan “spilled his seed” before having sexual relations with Tamar being the first to practice Onanism, and to be killed by G-d for the practice. It became Judah’s responsibility to give Tamar a child, but he sent Tamar away, instead. Tamar plots to get Judah to do his duty to her (and to the dead Er), unbeknownst to him. (See Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch.)
Back to Joseph, who is having a great time in Potipher’s employ, and is bringing lots of good fortune to Potipher’s household, because G-d is watching. In a scene that may have inspired Desperate Housewives, Potipher’s wife tries to seduce Joseph, but Joseph will have none of it. Enraged by the rejection, Potipher’s wife falsely claims Joseph tried to rape her, and Potipher tosses Joseph into jail, where Joseph quickly makes friends with the chief jailer, and is empowered to run the prison, and Joseph meets Pharaoh’s Chief Baker and Chief Cup Bearer, who are also in jail. The Baker and Cup Bearer have dreams, which Joseph interprets. Per the interpretation, one is executed and the other freed, but the one freed forgets about his buddy Joseph.

The special Chanukah Haftarah is from the prophet Zechariah,