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07/08/2024 12:55:41 PM

Aug7

Alpena Peace Community-  October 27 2024 

05/12/2024 12:16:39 PM

Dec5

Click the link below to watch the Interfaith presentation Rabbi Morrison participated in. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bCZ-Ht7A-Cw56s14ZcTbuewq6vfTk5L0/view 

 

 

 

Parshat Toldot - The wells of contention and hostility

02/12/2024 09:41:01 AM

Dec2

Maaseh Avot Siman L'Vanim - the experiences of our ancestors become a sign to the children. This rabbinic statement harkens back to the fact that Isaac shares many of the same experiences as his father Abraham. Both in their lifetimes dug wells for physical sustenance. In our first scene in today's Parsha, after Isaac had become wealthy and blessed by God, the Philistines stopped up all the wells which Isaac's father Abraham had dug, filling them with earth. Avimelech, King of the Philistines, says to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you have become far too big for us." Is this remark one of propaganda and a Biblical form of Jew-hatred?

The Torah text continues, "So, Isaac departed from there and encamped in the wadi of Gerar, where he settled. Isaac dug anew the wells which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham's death, and he gave them the same names that his father had given them. But when Isaac's servants, digging in the wadi, found there a well of spring water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, 'the water is ours.' Isaac named that well Esek, because they contended with him. And when Isaac's servants dug another well, the herdsmen of Gerar disputed over that one also; so, Isaac named it Sitnah-hostility. Isaac moved from there and dug yet another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So, Isaac called it Rehovot, saying, 'Now at last the Lord has granted us ample space to increase in the land.'" 

The Midrash teaches us that the three wells dug anew by Isaac refer to three Temples in Jewish history. The first was destroyed because of Esek, contention with the nations of the time. The second was destroyed because of Sitnah, hostility from the nations of the time. The third, yet to be rebuilt, will be based on Rehovot, when contention and hostility will be things of the past.

No matter what one thinks or believes about a third Temple, clearly, the Jewish people in Israel and all over the world are not yet living in a time of Rehovot, where there is no quarrel, and where Jews are allowed to settle and increase in the land. Sadly, and tragically, over the last thirteen and a half months and even well before that, Jews are living in a time of Esek and Sitnah, contention and hostility.

The latest sad and tragic example comes regarding a young rabbinic colleague whom I and we never knew - A Chabad rabbi who settled in a different part of the globe in order to touch Jews with the message of Torah. His mission, like that of most Chabad rabbis, was to do Keruv work, make connections with all Jews regardless of their backgrounds, beliefs, and practices. Rabbi Zvi Kogen was missing and then subsequently murdered by terrorists. He was based in Abu Dhabi, UAE (United Arab Emirates) and had been abducted a week ago Thursday in Dubai. Rabbi Kogan was found murdered last Sunday. He was 28 years old and leaves behind his wife, Rivky.. The rabbi's mission was to serve the Jewish people. Esek and Sitnah, forces of contention and hostility, brought his life to a young and terrible end.

While the Patriarch, Isaac, went on to build a third and permanent well called Rehovot, we can only wait for a safe, peaceful, and secure third commonwealth in Jewish history.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

What kind of sibling are you? Parshat Toldot and Rosh Chodesh Kislev

29/11/2024 08:50:27 AM

Nov29

This Shabbat weekend brings together the weekly Torah portion of Toldot, Shabbat being also the eve of Rosh Chodesh, and the onset of the month of Kislev. The three occasions also provide us with meaningful stories of sibling-like relationships:

In Parshat Toldot, we are introduced to the twins, Jacob and Esau. The story of two brothers who could have been close unravels with tragic consequences. Each parent favors a different child. When a blind father is manipulated to give Jacob the blessing that was due to Esau, the threat of Esau forces Jacob to flee from home. Only many years later when both have families and legacies of their own do the two brothers reunite.

Contrast the Torah's story with the special Haftarah this Shabbat. When Shabbat coincides with the eve of Rosh Chodesh, we read the beautiful tale of a young David and his dear friend Jonathan, son of king Saul. While not technically siblings, these two best friends are completely loyal and dedicated to each other. The Haftarah presents a creative strategy between David and Jonathan which will ensure David's safety at the threat of a jealous king Saul. Siblings, like Jacob and Esau, could learn a lot about friendship and loyalty from two spiritual brothers - David and Jonathan.

On Sunday and Monday, we will transition the calendar from the month of Heshvan to the month of Kislev. Already we begin to think of Chanukah, which centers around the story of five Maccabean brothers led by Judah Maccabee. Their unity, religious piety, and concern for the fate of Judaism propels one of the greatest miracles in Jewish history. The many fall into the hands of the few, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, etc. 

What will your story be? What will be the story of your children, grandchildren, and other relationships? This weekend's calendar puts forward three models of sibling-like relationships: Jacob and Esau, David and Jonathan, and the Maccabee brothers.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

U.S. Thanksgiving

28/11/2024 08:54:37 AM

Nov28

As a proud dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, I rejoice in both countries. Never forgetting my roots, today is U.S. Thanksgiving. As a child, my family in Boston always celebrated with the same relatives and close friends. When my children were young, whether living in New York or Toronto, we would rotate celebrating the holiday either with my family in Boston or with my children's mother's family in New Jersey. In recent years, I have celebrated locally with American born colleagues and their families.

