The Haggadah teaches us that the great rabbi Hillel combined the three key symbols of Passover—the paschal sacrifice, the matzah, and the maror (bitter herbs)—into one bite, a “sandwich” if you will, in order to fulfill the commandment, “They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (Numbers 9:11). Since the destruction of the Temple, the practice of...

I am blessed to be a frequent traveler to Israel. When I visited in December, the experience was challenging. That rabbinic mission was mostly what is being called disaster tourism. I can’t unsee the destruction on the kibbutzim and while they are less frequent, I still get nightmares. Back then, many Israelis were still paralyzed and so many men and women had been called up to their military...

As I pack up my apartment in Manhattan and prepare to move to Toronto full-time, I find myself soaking up all of New York City’s greatest attractions. Last week, as part of this last hurrah of exploration, I visited the Invisible Worlds Immersive Experience at the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to being interactive, child-friendly, and beautiful, the exhibit was clear:...

Today, it is 180 days that hostages have been kept in hell by Hamas. Our own Senior Rabbi Steven Wernick will be speaking at the Six Months in Hell rally of solidarity this Sunday. The event will be a rally denoting the six months in which the hostages have been held in Gaza, calling for their release, calling for Hamas to surrender and for all Canadians to stand with Israel. A simultaneous...

אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִםזָכִיתִי לְהַשְׁלִים אֲמִירַת קַדִּישׁ לְעִלּוּי נִשְׁמַת אָבִי-מוֹרִי,מֵאָז עֲלִיָּתוֹ לְגִנְזֵי מְרוֹמִים וְעַד עַתָּה.Our Father in Heaven, I have been privileged to complete the recitation of Kaddish to elevate the soul of my...

Written by Rabbanit Esti RosenbergTranslated by Leah HartmanWith the consent of G-d and with the consent of the congregation, we are permitted to rejoice, Purim is permitted to enter and to be, to enter through the gates, to answer the Beloved Who is knocking. And all the wounded and the captives, the kidnapped and the fallen, the injured and the soldiers, from last Purim until this Purim, they...

This Shabbat we conclude the Book of Exodus. Unlike the ending of Genesis, which marks the transition from the stories of our forefathers and foremothers into the story of the Israelite nation, the Exodus ending does not clearly demarcate the conclusion of a narrative arc. In fact, the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers flow together as a single unit, focussed on the Israelites’...

The menorah is an almond tree with Cretan apples. A shining tree, it has branches, flowers, almond-shaped calyxes and even knobs (kaftorim). In the Babylonian Talmud, Menahot 28b, Rabi Shmuel asks, “What do the knobs (kaftorim) resemble? A sort of Cretan apple.” The Cretan apple was a delicacy in the Ancient Near East. Inside the outer layer of fruit was a tart juice. The sages saw...

Beth Tzedec Bulletin - Spring EditionThe latest edition of the Beth Tzedec Bulletin is available for download. Let's celebrate, learn, pray and connect as a community with the many opportunities offered throughout our quarterly catalogue of programs, events and articles.Don't miss any of the news and excitement, including:An Evening with Alex Edelman (page 2);Family Purim...

Whenever I read or study anything in the Torah having to do with the Exodus narrative, what fills my mind is The Ten Commandments. Not the tablets themselves or the list of laws written upon them. I am talking about Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956, three hour and forty-minute Technicolor classic, complete with Charlton Heston’s epic beard, Yul Brynner’s bald head and side ponytail, and Anne...

A large section of this week’s parashah devotes itself to the role and investiture of Aaron and his sons as the Kohanim. In intricate detail, the Torah describes the sartorial traits of every one of the priestly vestments. Although Moses oversees this inauguration process, his name is conspicuously absent. Parashat Tetzaveh is the only one in the last four books of the Torah in which Moses is...

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Beyond Measure, our quarterly update dedicated to our valued donors. In this newsletter, we aim to provide you with insights into the impact of your contributions and the latest news from Beth Tzedec.As we embark on this journey, I want to express my gratitude for your ongoing support. Your generosity enables us to continue our mission of inspiring and enabling...

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you all. After a long pause due to the challenges posed by COVID, we are grateful and delighted to announce that we are about to resume the search for a second Cantor to join our community and collaborate with our beloved Cantor Ezer.This endeavor would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of a dedicated donor who has committed to...

From Sunday until Thursday, I was in California attending a Jewish mindfulness retreat with more than 50 rabbis and cantors. The theme for the week was the “Power of Speech”. We studied texts from the Zohar, the great Israeli poet Bialik and the Rabbi of the Warsaw ghetto. While the texts were chosen months ago, we were now reading in a post-October-7 world, and we lifted up our current...

Last Shabbat, in celebration of Shabbat Shirah, we sang. All weekend, we sang. We sang Friday night at Kabbalat Shabbat with Cantor Sidney and the HarmonEzers. We also sang Friday night at dinner with Cantor Audrey joining as a special guest. We sang Shabbat morning, again, with Cantor Sidney and the HarmonEzers. And….Saturday evening, 160 of us joined together, in the chapel, to sing for...