“Ultimate power corrupts ultimately” was one of our favorite quotes when I was studying philosophy in college.  We used to be able to trace that back to just about everything.  After all, if a given action, item, or person doesn’t possess the potential to corrupt, it at least can potentially lead to power – which in turn leads to corruption.  Therefore, just about everything in the world leads to corruption if you argue it hard enough, something that gave us philosophy students endless hours of amusement.

Of course, this isn’t true in every situation, but the temptations placed before us by power are so strong that it often comes to be the case.  As we watch the presidential race unfold in the United States, we all hold our breaths as one skeleton after another are pulled from candidates’ closets.  Whether it was President Clinton who was having affairs or President Bush who was profiting from close ties with oil companies and countries, it seems that few politicians with any power at all can escape the grasp of corruption.

But neither power nor corruption address the root cause of this behavior.  Even saying that drives like lust (Clinton) or greed (Bush) are the sources falls disappointingly short.  We see these kinds of behaviors even in small-time executives and even in people at the lowest strata of society.  So power can’t be the source, nor can we necessarily pin it on corruption, when so many of these bad deeds are one-off behaviors.  Yet, they all stem from the exact same source: ego.

It is true that power and wealth are things that feed ego, but they aren’t necessary.  Ego is quite capable of feeding on small things, even imagined things.  And ego cloaks itself in so many other vices.  Lust is the ego’s drive for physical satisfaction – because the recipient deserves it – or so their ego tells them.  Greed is the ego’s drive for more money and prestige – again because the recipient deserves it – or so their ego tells them.  It all comes down to ego.

In this week’s parsha, we see Yosef (Joseph) acting as the viceroy of Egypt.  After the Pharaoh himself, Yosef is the most powerful man in the nation.  He could take any vengeance he wants on his brothers, yet he doesn’t.  He perhaps does not trust them fully, but he is not unfair with them.  His actions all have a noble purpose – to get them to do teshuva and to ascertain for himself whether he can trust them.  But he doesn’t abuse them or take advantage of them along the way.  He doesn’t even keep their money, but each time places it back in their bags.  He seems incorruptible.

It’s easy to say that Yosef was a tzaddik (righteous person) and therefore he was able to behave well even in a situation of power, while a normal President of the United States couldn’t possibly be held to such a level.  Yet, Yosef was able to behave better in a situation of power than most of us are able to behave even in our positions of practically no power at all.  Add to this the teaching that a tzaddik‘s yetzer hara (evil inclination) grows in proportion to his goodness and you don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to justifying bad behavior.  But just because we can’t justify our bad behavior doesn’t explain how we can avoid giving in to the powerful forces of our own egos.

We see one very simple answer in the opposite of ego: humility.   Yosef was able to remain humble even when faced with ultimate power over the brothers who treated him so roughly.  In fact, he is so humble that when he finally admits who he really is, he falls upon them, crying and hugging them.  And when he goes to meet his father, he hitches up his chariot himself, without letting the servants do a thing.  He was not above any of that, in spite of his high position.

Humility is the antidote to ego.  Yet, humility does not mean having a lack of self-esteem.  We must not confuse ego with self-esteem.  We can feel good about ourselves without feeding our egos.  Leaders like Yosef and Moshe (Moses) teach us this.

In this coming week, let us all try to maintain humility in all situations, and not to let our egos take hold.  If we can do this, we can resist any type of corruption, no matter how much power we might have.

Shabbat shalom!

Celebrating the Eighth Night and Day of Chanukah in Sydney, Australia!

Tonight/Today is the eighth and last day of Chanukah for this year.  It’s my favorite because I love seeing the menorah all lit at full splendor, but it’s my least favorite because it signals the end of one of my favorite holidays.  Good thing I believe in eating donuts all year round… and I believe that potato kugel should just be one really giant latke.

Last night, I celebrated the end of Chanukah by going to a really big Chanukah party that was held in Double Bay, a neighborhood of Sydney.  I went with a friend of mine and her daughter.  The party was mostly geared toward children and offered lots of diversions for them, including a petting zoo, games, rides, a magician, and even pony rides.  Still, it was fun to walk around, say hi to everyone, and celebrate Chanukah!

After that party, I went to a party at a friend’s house.  She had over many guests and (of course) fed them lots of latkes!  I had a nice time meeting people, some of whom were not Jewish or did not know much about the holiday.  It was fun getting to explain to them the history of Chanukah traditions, such as giving gelt and playing dreidel.   I also got to explain about the different laws and traditions surrounding menorahs.  There are some laws that apply to all menorahs (such as that the candles should be all at the same height and in a straight line, except for the shamash), but other differences (such as whether to light with oil, candles, or a combination) are only traditions.  After lighting the menorah, everyone sat around and sang songs.  One man played a guitar while another played a drum.  It was really fun!  This is the kind of celebration with family and friends that Chanukah is really about.

In honor of the eight day of Chanukah, I have composed a parody song that I hope you will all enjoy.  I will spare you having to listen to me sing it

On the eighth day of Chanukah,
my true love gave to me
Eight dreidels spinning,
Seven children laughing,
Six chocolate gelt,
Five golden latkes,
Four sufganiyot,
Three magen davids,
Two Jewish mothers,
And a menorah with some candles.

You may also enjoy this YouTube video of some of last night’s festive singing.  Please be aware that you may hear some female voices singing in the background:

Tonight/Today (depending on what part of the world you’re in) is the 7th night/day of Chanukah.  The next-to-last.  The eighth night is always my favorite, watching all the candles lit up, but it’s also my least favorite because it means Chanukah is almost over and we have to wait another entire year to celebrate it again.