As a stand-alone holiday at the end of November, many American Jews celebrate Thanksgiving with all the trimmings. Of course, the turkey and side dishes are kosher. Canadian Thanksgiving in early October does not seem to have the same appeal among local Jews perhaps because its gets lost with the High Holy Days and Sukkot which surround it in the early Fall.

Being thankful is a daily obligation in Judaism. We start our day individually saying, "Modeh Ani Lefanecha - I give thanks before You, God." In the daily Amidah, we recite in the plural, "Modim Anachnu Lach - We give thanks to You, God." The blessings after meals, Hallel,  and other rituals are filled with verses of gratitude.

While I am grateful every day, on this U.S. Thanksgiving day, I am particularly thankful to God for my health, my family, and my community. I am grateful to arise each morning with purpose and fulfillment.

May we all be grateful for gifts which ought never be taken for granted, not only once a year but each and every day of our lives.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Chayei Sarah - How do you remember your loved ones?

19/11/2024 09:00:14 AM

Nov19

I hear it all the time at a funeral, shiva house, and an unveiling - "How did your loved one die?" I guess it is a natural human impulse or need to ask this question.

In Parshat Chayei Sarah, we read about the very first deaths in Jewish history. A generation comes to an end. At the outset of the Parsha, Sarah passes away. We find Abraham grieving and preparing for her funeral. At the end of the Parsha, we read of Abraham's death. The weekly portion concludes the first generation of Jewish history, the finality of the first patriarch and matriarch.

Yet, I would surmise that the Parsha teaches us not to dwell on death. After all, based on the opening words, the portion is entitled, "Chayei Sarah - The life, or even, lives of Sarah." Rather than asking how one died, we should rather ask, how a loved one lived? Life affirming values can then be passed on to following generations of family and to friends.

When Abraham dies, we read that he was "Zaken V'Save'ah - old and satisfied." Rather than focusing on his death, we should rather ask, "What made Abraham satisfied towards the end of his life? " One answer can be found in the narrative between the two deaths. Abraham arranges for the future of his legacy by securing a bride for Isaac. Abraham died in a satisfied manner because he knew before his passing that the generational continuity of his family was assured.

So, when we remember loved ones who have passed on, can we focus on the merit of their lives and the ideals which brought them satisfaction and contentment?

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Welcoming Betsalel Steinhart

13/11/2024 09:07:46 AM

Nov13

Ten years ago, my younger son Yonah spent the second half of grade 10 studying in Israel under the auspices of Ramah Israel Institute in a high school program called Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (T.R.Y.). While he was there, we at Beth Emeth were beginning discussions on a synagogue trip to Poland and Israel. Yonah mentioned to me that his class had recently returned from Poland under the leadership of their teacher, Betsalel Steinhart. Thus, the Beth Emeth relationship was born between our shul and Ramah Israel Institute. In the Fall of 2015, Betsalel guided us around Poland and Israel over a two-week period. In the Fall of 2019, Betsalel guided us around Spain, Gibraltar, and Portugal over a two-week period. In the Spring of 2024, Betsalel oversaw the planning of our nine-day solidarity mission to Israel.

Betsalel has endeared himself to many people within our Beth Emeth community. On this coming Shabbat, Betsalel will visit our shul and be our scholar in residence on Shabbat morning. In particular, Betsalel has a unique perspective on events which have transpired in Israel and around the Jewish world in the last thirteen months. I invite us all to hear him this coming Shabbat. In addition, to those who studied with Betsalel in their high school years or who participated in our tours with him, you are invited to a reunion evening after Shabbat at 7pm in the Shul.

Please join me in welcoming Betsalel Steinhart.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Lecha Lecha - Contemplating our journeys in life

11/11/2024 09:04:45 AM

Nov11

Our parsha today began with the command for Abram to leave his land, his birthplace, the house of his father. Leaving home is not simply the act of physically moving out nor of achieving economic independence. Leaving home means separating from our parents and finding our own unique voice. It is a psychological leaving. This even applies to our Bar Mitzvah boy today, who has left his parents' home in the sense that he is now Mitzvah observant on his own terms. This very notion was applied to me when a teacher of mine formally installed me as the new rabbi of my first congregation, with my parents and siblings present, back in 1987 in New Jersey.

Three times a day, we Jews pray the Amidah (four times on Shabbat). The prayer begins with a mention of the "God Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. No - We are not praying to three gods. Why not simply say "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?" Did they not worship the same God?

The basic response is that the path Abraham took to God was different than that of his son Isaac. The path Isaac took was different than that of his son Jacob. Each of us must find our own path to God, and our own path on how to live our lives. We cannot simply relive our parents' paths. Children must leave home and find their own way if they are to succeed in the world. 

This is extremely difficult for both parties. Parents find it very hard to let go and let their children find their own paths, and children find it very difficult to leave and establish their own identity and to become their own person. In my own personal case, my thirty-year-old son now lives in New York and has been on his own for the last six years. Jewishly, he identifies himself as Masorti, traditional. My twenty-six-year-old son lives with me, after having served as a lone soldier in Israel and recently completing his four-year degree here in Toronto. Jewishly, he identifies himself as a Zionist first and foremost. Each has embarked on finding his own path in many ways, Jewishly being of part of that growth and maturity.

