Shalom Everyone, YAY FOR WARM WEATHER!!! I know I've been waiting for this for a while and everyone I see seems to agree. But before I go any further...
MAZAL TOV!!! to TOREN MARKUS who is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat. Toren has been an active participant in this year's Bnai Mitzvah Experience. Mazal Tov also goes to Toren's sister Kataniya and parents Danielle and Jeff who have been one of our most engaged participants in Young Family Shabbat programming.
This Shabbat the Nursery will be open, but staffing is unavailable. Parents should feel free to bring their little-ones, but please make sure to tidy up after.
The Bnai Mitzvah Experience continues on Sunday.
Also, please check out the Community Section below. There are some really rare opportunities, including meeting Imam Mohammad Tahwidi - known as "The Imam of Peace". He is being brought to Toronto by the United Grassroots Movement against Anti-Semitism, a group with which I have many close connections.
The Anne Frank exhibit from the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam is is open to tour for members Mondays - Thursdays from 1 - 4pm.
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE PROGRAMMING AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION!
Parshat Emor - The Circle of Jewish Life
The middle of this week's parasha takes us through the entire Jewish year of Torah holidays. Starting with Shabbat, the Parshat Emor continues with the Mo'adim - the special times of year, starting with Pesach, then the time of Sefirat HaOmer (a time period we are in right now) which leads into Shavuot. The Torah continues by describing Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and then Sukkot.
(The next section of Torah describes the lighting of the Menorah - which points us to Chanukah, but it isn't mentioned explicitly since the Chanukah story doesn't happen for another 1000 years, or so.)
Of all of the holidays mentioned in the Torah, only Shavuot isn't given a specific date. The Torah only tells us that it happens 50 days after Pesach, and we are supposed to count those 49 days and the 50th is Shavuot.
One of the reasons the Torah goes through all of the holidays in this sequence is to remind us that time is so important. Once time has passed, it is gone and we can never get it back. That's why the Torah calls these holidays Mikra'ai Kodesh - Holy Times (of year). Time is holy and should be used wisely.
But these holidays happen every year because in Jewish thought time is both linear, moving from past into present and then future, but also cyclical, where the important messages of our Jewish historical experience take on new meaning and relevance each year, in our lives.
Through learning how to balance the passing of time, with the cycles of time, we can truly ensure that every moment of our lives is Holy. Discussion Questions:
1. Which of the Torah holidays is your favorite, and why?
2. What do you do in your spare time? How can you use that time in a holy way?
3. Have you every missed an experience in which you wanted to participate? How did time play a role in the missed opportunity?
Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue 100 Elder Street Toronto, ON M3H 5G7
