MoTAS Weekly for 12/20/17: Jewish Xmas Chinese Dinner – Sign Up Now

In This Issue:

1. 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.

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2. 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.

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3. 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 B’Shevat 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.

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4. SUPERBOWL SQUARES NOW ON SALE

The regular football season is nearly over, and now is the time to buy a Superbowl Square. The cost is only $25 per square, and you can help Temple Ahavat Shalom while potentially rewarding yourself. The deadline is rapidly approaching — sales close on Tuesday, January 30 — and the board is filling up. The price has been raised slightly to account for eliminating some biased squares, but the payout has also been raised: $230 for each quarter, and $460 for the final score. A full board of 91 squares pays out $1150 to players, and $1125 to MoTAS. You can find the rules of the game, register and pay online, or find a form that you can print and mail in, at http://squares.tasnorthridge-motas.org/.

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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!

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