Our Parsha is entitled Lech Lecha, which literally means, "Go to yourself." Each of us has a destiny, a purpose, a mission, a calling. Abraham not only left his parental home physically, he found his particular calling. Some of us find our calling from the earliest days of childhood, some find it as young adults, some in their middle years, some not until they retire from work, some never quite find it. 

Today and tomorrow, November 9-10, commemorate the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht. To survivors, children of survivors, grandchildren of survivors, great grandchildren of survivors, or to anyone of us living two generations later, how is our Lech Lecha, our personal journey, impacted?

This past Monday, November 4, commemorated on the English calendar the 29th anniversary of the assassination of Prime-Minister Yitzchak Rabin by a fellow Jew at a Saturday night peace rally in Tel Aviv. How is our Lech Lecha, our personal journey, impacted?

In the wake of October 7th and its aftermath, with surges of anti-Semitism here and around the world, how is our Lech Lecha, our personal journey, impacted?

Just one day prior to the eve of Kristallnacht, a modern-day pogrom brought close to home the horrific memories of eighty plus years ago. After a soccer game in Amsterdam, hundreds of our people were hunted down, beaten up, kicked, run over by cars, and thrown into cold waters. At last report, some were still missing. The only difference from two generations ago - We have a State of Israel which immediately sent rescue planes to save our people. How is our Lech Lecha, our personal journey, impacted by this latest anti-Semitic event?

There is a well-known story about the Hasidic rabbi, Zusya, crying on his deathbed. His students asked why he was crying? Zusya responded, "I see what will happen when I enter the next world. Nobody will ask me why I was not Moses. Nobody will ask me why I was not Rabbi Akiva. They will ask me why I was not Zusya. That is why I am crying. I am asking why I was not the best Zusya I could be."

The greatest tragedy of life is not death. The greatest tragedy is dying without having completed our mission, dying before we know why we lived. Each of us has our personal Lech Lecha, our particular journey on this earth. Each of us has a responsibility to search our own soul and ask the ultimate question - Why did God place me on this earth? What is my Lecha Lecha?

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Lech Lecha and Kristallnact

08/11/2024 09:05:16 AM

Nov8

I was introduced to the formal study of Chumash (the Five Books of the Torah) in grade 2. Not the narratives of Bereishit and Noach, my class was first introduced to Torah study with Parshat Lech Lecha and the journey of Abram-Abraham. I still remember the large print Hebrew only text which was given to us. At age 7, we were learning to discern the Hebrew text as it was. There was no English and no commentary.

Lech Lecha begins with the journey made by the first patriarch and his family. Abram must leave his native land, his birth place, and his parental home to a new land that God will show him. For Jews, the historical promise made by God to our people about the homeland of Israel originated 4000 years ago with the pact made to Abram. Only Jews are the rightful indigenous people of Israel. It is our language, culture, holy sites, and more which have stood the test of time in Israel even when conquering nations tried to rid our people from its God-given homeland thousands of years ago.

Another kind of Lech Lecha comes to mind this weekend. On November 9-10, we commemorate the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, which took place in 1938. Soon enough, many Jewish families and individuals undertook their own journeys. Those who were fortunate to escape Eastern Europe before it was too late ended up in many places around the world, including pre-State Israel, North America, and many other locations.

I marvel at the survivors I have gotten to know in my nearly twenty-five years at Beth Emeth. They came with almost nothing. Many established thriving businesses and raised multi-generational families. Sadly, I have laid to rest many survivors of the Shoah. However, they left this world comforted in that they did not survive in vain. Like Abraham, who became the patriarch for all generations to come, many survivors will be regarded as the patriarchs and matriarchs of the families they nurtured here in Canada.

As we recall the very first journey in Jewish history, we pay tribute this weekend to the memories of six million Jews and remember those who made their Lech Lecha to Jewish communities around the world and who raised Jewish families to ensure our people's continuity.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

A week to "Remember"

06/11/2024 08:57:36 AM

Nov6

On this past November 4, many of us recalled that tragic date when Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated by a fellow Jew at a peace rally on Saturday night, November 4, 1995. We saw the worst division of our people in that a Jewish leader of state was murdered by one of our own, the first time since the murder of Gedaliah in Biblical times. What have we learned since then? Can unity repair and replace division and strife?

On this Weekend of November 9-10, we will remember the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass in 1938. For many, this was the official beginning of the horrors that would unfold in the Shoah. Now, eighty-six years later, do we remember? Are we passing on the history and lessons to our children and grandchildren? How will we teach the Shoah to Jews and non-Jews in generations to come?

On this Monday, November 11, we will truly remember on Remembrance Day. All Canadians will reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live with freedom and dignity. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we will pause to reflect and remember.

