Chabad Jewish Center of Chico

09/04/2026

~ There’s Still Somewhere to Go ~

As we come to the end of another year, I find myself thinking: I’m tired.

It’s been a full year, and part of me would be very happy to simply keep doing what I’m already doing. Keep the good things going. Keep showing up. Keep doing what works.

But then I wonder: Is that enough? Or does a new year ask me to actually go somewhere new?

This week’s Torah portion opens with the words Vayeilech Moshe, “Moses went.”

It takes place on the final day of Moses’ life. He is 120 years old and tells the Jewish people, “I can no longer go out and come in.”

You would think that at this point, there was nowhere left for Moses to go. His life was coming to an end.

And still, the Torah begins: Vayeilech. He went.

In fact, Vayeilech becomes the name of the entire portion.

Because there is a difference between continuing and going.

We can continue doing good things year after year and still remain in the same place. To go means to move, to reach somewhere we haven’t been before, to take a step beyond what has become comfortable.

Even on the final day of his life, Moses was still going.

And maybe that is the question for us as we begin a new Jewish year: Where am I going next?

Maybe it’s a new mitzvah, more Torah study, making Shabbat more meaningful, coming to services more often, or giving more tzedakah.

It doesn’t have to be everything. But it should be something that moves us.

If G-d is giving us another year, there is somewhere new for each of us to go.

May we all be blessed with a healthy, happy and sweet new year, a year of growing, moving forward, and becoming more connected to our Judaism.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Mendy

🕯Candlelighting in Chico 7:15 pm ~ for all other locations check chabad.org/candlelighting 🕯

Look up Shabbat and Holiday candle lighting times for anywhere in the world.

08/29/2026

~ More Than Saying Thank You ~

There are times when something in life just isn’t going the way we hoped. Maybe it’s something we’ve been praying for, waiting for, or struggling with for a while. Especially when we’re trying to do the right thing, it can leave us wondering: Hashem, I’m doing my part. Why isn’t this working out for me?

It’s not that we’re ungrateful. We all have so much to be grateful for. In fact, every morning, before we even get out of bed, we say Modeh Ani, “Thank You, Hashem, for returning my soul to me.”

But this week’s Torah portion teaches us that gratitude is more than saying thank you.

After months of hard work, a farmer would take his first and finest fruits to the Holy Temple. He would say, “Hashem, You gave this to me,” and then actually give those fruits to Hashem.

The message is powerful: Hashem isn’t just giving me things so I can live the life I planned. He is giving me a life so I can be part of His plan.

That changes how we face the things that don’t go our way. Of course, we pray for our struggles to disappear and for only revealed blessings. But even while we wait, we can remember that Hashem has given us what we need to fulfill our purpose today.

And we can make that gratitude real: give a coin to charity, take a few minutes to study Torah, or do a mitzvah for someone else.

Just like the farmer, we don’t only thank Hashem for what He gives us. We take what He gives us and use it to make His world better.

Shabbat Shalom!

🕯Candlelighting in Chico 7:26 pm ~ for all other locations check chabad.org/candlelighting 🕯

08/08/2026

~ That's Not Who I Want To Be ~

Have you ever caught yourself saying, "That's not who I want to be?"

Maybe it was after losing your patience, avoiding a difficult conversation, or making a choice that, looking back, wasn't your best.

We've all been there.

So how do we become the person we know we can be?

This week's Torah portion offers a beautiful answer.

The Torah gives two signs of a kosher animal: split hooves and chewing the cud. They're not only signs of what's kosher. They also teach us how to grow.

Think about what happens when we eat.

Food doesn't stay just food. It becomes part of us. The energy it gives us helps us do mitzvos, care for our families, help others, learn Torah, and bring more goodness into the world. Food reaches its purpose by becoming part of something greater than itself.

Maybe our purpose is no different.

We weren't created to stay the same. We were created to become part of Hashem's purpose for the world.

Split hooves remind us that we don't have to move through life in only one direction. The hoof is split in two, reminding us that we aren't trapped by our natural instincts. Sometimes Hashem asks us to do what comes naturally. Sometimes He asks us to do the opposite.

Chewing the cud reminds us to pause before we act. Think again. Make sure you're following Hashem's will, not just your first instinct.

This Shabbos, do one mitzvah that doesn't come naturally. Make that phone call. Learn a little longer. Give a little more tzedakah.