At this time last Chanukah, Rabbi Ben and I were in Pune, India.  It’s hard to believe it was a whole year ago because to us it feels as if it was only yesterday.  Now that we’re celebrating Chanukah in Australia, the contrast between this year and last year is dramatic.

Celebrating Chanukah in Pune felt more like a family affair because, largely, it was.  All Chanukah events were hosted by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Kupchik at their Chabad House there.  Although there is a large local synagogue in Pune (it’s made of red brick and actually looks like a cathedral), the local Jewish population traditionally never celebrated Chanukah (or Purim for that matter) because they settled in India before these events occurred.  Therefore, there was no local Jewish Chanukah celebration, although a few Indian Jews did join us at the Chabad House to celebrate.

Every night of Chanukah, there was some sort of celebration at the Chabad house, although Rabbi Ben and I only arrived in time to celebrate the last few days there (the other days we celebrated in Jordan and in Bombay).  Still, every night the Kupchiks arranged a little party of sorts, starting with lighting the giant menorah out in front of the Chabad House.  It was a fun atmosphere because the crowd was small and very involved – even the Kupchiks’ two goats! You see, any dairy that the Kupchiks get has to be hand-milked (weekly) by one of them from a local cow.  By getting their own goats, they will have to rely less on that source, and will be able to make goat cheeses and other dairy products from milking their very own goats.  Anyway, even the goats joined in the Chanukah celebration and menorah candle-lighting!

The public candle-lighting was followed by lots of singing, of which I have some videos that perhaps I will post later or tomorrow.  Rabbi Kupchik knew Rabbi Ben from a previous visit and encouraged him to lead some of the singing.  On the seventh night, Rabbi Ben even lit the giant menorah!

After the singing, we all sat down together and had a nice meal.  Every night it was something different, but it was usually Israeli-style.  The Kupchiks make their own pita bread fresh daily.  They also make Israeli salad and hummus from scratch.  In fact, almost everything they make is from scratch because there is no way for them to just go to the shops and buy kosher pre-packaged food.  Everything tastes better and fresher, and I’m sure it’s also much healthier!  So every night we had a delicious festive meal to celebrate the holiday with the other Jews in Pune, some who were travelers like ourselves, some there on business, some expats living there for work, and even some Indian Jews as well.  It was a great mix and a great way to celebrate the victory of Jewish observance over the forces of assimilation!

It has been a tradition of mine every year to host a Chanukah party.  Chanukah has always been one of my favorite holidays and it was the only Jewish holiday I remember celebrating faithfully every single year as I was growing up.  The warmth of those glowing lights has stuck with me ever since.

When I moved to Miami, I decided I wanted to host a Chanukah party, but I didn’t want it to be just like every other person or organization’s Chanukah party.  I wanted something informal and fun to celebrate the holiday.  So I decided to do a cookie swap.  In a cookie swap, every person bakes a different type of cookie and brings it. Then everyone swaps, so that while you may have shown up with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, you’re leaving with a plate piled high with a wide variety of cookies! Yum!

The first two years I held my cookie swap, 2008 and 2009, I held it in Miami.  Last year, I wasn’t able to hold one because we were traveling in Jordan and India during Chanukah.  This year, although I haven’t been in Australia long, I decided to hold it here in Sydney.

The party was a stunning success! So many people showed up with cookies, sufganiyot, and even latkes!  Everyone mingled and chatted about different things, their lives, growth in Judaism, and the miracle of Chanukah.  When some close friends showed up with their week-old baby, we celebrated the miracle of life as we celebrated the miracle of the oil.  I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all had a fantastic time!

It was even more special because it was held on the holiday of X-mas.  We were able to celebrate our ability to be Jews and none of us felt even remotely that we were missing out on anything!  If you have kids clamoring to celebrate X-mas because their friends do, maybe you should consider having a fun Chanukah party instead!

Happy Chanukah, everyone!

Took this picture a few years ago in Jerusalem outside a clothing chop. I believe it was once a Santa Claus statue figure that has been trasformed, and thus I will call it the Jewish Santa Claus. Though in truth we should try not to use the word 'Santa' as it is the same as 'Saint' which when saying the name gives energy to its source..

Do Jewish People Celebrate Christmas and What do Jews do on Christmas

Christmas eve, known as ‘nittel-nacht’ amongst Yiddish-speaking Jews, was never a time for celebration. Jesus, Christianity, and everything it stood fore brought heaps of problems and suffering for the Jewish people.  It was not uncommon for a bunch of drunken gentiles on Christmas Eve to go out on a rampage attacking Jews. For this matter, Jewish people throughout history stayed at home on Christmas eve and kept a low profile.

Today we may not fear a pogrom erupting while the goyim are at home hanging stockings over the fireplace and waiting for a Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus to come down the chimney.  Most gentiles have disassociated Christmas from anything religious, though there are still many who make their annual visit to church for a midnight mass.

I guess if I owned one of the companies that sold millions of dollars’ worth of Chinese-made Christmas decorations I’d see how much money I made for the season and throw a big party for all my Jewish friends. But this is not the case.

So what does a Jew do on Christmas Eve? When I was in Yeshivah we did not study any Torah. This has been the custom amongst many Jews for centuries. Because when Torah is studied positive energy comes to the world and feeds everything. But we don’t want even one drop of energy to go to the spiritual make-up of Christmas and thus no Torah is studied.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe and his father in-law Rabbi Yossef Yitzchok Scnersonn would have a game of chess, and this is the custom I grew up with. On ‘nittel-nacht’ my father and I, along with my brothers, would play chess.

Not studying Torah is not an excuse to waste time. If you are someone who normally studies lots of Torah, perhaps use Christmas Eve to clean out the garage, do some pushups, or visit someone who you’d make happy.