I wish us all purpose, meaning, and fulfillment during these November occasions of remembrance.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Noach - "And the world was filled with 'Hamas'"

04/11/2024 09:04:42 AM

Nov4

The story of Noah is one that is familiar to us. Humanity regresses to the point that God regrets having created humanity and brings about a flood to wipe out the entire world, with the exception of Noah, his family, and the animals he brings into the Ark. When Noah leaves the Ark after the flood and is ready to go about rebuilding the world, God makes a covenant with him that God will never destroy the world again. The sign of the covenant is a rainbow.

The commentators struggle to understand the sin or level of corruption that prompted God to bring the flood. In a verse with eerie resonance in light of Israel's war with Hamas (Hezbollah and Iran), the Torah records: "The earth became corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with lawlessness-Hamas (Genesis 6:11)." The Biblical scholar Nahum Sarna, the author of 'Understanding Genesis,' explains, "It may be deduced that Hamas here refers predominantly to arrogant disregard for the sanctity and inviolability of human life." This definition and understanding of the word "Hamas" certainly ring true over the past year.

In light of this, we have an obligation and moral responsibility to respond when the world is overcome by Hamas. We must express shock and outrage upon learning of such wanton displays of violence, hatred, and moral depravity. The IDF, in harmony with Torah values, has an absolute responsibility to wage battle and destroy Hamas and its evil counterparts including Hezbollah, and other publicly identified terror groups. 

The Talmud already asks and answers what should one do when Hamas-violence is coming your way? "If someone rises up to attack you, rise up and attack them first (Sanhedrin 72a)." 

After reading the story of the flood and the violence that humans perpetrate on one another, one could ask the question, "Why did God save Noah and his family? Why not destroy humanity altogether? " Perhaps God's hope was that humanity would change its ways after Noah. God explicitly gave Noah a law forbidding pre-meditated bloodshed, "Whoever sheds human blood, by human hands shall that one's blood be shed, for in the image of God was humankind created (Genesis 9:6)."

Can humanity change? Can humanity overcome its natural tendency towards cruelty and violence? That is the Torah's lesson in today's portion of Noah. A new humanity can be born without cruelty and violence in their hearts. Unfortunately, it has not come true in our lifetimes. We can only pray and work for the day when hatred and brutality will disappear from the face of the earth.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Rosh Chodesh Mar Cheshvan

31/10/2024 08:37:46 AM

Oct31

On Friday and Shabbat, we transition from the month of Tishrei to the month of Heshvan. How awesome was the month of Tishrei with its full month of holy days! 

Heshvan is one of two months which is prefaced by a title. In the Summer, we had "Menachem Av," literally, the comforting month of Av, because the majority of the month comforted us after the first nine days. Who does not want to feel comfort after enduring loss? Heshvan, on the other hand, is prefaced by the word "Mar," which means "bitter," as in Maror, the bitter herbs consumed at the Pesach Seder. Why would this month be prefaced with a challenging term?

After having experienced a month full of commemoration and celebration, Heshvan offers nothing of the sort. As a result, this new month feels bitter and lacking after Tishrei. While the preface came to be a long time ago, the month of Heshvan is even more bitter in that nowadays we observe the anniversary of Kristallnact, November 9-10, as a sort of second Yom Hashoah on the calendar. 

In some of the ancient rabbinic literature, there became the traditions that Sarah the Matriarch died in Heshvan, and that the flood of Noah occurred in Heshvan, which accentuate the bitterness of the month. It is noteworthy that we read of the flood this year on the first day of Heshvan, and we are introduced to Sarah at the end of Parshat Noach and in Parshat Lech Lecha, which are read Shabbat morning and afternoon.

The bitterness of Heshvan looms even larger given the horrific events of the last thirteen months. Israel's wars on all sides, the continued concern for 101 hostages, and the surge of anti-Semitism around the world all accentuate the mood of Heshvan.

Perhaps one day soon, the preface of "Mar-bitter" will be decreased or even removed when a new kind of joy will enter the Jewish world. In the meantime,  the bitter Cheshvan is just one month, while most of the remaining months contain uplift and celebration. 

May we use the new month of Mar Heshvan as time to reflect and to pave the way toward better times for all.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

The importance of dialogue

30/10/2024 09:21:49 AM

Oct30

Being involved in dialogue with others is imperative. Israel has sadly learned that it has no choice but to fight when there is no one with whom to have constructive dialogue. Even in sectors around the world, including our own, we have had to stand on our own in the face of Jew-hatred when there is no one with whom to have constructive dialogue.

Ever since my oldest son left his first work community in Alpena Michigan, I have continued to be in touch as a friend and rabbinic consultant to a small synagogue there which has no ordained clergy. With a relationship that I cultivated with a local pastor of a Lutheran church, we have had interfaith programs on Zoom. 

This past Sunday, we shared a two-part program on what constitutes peace, and what does not constitute peace, in our respective religious traditions. There were matters on which we agreed, agreed to disagree, and to disagree agreeably. Some topics that were addressed were the Christian concept of "turn the other cheek," the difference between "Thou shalt not kill" versus "Thou shalt not murder," and the implications on abortion and Israel's right to defend itself in the Middle East.