Sometimes one small step beyond our nature is all it takes to become the person Hashem created us to be.

Wishing you a peaceful and uplifting Shabbos.

Rabbi Mendy Zwiebel

🕯Candlelighting in Chico 7:55 pm ~ for all other locations check chabad.org/candlelighting 🕯

08/01/2026

~ Bigger Than It Really Is ~

Have you ever let something take up way more space in your head than it deserved?

A comment someone made. A hard conversation. A problem at work. A worry about the future.

The more we replay it, the bigger it gets, until it starts shaping how we think and what we choose to do.

This week's Torah portion looks back at the Jewish people's journey through the desert on their way to the Land of Israel. The desert was never meant to be home. It was simply the road they had to travel before reaching their destination.

The Torah doesn't simply call it a desert. It calls it "the great and frightening desert."

Maybe the Torah is teaching us that living in a difficult environment isn't the greatest challenge. The real challenge begins when the world around us becomes too great in our eyes, when we give it more importance than it deserves. That's when it becomes frightening. That's when we begin making decisions based on the world's priorities instead of our own.

We can't always choose the world we live in. But we can choose what gets to be "great" in our lives.

So this week, choose one small, concrete action that puts your values front and center. Not just something to think about, but something to do. Light Shabbat candles. Put on tefillin. Learn five minutes of Torah. Drop a few coins into a tzedakah box.

Small as it may seem, it's a powerful statement: This is what gets to be great in my life.

When we make that choice, many of the things that once seemed so overwhelming begin to shrink to their proper size.

May we have the confidence to live proudly as Jews, knowing that nothing is greater than the One who guides us through every journey.

Shabbat Shalom!

🕯Candlelighting in Chico 8:03 pm ~ for all other locations check chabad.org/candlelighting 🕯

07/25/2026

~ What If the End Isn't Really the End? ~

Have you ever gone through something that, at the time, felt like a real disappointment...

Only to look back later and realize it wasn't the end of the story?

In hindsight, what felt like a setback became the beginning of something even better.

That's the message of this Shabbos.

Yesterday was Tisha B'Av, when we mourned the destruction of the Holy Temple. Today is Shabbos Nachamu the Shabbos of Comfort.

But what is the comfort?

It isn't simply that Hashem will restore what was lost. The comfort is that what looked like the end was never the end of the story. Hashem is leading us toward something even greater. The Third Holy Temple won't simply replace the first two it will surpass them.

So how do we begin living with that future today?

In this week's Torah portion, Moshe repeats the Ten Commandments not because anyone forgot them, but because Torah isn't just meant to inform us. It's meant to transform us.

Every time we study Torah, it changes the way we see the world. We become more aware of Hashem's presence, more aware that our lives have purpose, and more ready to bring goodness and kindness into the world.

Redemption isn't only something we're waiting for. Every mitzvah, every act of kindness, and every time we allow Torah to change the way we see the world brings a little more of that future into the present.

May we merit to see that promise fulfilled with the coming of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple, speedily in our days.

Shabbat Shalom!

🕯Candlelighting in Chico 8:10 pm ~ for all other locations check chabad.org/candlelighting 🕯

07/23/2026

Tisha B’Av reminds us to reflect on our past, strengthen our love for one another, and hold onto hope for a brighter future.

May we merit the coming of Moshiach, when mourning will be transformed into joy.

07/14/2026

📣 2 days left!

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05/20/2026

Shavuot is in just a few days! 🌸💐

Join Jews around the world as we celebrate this momentous holiday when we recieved the Torah at Mount Sinai!

~ Friday, May 22nd at 12:00 PM ~

Reading of the Ten Commandments 📖
Delectable Dairy Buffet Lunch & Desserts 🍨

This is a not-to-miss holiday celebration 🍾
Bring your family & friends – everyone’s invited!
Looking forward to celebrating together!

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(Message me to find a warm and welcoming Chabad House so you can celebrate wherever you may be. Or check www.chabad.org/jewish-centers)

05/04/2026

Lots coming up at Chabad this month - we’d love for you to be part of it!
🔥 Lag BaOmer BBQ & Bonfire 🥞 Midnight Breakfast 🎓 Grad Shabbat 🤝 Kitchen of Kindness 🍰 Shavuot Celebration and more!!

~Join us when you can~

04/27/2026

One week to Lag Baomer! Always a fun evening..hope you can join us!!