One of the most powerful moments of this past week came quietly, between notes.
At our 19 Kislev musical farbrengen, members of the Houston Symphony, Sergei Galperin on violin and Sasha Potiomkin on clarinet, filled the room with stirring niggunim on the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. Midway through the evening, Sergei shared that playing at a Chassidic gathering carried deep personal meaning for him. He is a great nephew of the legendary chossid and askan Reb Mordechai Dubin (📹 Watch).
Reb Mordechai Dubin was a towering Jewish leader in inter war Latvia, a statesman and communal powerbroker who used his access and influence to help Jews wherever they were in need. He was instrumental in the Frierdiker Rebbe’s liberation and was known for commanding respect without demanding it, always acting with courage, dignity, and responsibility. Yet his own story ended in tragedy. His family was destroyed by the Nazis, and years later he himself died destitute and alone in Soviet captivity, a victim of the same Communist regime he spent his life resisting.
That tension between greatness and struggle is a recurring Jewish story. It is the kind of story that defines both this week’s Parsha and the festival of Chanukah. Vayeshev means settled, yet nothing about the story that follows is settled at all. Chanukah teaches the same truth. Light most often emerges in moments of darkness, transition, and upheaval, when one flame refuses to be extinguished.
We saw that light again as Chanukah reached the airwaves. FOX 26 welcomed us once again for two joyful segments with Melissa Wilson, sharing the tastes and traditions of the holiday, classic latkes, donuts, chocolate gelt, and our family’s Texas size giant Chanukah latke (📹 Watch). We returned in full spirit as the Dancing Dreidel, spinning, teaching how to play dreidel (📹 Watch), and sharing the meaning behind the symbols and joy of Chanukah.
As we move deeper into Chanukah, we look forward to celebrating that light together with you at any and all of our six Chanukah events with Chabad of Uptown, and especially the jaw dropping BMX bike show this Sunday. Full details are at www.chabaduptown.org/light
Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Chaim and Chanie
THE COHEN CORNER
What we choose to reveal shapes the world. What we choose to guard shapes the soul.
What once remained hidden now lives on servers and screens, easily discovered and instantly shared. The Torah presents a parallel theme in the birth of Peretz and Zerach. One hand emerges, marked with a crimson thread, then withdraws as the second child bursts forth. Peretz becomes the ancestor of King David and Moshiach, who is described as the one who breaks through boundaries. The breakdown of familiar norms in the era before Moshiach is not only collapse but also momentum. It is the world straining toward greater truth, openness, and the revelation of G-dly knowledge.
This idea offers a practical message for everyday life. For some, breaking through may mean moving past the comfort of solitude and cultivating real friendships by hosting a simple Shabbos meal. For others, it may mean breaking through the nonstop noise of modern life by protecting small pockets of presence with their children, where attention is given freely and phones stay out of reach. It may mean breaking through resignation by reaching out to younger relatives and sharing life wisdom with purpose. Every person, at every stage, has at least one boundary they can push through. When we take even a small step past our usual limits in mitzvos, kindness, study or reconciliation, we mirror the breakthrough of Peretz himself and open a pathway for G-d to remove the final barriers of exile and reveal a world filled with clarity and redemption.
Have a magnificent Shabbos!
Rabbi Yosef, Chanale, Mushka & Mendel Cohen
UPCOMING CLASSES:
- Shabbos, Dec. 13, 9:30 am - Likkutei Torah - Kabbala of the Parsha - Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's Masterworks on the weekly Parsha.
- 9 Sundays, Dec. 8-Feb. 1, 11 am - Hebrew Scouts: Level Up Your Hebrew! Dive into an exciting 12-week adventure with Chabad of Uptown and YJP Houston! Strengthen your Hebrew reading, explore roots and word patterns, and boost your skills in a fun, friendly setting with Rabbi Yosef Cohen and team. www.chabaduptown.org/hebrew
- Wed., Dec. 17, 8 pm - Chanukah YJP Dinner, Class & Social - Chanukah Edition of the weekly dinner, class & social
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Dec. 14-22 - Celebrate Chanukah! - Check out the full calendar of our six Chanukah events and celebrate all eight nights in Uptown style! www.chabaduptown.org/light
- Sun. Dec. 14, 4 pm - BMX Chanukah and Annual Post Oak Menorah Lighting in cooperation with the Uptown Houston District. Giant menorah lighting, BMX Bike Show, Car Menorah Parade Drive-By, Fresh Donuts, Latkes, Gelt and Drinks, Festive Music. RSVP required, free admission. www.chabaduptown.org/bmx
- Mon., Dec. 15, 6 pm - Lone Star Menorah at Galleria Mallchabadoutreach.org/5307897
- Tues., Dec. 16, 10:30 am - Chanukah Mommy & Me - Join a nurturing and engaging Chanukah program designed for mothers and babies (newborn to 2 years) to learn, play, and connect in a warm Jewish environment. www.chabaduptown.org/mommy
- Thurs. Dec. 18, 4:30-6:00 pm - Heights Chanukah Celebration! Join us for a lively Chanukah gathering featuring a festive Menorah Lighting, music, and delicious treats. A warm, joyful celebration that adults will enjoy and kids will love... come share the light together! RSVP at www.chabaduptown.org/heights
- Fri. Dec. 19, 5 pm - Chanukah Shabbat Dinner - Uptown style, where spirits run high! Candle lighting at 5:08 pm, Shabbat services 6 pm followed by dinner. RSVP: www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
- Sat. Night, Dec. 20, 9:00 pm - YJP Houston & Moishe Pod Chanukah Donut Factory Party - Fry & decorate your own donut, latke grazing board, hot chocolate bar, the Dreidel wheel, themed drinks and music, and sufganiyot. www.yjphouston.org/fry
- Mon.-Wed., Dec. 22-31 - CYP Israel Encounter Volunteer Trip - Meaningful, memorable and amazing volunteering trip to Israel this summer, eligible ages 18-50 — and the price is insane - as low at $599! www.yjphouston.org/israeltrip
- Thurs.-Sun., Jan. 16-18 - CYP Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton - Join us as we head to NYC for the Encounter Crown Heights Shabbaton set to take place over MLK Weekend! A weekend like no other, a chance to connect with hundreds of Jewish young professionals from around the world and experience an unforgettable weekend in Crown Heights. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity! www.yjphouston.org/nyc
Mazel tov to Yair and Marielle Levy on the birth of a baby boy, and to the grandparents Drs. Jose and Viviane Cohen!
SHABBOS MEVARCHIM TEVES PARSHAS VAYISHLACH
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, KISLEV 22
5:06 pm Shabbos Candle Lighting & Mincha
6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
SHABBOS, DECEMBER 13, KISLEV 23
8:00 am Shabbos Mevarchim Tehillim
9:30 am Chassidus
10:00 am Services
Followed by Shabbos Kiddush sponsored in David, Dvora Leah Cohen & Kids in honor of Marielle & Yair's son, the Levy Family marking the Yartzeit of Regina bas Ruchama, a"h & the Lishansky Family marking the first yartzeit of Yuri ben Solomon, a"h
5:00 pm Mincha
Torah Study
6:03 pm Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends
Living Torah
EREV CHANUKAH, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, KISLEV 24
8:00 am Shacharis
4:00 pm BMX Chanukah www.chabaduptown.org/bmx
5:24 pm Earliest time to Light Menorah, to burn until at least 6:21 pm
CHANUKAH MONDAY-FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15-19, KISLEV 25-29
6:45 am Shacharis
Chanukah Hallel & Torah Reading
5:26 pm Earliest time to Light Menorah, to burn until at least 6:23 pm