The most important part of the experience was the willingness by clergy and community members to engage in difficult conversation on challenging topics, something that would benefit communities here and elsewhere.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Bereishit - lessons for a year later and a new Torah reading cycle

28/10/2024 12:34:01 PM

Oct28

A new Torah reading cycle has begun and a new beginning, as it were. Now, a year later since October 7th 2023 and its corresponding date of Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah, Parshat Bereishit comes to offer some significant lessons, from each of the opening chapters.

In chapters one and two, creation narratives, God separates light from darkness, resulting in the creation of each day of the week. We understand that there is a clear distinction between light and darkness, truth and falsehood, good and evil. There is nothing complex or complicated. There is no need for "context." It is sad, tragic, and unfathomable that leaders of Western nations just do not get it, either refusing to accept moral clarity, or ridiculously being unable to accept moral clarity.

If the opening two chapters come to teach about MORAL CLARITY, chapter three comes to teach about MORAL AWARENESS. After Adam and Eve eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge, they are suddenly aware that they are naked. God asks, "Ayeka-Where are you?" Of course, God knows where Adam and Eve are physically. Rather, God is asking "Where are you morally?" Are you not morally aware that you committed a forbidden act against God, for which there are consequences?

Chapter four then comes to teach about MORAL ACCOUNTABILITY. Murder enters the world. Cain murders Abel. God exclaims to Cain, "What have you done? Your brother's blood cries to me from the ground." For the past year, the blood of our brothers and sisters cries out to us and to the world. Cain now becomes morally accountable for what he has done. He will literally wear the mark of Cain on his forehead wandering throughout the world, being punished, and having to contemplate what he has done. Recently, after most of the world has done little or nothing, it has fallen on Israel to take precise targeted action to demand moral accountability over what the progenitors of evil have perpetrated during the past year. 

Bereishit, the book of Genesis, opens with absolute and eternal values: Moral Clarity, Moral Awareness, and Moral Accountability! May we and the world around us pay heed to these eternal lessons of life.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Yizkor - The Simchat Torah Project

28/10/2024 11:35:09 AM

Oct28

Each year at Yizkor, we recite the names of members who died in the past year.

Each year, our annual Yizkor book publicizes the names of family members who are lovingly remembered by their families.

Each year during Yizkor, we recite many of the death and concentration camps, in which millions of Jews were murdered during the Shoah.

Today is October 24. The date of October 7 passed over two weeks ago. However, it was on this date on the Hebrew calendar that horror struck. In the Diaspora, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are observed over a two-day period. In Israel, they are observed in a single day, in the same manner that in Israel the first day of Sukkot was a Yom Tov, whereas in the Diaspora, the first two days of Sukkot are called Yom Tov.

While Israeli congregations were transitioning from Yizkor to Hakafot at the same service, Diaspora synagogues were concentrating on the Yizkor of Shemini Atzeret. Tragically, whether we were dancing with Torah scrolls in Israel or focusing on prayers for rain and remembrance outside of Israel, little did we know what was happening and unfolding before our very eyes. On today's Hebrew date, 1200 people were slaughtered: Jews and non-Jews, young and old, peace-loving Jews who lived and visited near the Gaza border in Southern Israel. Hundreds of others were dragged into captivity and taken hostage at the same time.

Now, exactly a year later on the Hebrew Yahrzeit, how can we properly remember and pay respect and dignity to the lives lost on this day?

I wish we could read all the 1200 hundred names as well as the soldiers, civilians, and  hostages who have died on and since Yom Tov last year. But this cannot happen.

Instead, Beth Emeth has joined with some 1600 synagogues around the world in an initiative called the Simchat Torah Project. Here is the description from the project website:

"This October will mark the first Simchat Torah since the horrific events of October 7th.

King Solomon offers us guidance in Kohelet, which is read on Sukkot: 'There is a time for everything under the Heavens . . . a time to mourn and a time to dance.' this Simchat Torah with tears in our eyes, we will dance.

Synagogues around the world will open their holy Ark on Simchat Torah night and take out several Torah scrolls. One will be adorned with a new 'Me'il (Torah cover), designed to mark the first Yahrzeit of October 7th. This Me'il will be identical to the ones which will be created for 1600 synagogues across the world. This beautifully designed Me'il will proclaim that this Torah is dedicated in memory of the 1200 souls and the many soldiers and hostages who have since died, Al Kiddush Hashem. Each Torah Me'il will feature the name of one of the Kedoshim (holy ones) embroidered onto it. Communities around the world will dance with these Torah scrolls - thousands of communities, with hundreds of thousands if not millions of Jews being connected through this project. 

The Jewish world will be unified, knowing that across the globe, Jews are dancing with Torah scrolls that collectively link us all with the events of October 7th, and to inspire us to realize that 'Am Yisrael Chai.' Synagogues will encourage their members to come and dance with the newly robed scroll, to remember the fallen, by holding their Torah high, so that they can say, 'we will not forget what happened on Simchat Torah last year, but we are determined to dispel the darkness with light.'

This project will symbolize the Jewish people's resilience, our ability to find hope in the face of tragedy. Our 1600 communities across the globe will unite for Israel and the Jewish people."

This morning, we are incorporating the new Me'il (Torah cover) as our way of linking all the fallen since October 7th last year into our Yizkor remembrance. Tonight, and tomorrow, we will dance with this same Me'il as our commitment to the celebration of Torah and the continuity of the Jewish people and the Jewish way of life.

