A Welcome From Our Clergy

The Message of Hanukkah
with Rabbi Steve Cohen

Lighting the Hanukkah Candles
with Cantor Mark Childs

All About the Dreidl with Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Felicia Palmer, and baby Liana

Bringing Light One Mitzvah at a Time

Click on the dates below for activities and ideas!

Mitzvah

“…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” — Leviticus 19:18

Activities — Be Neighborly!

  • Introduce yourself to your neighbors in these socially-distanced ways:
    • Write cards & drop them off in mailboxes
    • Bake and deliver cookies. (Don’t forget to individually wrap cookies if you’re delivering to more than one neighbor, and don’t forget to mask!)
  • Do you have a relationship with your neighbors already? Do something special for them!
    • Write a chalk message on their porch/sidewalk
    • Send them a “I’m thinking of you” card
    • Bake cookies
    • Offer to cut their lawn or glean their trees
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Looking for Something Different to Do?

Support a neighborly organization that takes care of Santa Barbara residents – The Bucket Brigade

Mitzvah

 “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” — Exodus 20:8
“Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” — Deuteronomy 5:12

Activities – Observing Shabbat 

Once you read over this list, please CLICK HERE to fill in this form so we can gather the necessary supplies! 

  • Pass the Challah!
    • Bake your own challah — check out this video from one of our Netivot students, Charlotte Wittman
    • Support Ari Schneider, a CBB member and (incredible!) local baker. Pre-order your challah and pick it up at CBB on Friday, December 11, along with gift candles.  (You can do an extra mitzvah and order one to be donated). Click here before Dec 4 to place your order.
    • Want to help a congregant in need of TLC? Why not bake and deliver a challah. Click here to volunteer and we’ll match you!
    • Make your own challah cover. Be sure to fill in the form above so we can gather materials for you!
  • Light Shabbat candles (in addition to Hanukkah candles)
    • Be the light! We encourage you to perform the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles
  • Celebrate Shabbat
    • 6 PM Join us for Shabbat services + Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah! Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ
    • Make a virtual date with a friend and have Shabbat dinner together
  • Celebrate Hannukah too
    • Buy Hanukkah supplies at the Sisterhood Gift Shop (from your car, and with safety protocols in place)
    • For Families with young children: dreidel, gelt and a surprise on us!

Looking for Something Different to Do?

Support a wonderful organization that helps students celebrate Shabbat — Hillel Santa Barbara.

Mitzvah

 “See my works, how fine and excellent they are! All that I created, I created for you. … do not corrupt or desolate my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you.” — Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13

Activities — Helping the Environment

  • Grow a plant
    • Pick up all the materials to grow a plant from CBB on Friday December 11 or Sunday, December 13. Click here to register
  • Care for your garden
    • Make it a yard/garden day and take care of your plants
  • Enjoy Nature
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Looking for Something Different to Do?

Help restore local habitat and promote environmental education — Channel Island Restoration.

Mitzvah

 “Whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” — Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37a
“Visit the Sick” — Genesis 18:1
“One who visits removes one sixtieth of the patient’s illness.” — Nedarim 39b

Activities – Helping One Another

  • Donate Blood
  • Toy Drive 
  • Help Remember Loved Ones
        • The Dream Foundation works to support terminally ill patients by preserving their memory with scrapbook pages for each. Help create a scrapbook page! Pick up pages and materials at CBB to create a beautiful page to remember those who have passed.
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Looking for Something Different to Do?

This national non-profit organization improves the lives of Jewish women and families living with, or at increased genetic risk for, breast or ovarian cancer — Shasharet.

Mitzvah

“You should honor the face of the elderly” — Leviticus 19:32

Activities — Honoring our Seniors and Veterans

  • Knit Blankets
    • Pick up fabric and instructions, knit blankets, and return them to CBB, where we will deliver it to a local organization caring for seniors and veterans.
  • Spread Joy
    • Make Happy New Year cards for seniors and veterans. Drop by CBB to pick up colorful cardboard and stickers.
  • Click here to sign up for either or both of these projects 
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Looking for Something Different to Do?

Providing support to seniors in Santa Barbara at the Center for Successful Aging. 

Mitzvah

“You open your hand and feed every living creature with your kindness.” — Psalms 145:16
“Praised are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who provides clothing for the naked.” — Morning Prayers (Birkot Hashachar)

Activities — Caring for the Vulnerable

  • Feed the Hungry
    • Register to prepare sandwiches and snacks bags to deliver to the SB Rescue Mission. This project has limited spots & RSVPs a must. We will be under strict safety protocols. Click here to register
  • Coat & Blankets Drive
    • Winter is here and our friends at PATH need our help. Please drop off new or gently used coats and blankets at CBB. You can also order from the Amazon Wishlist (Link coming)
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Looking for Something Different to Do?

CBB has been feeding the houseless for over 15 years. Since the start of the pandemic, we have increased the support we provide. You can help by donating to the Pershing Park Fund at CBB (choose the Social Action Fund option).

Mitzvah

“You shall teach them diligently to your children” — Deuteronomy 6:7

Activities — Educating Our Teens

Looking for something different to do?

Support our teens so they can keep growing in our community. Click here and choose “Temple Youth Group Special Projects”

Mitzvah

“refrain from causing unnecessary suffering to any living creature” — Bava Metzia 32b

Activities — Caring For Animals

  • Bird Feeders and Houses
    • Make a bird feeder and/or a bird house — and let the birds enjoy!
  • Dog Toys
    • Make toys and gift them to friends with dogs, or bring them to CBB, and we’ll deliver them to the Santa Barbara Humane Society.
  • 6 PM Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting (via Zoom) — Join clergy for songs, familiar faces, and candle lighting every night of Hanukkah!
    Click here to join | Meeting ID: 917 2324 3398 | Passcode: uMd9xJ

Click here to pick up materials for either or both projects at CBB.

Looking for Something Different to Do?

Help support this amazing organization caring for abandoned animals — Santa Barbara Humane Society.

Important Information

In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah (מִצְוָה — meaning “commandment”; plural מִצְווֹת‎ mitzvot) refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty.  Another meaning, more familiar to American Jews, refers to a deed performed in order to fulfill such a commandment. Therefore the term mitzvah has also come to express an individual act of human kindness in keeping with the law. The expression includes a sense of heartfelt sentiment beyond mere legal duty.

According to the Talmud (Tractate Makkot 23b), there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah; there are 248 positive mitzvot (do’s) and 365 negative mitzvot (don’ts). The number of 613 mitzvot was first recorded in the 3rd century CE, when Rabbi Simlai included it in a sermon, perhaps to make the point that a person should observe the Torah every day with his whole body. The number 613 is a rabbinical tradition rather than an exact count.

We are celebrating by doing mitzvot — bringing much-needed light to the world. Each day we will focus on one mitzvah – check out the list of days above to see suggestions and opportunities related to the mitzvah of the day.

Things you need to know:

We can help you! Please let us know and we will do our best to collect and/or drop off things at your home. Click here to fill out a form and let us know. 

Share Your Story

We want to hear how you did with Mitzvah Week! How did doing these mitzvot made you feel? Which mitzvah did you do? To participate:

  • Find a quiet spot
  • Place your phone somewhere stable — or better yet, ask someone to hold it for you
  • Place it on selfie mode, and on horizontal orientation
  • Once you click record, silently count to 5 — then share your thoughts — and when you’re done, silently count to 5 again before hitting stop.

Send short videos to info@cbbsb.org. After Mitzvah Week, we’ll edit a video of all the responses to share with our community!