In This Issue:
- DECEMBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SUN DEC 10
- MoTAS DINING OUT – MON DEC 18
- JEWISH XMAS DINNER – MON DEC 25
- HELP NEEDED – POTENTIAL CHANUKAH PARTY – SUN DEC 17
- MOTAS SHABBAT – FRI JAN 5
- TU B’SHEVAT SEDER – SUN JAN 28
- IN CLOSING
1. DECEMBER MEMBERSHIP MEETING – SUN DEC 10
Our next membership meeting will be Sunday, December 10. We’ll be starting, as usual, with our delicious MoTAS breakfast. This will be followed by a short business meeting where we’ll report on what has been happing in the congregation, plan for our upcoming events, and lay the groundwork for our MoTAS Shabbat on January 5. This will also be your first opportunity to purchase Superbowl Squares.
P.S.: Soon we’re going to have improved sound in the sanctuary, courtesy of MoTAS. Learn all about it at this meeting!
We will then adjourn to the sanctuary, where we’ll join the religious school for their Chanukah Play.
2. MoTAS DINING OUT – MON DEC 18
The MoTAS “Dining Does Good” have returned, and this year they support MoTAS 100%! Our December “Dining Does Good” will be Monday, December 18 at Weilers in Northridge (at Nordhoff and Balboa). You can find a flyer for the event at https://wp.tasnorthridge-motas.org/activities/dining/. We really encourage you to come and support these events: we raise a little extra funds for our work, but more importantly, we come together and break bread as a Temple family on a regular basis. It is a real joy to walk into a neighborhood restaurant and see your Temple friends, to sit down and share a table and talk. This is the heart and goal of MoTAS: Building Relationships.
3. JEWISH XMAS DINNER – MON DEC 25
For many Jews, if you ask what they are doing on Christmas day, the answer is the same: They will be seeing a movie, and having Chinese food. Who knows where this tradition got started? Perhaps it is in the Talmud. But who is MoTAS to argue with tradition?
MoTAS is facilitating a TAS Jewish Christmas. MoTAS will be providing a list of recommended afternoon movie showtimes for members to pick their favorite movies and meet other TAS folk (see “Movie Coordination” on the event page on our website). You’ll buy your own tickets and pick the movie, and hopefully meet TAS friends. We will reconvene at Mandarin King restaurant (17092 Devonshire Blvd.; Northridge, CA 91324 — on Devonshire just W of Balboa) at 6pm for a fixed menu dinner.
The cost for the dinner is $23 per person (adult or child); soft drinks are extra. Reservations must be made by Friday, December 22; there are no exceptions and no walk-ups. December 25 is an extremely busy night at the restaurant, and we must pre-reserve our space to avoid the wait. The price is based on the Mandrin King charge plus tax, gratuity, and online processing fees; this is not a fund-raising event.
To register for event, click here or visit our event page, or send email to faigin@cahighways.org. Please provide the names of the movies of interest. If you are not paying on-line, your check must be received by the day of event; we will also be able to take “day-of” payments by credit card. All payments must be received by the time we sit down to dinner on Monday, December 25, 2017.
Note: If you only want to participate in the movie coordination, email your desired movies to faigin@cahighways.org.
The following dinner menu has been arranged with Mandarin King:
- Appetizers: Egg Roll, Paper Wrap Chicken
- Soup: Wor Wonton / Hot and Sour Soup
- Main dishes:
- Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
- Mongolian Beef
- Pineapple Chicken
- Cashew Chicken
- Sauteed Mixed Vegetables with Tofu
- Delightful Trio (Shrimp, Beef, and Chicken with Black Pepper)
- House Special Thick White Rice Noodles (No Soy Sauce)
- Rice, Tea, Fruit, Cookies
For those interested in football, we might also coordinate a football get together after dinner, for those that want, if someone volunteers their house and big screen (the Temple will be closed to allow the maintenance staff to celebrate the holiday with their families). Contact Bob Levine at tasboblevine@gmail.com if you would be interested in this.
P.S.: Speaking of football, the little birdie who is normally on the golf course tells me that Superbowl Squares will go on sale the week after the ACSAC conference, that is, starting at the Sunday, December 10th meeting.
4. HELP NEEDED – POTENTIAL CHANUKAH PARTY – SUN DEC 17
We are currently in the planning stages for a MoTAS Chanuakah Party on Sunday, December 17. We’re currently looking at this as an afternoon/early evening potluck/hangout. In particular, we’re looking for someone to volunteer a house. This is one of the intermediate nights of Chanukah. If you can volunteer a house, or are interested, please let Daniel know at faigin@cahighways.org, and he’ll get the information to the right people.
5. MOTAS SHABBAT – FRI JAN 5
MoTAS Shabbat – Friday, January 5, 2018. Once a year TAS celebrates the contributions of MoTAS at the MoTAS Shabbat. This is a special Shabbat service that is primarily led by the members of MoTAS and open to the entire congregation. If you are a male member of TAS and would like to participate in the service, please contact Bob Levine, at tasboblevine@gmail.com. Please let him know if you want to read Hebrew. You can also RSVP online at https://motascybermaven.eventbee.com/event?eid=101168013; use a middle initial of “H” if you want to read Hebrew. You can also call Daniel at (818) 438-5781 and the message will get to Bob. Participants meet early at 6:30 PM; the service starts at 7:00 PM.
Note: We will be forming a “men’s chorale,” no experience or special talent required, to participate in the musical stuff. Please let Bob know if you would like to participate.
6. TU B’SHEVAT SEDER – SUN JAN 28
Tu’b’Shevat is one of the four Talmudic New Year’s days of the Jewish calendar. The tradition is that the holiday celebrates the birth of the trees, and many customs have developed around the day. One of these arose in the 16th century in the Land of Israel, when Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed and his disciples created a Tu BiShvat seder, somewhat like the Passover seder, that celebrated the Tree of Life.
MoTAS invites the Temple Ahavat Shalom community to join in that tradition as we host a mystical Tu’B’Shevat seder, as practiced by the kabbalists of the holy city of Tzfat, celebrating the gifts that grow on trees, four kinds of wine, and desserts that celebrate tree fruits!
The seder foods for the day consist of Red and White Wine or Juice, Figs, Olives, Dates, Carob, Pomegranates, Challah, and Almonds. Our seder “meal” celebrates the sweetness that comes from trees with fruit pies and fresh fruit (and we won’t forget that chocolate is also a tree product).
Reserve now, and bring your friends. To ensure adequate quantities, reservations are due by Friday, January 26, 2018.
- What: Tu B’Shevat Seder
- Where: TAS Social Hall
- When: Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 2:00 PM
- Cost: $10
- RSVP: By January 26, 2018
Reservations and payments may be made online through Eventbee. Alternatively: Email the names of those attending to treasurer@tasnorthridge-motas.org, and then either leave a check for MoTAS for $10 per person at TAS in the MoTAS Box, or pay at the door. This saves us any Eventbee and credit card processing fees.
For more information, visit the event page on the MoTAS Website.
IN CLOSING
As always, remember that the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom is *your* organization. Keep up to date on our activities at http://www.tasnorthridge-motas.org/ and participate. Sign up for our action alert list at http://tinyurl.com/motas-action-alert. We want to serve all the men of Temple Ahavat Shalom and welcome new participants from the TAS membership. Join our Facebook group and “follow” our website. Come be part of the Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom!
Men of Temple Ahavat Shalom 