Chag Sameach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Remembering this Shemini Atzeret

22/10/2024 08:56:46 AM

Oct22

Shemini Atzeret is one of four occasions on which Yizkor is recited during services. The tradition evolved that we hold formal remembrance services at the end of seasonal times. Thus, Yizkor is recited on Yom Kippur, which concludes the Ten Days of Repentance. Yizkor is recited on Shemini Atzeret which concludes the Fall Festival season. Yizkor is recited on the last day of Passover, and Yizkor is recited on the second day of Shavuot in the Diaspora.

At Beth Emeth during every Yizkor service, we pause to remember deceased loved ones in our families and in our congregation. We also pause to remember those who perished in the Shoah, from acts of terror, in Israel, and for Canadians who died fighting for our freedoms. In recent years, we also dedicate the newest plaques which have been affixed to our memorial boards in the past year.

This year, there will be an additional aspect of our collective remembrance. In the late Summer, we registered to participate in a program called "The Simchat Torah Project." Beth Emeth is one of 1600 synagogues around the world to receive a special Torah mantle in memory of all those who fell on October 7, 2023 and its aftermath. Each mantle is unique in that it bears the name of a particular fallen Israeli as well as containing a reference to all the fallen. The mantle we recently received bears the name of a particular IDF staff sergeant who was killed in battle on October 31, 2023. We will dedicate this special Torah cover during Yizkor on Shemini Atzeret.

I invite you all to join us this coming Thursday morning for Yom-Tov services in general and a special Yizkor ceremony. 

I wish us all a continued Chag Sameach and fond memories of all who are dear to us.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Sukkot Day #2 - When the Jewish people need to act publicly to preserve our existence

21/10/2024 09:31:03 AM

Oct21

Many of our religious observances are conducted indoors - in our homes and in our synagogues. We generally do not like to create a public spectacle of our religious experiences. We behave modestly and try not to call attention to ourselves when we perform Mitzvot.

There are some exceptions to this ideal. On Chanukah, it is a particular Mitzvah to publicize the miracle by placing our Chanukiyot where they can be seen by passerby.  Sukkot also has some aspects of taking our religious observances into the public square. Most of us are familiar with the practice of eating our meals and perhaps even sleeping in the Sukkah. However, this is not what I refer to in terms of a Sukkot public practice. After all, for many of us, the Sukkah is still private, as it is constructed in the privacy of a backyard or patio.

The Talmud records the custom in ancient Jerusalem where people carried their Lulavim into the street when they went to synagogue, when they visited the sick, and when they went to comfort mourners. Even today, many Jews carry their Lulavim in public. But the origin of why is quite amazing!

On Sukkot, we want to convey a message to the general public. In ancient Jewish life, the Lulav and Etrog were symbolic of weapons. The Lulav is likened to a spear, and the Etrog is likened to a pellet. They indicate that we are proud of our heritage, and that we are prepared to fight for the honor of our Torah, of our people, of our land, and our very existence. 

Sukkot is an important reminder that being proud Jews entails a public stance. If we do not stand up for ourselves, who will stand up for us? For most of us, we prefer to think of the four species as symbolic of agricultural gifts, as symbols of Jewish unity, as representations of the human body. While these metaphors are all true, perhaps this year in particular we need to associate the four species as defensive weapons; that we will defend ourselves when we are attacked; that we will never go down like a lamb at the altar. Sadly, but true, Israel has recently had to show us and the world through example the willingness to stand up assertively when certain nations and terror groups want to eradicate not only Israel but the existence of the Jewish people. 

We are in the midst of remembering the English anniversary of October 7th 2023, which has come and gone, and its Hebrew anniversary of Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah, just over a week away. The Lulav and Etrog serve as great reminders for lessons learned.

Chag Sameach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Sukkot Day #1 - Who will you invite?

21/10/2024 09:30:10 AM

Oct21

Sukkot is known as Chag Ha'asif, the Festival of ingathering. In ancient times, one gathered the crop of the Fall season during Sukkot. In later times, the people were gathered to dedicate the first Temple of Jerusalem during Sukkot. Subsequently, we gathered ourselves in the second Temple and synagogues during Sukkot.

In addition, we gather the four species during Sukkot. They represent four diverse kinds of Jews, and they represent the spine, eyes, heart, and lips in our bodies. We serve God with all we have.

For those of us privileged to build a Sukkah, we gather family and friends for meals and festivity in our Sukkah. In the sixteenth century, the same mystics who gave us Kabbalat Shabbat, also gave us a beautiful ceremony called Ushpizin, literally,  exalted guests. For the seven days of Sukkot, we ingather Biblical heroes who were known as shepherds into our Sukkot: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David. The mystics also included a variety of Biblical women to accompany the men. Various traditions exist, including for example: Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel. Miriam, Devorah, and Ruth.

Who might you invite to be a spiritual guest in your Sukkah? A deceased relative? A famous Jew from the past? 

This year, in the wake of the first anniversary of October 7, consider inviting the following exalted guests:

On night 1 - all those currently hostage and held captive, kept from their homes and their families.

On night 2 - all those who lost their lives on October 7, who we hold dear in our hearts.

On night 3, all those who bravely stepped forward as first responders, bringing hope and healing along their path.

On night 4 - all those soldiers who have stepped up to fight for justice, to bring home our beloveds.

On night 5 - all those who have provided aid, supporting the suffering, bringing care

at each step.

On night 6 - all the children whose lives have been interrupted. whose schools and families are far from the normalcy children deserve.

On night 7 - all the innocent caught amidst violence they do not deserve nor desire.

Conclude each Ushpizin night with - We invite you here with us, under our Sukkat Shalom, a shelter of peace.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Sukkot - The Hidur Mitzvah holiday

21/10/2024 08:18:21 AM

Oct21

Judaism is not an ostentatious religion. We are not meant to show off our wealth. In the Middle Ages, sumptuary laws prohibited the bride's parents from spending more on the wedding than the poorest family in town.

Whenever possible, we try to beautify the Mitzvot since they symbolize our love for God and our heritage. Without going broke or being boastful, we try to get a nice Mezuza, nice Tefillin, a nice Etrog, etc. 

This concept is called Hidur Mitzvah, beautifying the objects used for observing Mitzvot. The Biblical basis comes from the phrase, "Zeh Aili V'Anvehu - This is my God whom I shall glorify." This statement originates in the Song of the Sea.

When it comes to Sukkot, many people go out of their way to find the choicest Etrog. In the Torah, it is called, "Pri Etz Hadar - fruit of beautiful trees." Notice that the word, "Hadar" appears as a description of the Etrog. Years ago, a film called "Ushpizin" showed a religious Jew who almost broke his bank on purchasing the finest Etrog he could find. He went way beyond the norm of "Hidur Mitzvah."

In my own experience, I beautified my celebration of Sukkot when I purchased my own four species in Israel during the rabbinical school year of 1983-4. I went to an olive wood factory in Mea Shearim and purchased a nice wooden Etrog box with symbols of Israel painted on it. It replaced the cardboard box which came with the Etrog purchase. 

While basic Mitzvah observance is fine enough, the ability to beautify our Mitzvot is encouraged, as long as we bring no economic harm to ourselves or those who are dear to us.

Chag Sameach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

The Greatest show on Earth - Sukkot

20/10/2024 11:48:15 AM

Oct20

The origin of the circus and it being called "The greatest show on earth" is Talmudic in origin. During the days of Sukkot in Temple times, our ancestors celebrated 'Simchat Bait Ha'Shoevah-A water drawing festival." The Talmud vividly describes the great Sages celebrating as if they were circus performers, juggling torches lit with fire and other feats of great risk. The Talmud states, "One who has not seen the Water Drawing Festival has not seen real joy." In reality, these celebrations anticipated the rain season and prayers for a healthy rain in Israel.

The above description is just one of the reasons why Sukkot is called "Zman Simchatenu-The season of our joy." In addition, we rejoice in that we begin to perform new Mitzvot soon after Yom Kippur has ended. We are reminded of the concept, 
"Simcha Shel Mitzvah- The Joy of observing commandments."  Also, we celebrate the joy of gathering the Fall harvest bounty. The Torah associates the Hebrew word for joy more with Sukkot than any other festive occasion,  and much more.

As a day school student in my youth, regular classes were cancelled during one day of Chol Ha'Moed so that we could symbolically recreate the joy of Simchat Bait Ha'Shoevah. Even nowadays, I notice some synagogues and educational institutions doing the same.

I encourage us all to find our own way of experiencing a genuine spiritual joy during Sukkot, the greatest show on earth.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Welcome to Sukkot - Judaism's universal ethos

16/10/2024 12:32:58 PM

Oct16

There are many themes associated with Sukkot. Commonly known are the Mitzvot regarding the Sukkah, the four species, and a season of rejoicing.

One of the lesser-known themes is the fact that each day during Sukkot we read a small section from the book of B'Midbar-Parshat Pinchas. In ancient Temple based times, the Israelites brought 70 sacrifices over the seven days of Sukkot, bringing one less on each successive day. Thus, 13 were brought on day 1; 12 were brought on day 2, etc.

In the ancient world, there was a notion that there were 70 nations in the world other than Israel. Whereas Yom Kippur emphasized personal prayers of repentance, and whereas Shemini Atzeret will focus on the special bond between God and the Jewish people, Sukkot is the holiday of the Jewish people expressing concern for the nations of the world. It is no accident that when countries have coped with natural and health disasters that Israel is among the first nations to send in first responders and experts.

It is ironic and even tragic that when Israel is subjected to awful forms of hatred that almost none of the vast nations comes to Israel's side, especially over the last twelve months. While we Jews may be disappointed at the lack of moral clarity from others, we Jews must never lose our own sense of moral clarity. We must continue to express a universal concern even when others do not.

I wish you all Chag Sameach,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Sukkot - memories of past and present

16/10/2024 10:32:16 AM

Oct16

As a child, doing Mitzvot right after Yom Kippur was an important theme, at least for my dad.

As a one-man house committee for the shul, for many years - dad, I, my brother, and a few others came back to shul after breaking the Yom Kippur fast to build the shul Sukkah. On the following day, the three of us would build our backyard Sukkah, comprised of green canvas walls and a bamboo carpet of Schach. My mom and two sisters would prune branches from the front lawn and tuck them into the Schach. These practices went on for many years.

Long before the internet, emailing, and texting - When I was in rabbinical school in New York during the 1980's, I received a package from my folks from the Boston area. In it was the weekly edition of the local Brookline newspaper. The cover story depicted my family's age-old Sukkah pancaked to the ground after a strong wind blew it down. Somehow, the paper picked up on the story. My parents thought I would get a kick out it. Instead, I called in a panic to see if everyone was alright, and complained why I was not told sooner. My family did rebuild the Sukkah quickly right before the holiday began.

I have been blessed to know of many Sukkahs throughout my life. When personal circumstances prompted me to move from a home, where I always had a personal Sukkah, to a condo building, where I cannot build my own Sukkah, I am comforted that many people now invite me, and that I can bring my own meals to the Beth Emeth Sukkah. When that transition happened, I donated my Sukkah to the shul. Kelvin, the shul custodian, tells me that each year, parts of my Schach are added into the Beth Emeth Sukkah. So, a part of me remains right here.

Sitting or dwelling in the Sukkah means so much to me - family, friends, and meal celebrations from the past; a one-month club house before dad insisted on taking it down; sitting under the sun by day and the moon with its stars by night; rushing inside after Kiddush when the rains came in strong; or rushing inside before the lunch meal was over because the bees decided to hijack our meal on a hot day. Yes - The Sukkah meant fun, but the Sukkah also meant an appreciation for nature, and a realization that we sat under God's providential care.

Whether you have your own or not, I encourage everyone to have an experience of sitting and eating in the Sukkah this year.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

U'Netaneh Tokef - a poem for the ages (Yom Kippur Yizkor sermon)

15/10/2024 09:38:34 AM

Oct15

Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, is different this year after the tragic and horrific events of last October 7th and its aftermath to this very day. For many of us, how will we sit through the vastness of these prayers, passages about acts wrongdoing and consequences for misbehaviors? There are so many empty chairs this year - Families who lost loved ones -  innocent civilians on October 7th; families who lost loved ones -  first responders and IDF personnel on October 7th; families who lost civilians, security officers and military personnel after October 7th; families who have lost loved ones around the globe, here in Canada, from surging acts of anti-Jewish and pro-Hamas hatred; and the list goes on and on.

Anger and grief are filling empty chairs this year. People, young and old, who could be asking for forgiveness are not present to ask for forgiveness. Many of us who are sitting in shul are questioning the whole thesis of asking for forgiveness from God this year.

One of the most difficult prayers of the High Holy Days, one which is recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is the U'Netaneh Tokef - "Let us recount the power of the holiness of this day." The poem is said to be from the 11th century. It may even go back to the Byzantine era, between the 4th and 7th century. Its words are terrifying: "All that lives on earth will pass before You like a flock of sheep . . . You will review and number and count, judging each being, determining the fate of everything in creation, inscribing their destiny." 

The poem then lists a series of gruesome ways to die:  "Who will live a long life and who will come to an untimely end; who will perish by fire and who by water; who by sword and who by beast; who by hunger and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague."

Should we sit in shul and listen to this frightful recital knowing that beautiful, kind, and loving people - sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, siblings and other relatives, dear friends- did nothing to deserve their untimely end?

Perhaps we could opt out. Stay home reading a novel, or going for a walk. How can we use the "U'Netaneh Tokef" prayer to reflect on significant matters this year?

When the prayer was written, the death of a child or anyone from disease was commonplace. Likewise, death from natural disaster was commonplace. The pandemic of a few years ago brought us back to a place of the plague of a disease. The tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados and the like have brought us back to a place of the plague of natural disaster. 

Now, such references as "who by sword; who by wild beast" have brought us to a place of renewed violence and terror, unprecedented since the days of the Shoah, two generations ago.

Yom Kippur is a proper day to reflect, even without having answers. The prayer "U'Netaneh Tokef" - "Who shall live and who shall die, and by what form?" fits many of the themes of this day.  

Consider the Torah reading which begins with the inexplicable deaths of two children, Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron.

Consider the martyrology section of Musaf today which begins with the words, "Eleh Ezkerah  - These I remember." I/We remember ten famous Sages who died horrific deaths and the hands of the Romans. Many congregations, like ours, supplement whom we remember with other chapters of Jewish history, including those who perished in the Shoah. This year, we remember 1200 precious souls who died on one single day, October 7, 2023 - Shemini Atzeret in the Diaspora and Simchat Torah in Israel, and we remember hundreds if not thousands more who have perished in the last year.

Consider the most famous part of the Yom Kippur day service which fills every seat of this sanctuary, the recitation of Yizkor, when each of us remembers precious loved ones in the context of our personal historical experience. Our Yizkor today is uniquely different given the past twelve months:

The infant in its mother's arms - We remember

The one sacrificed on the bed - We remember

The families wrapped in each other's arms in a final embrace at home, who were killed and set afire - We remember

The life partners who sat and cried a final tear in the safety shelters - We remember

The parents killed hiding their children beneath their own bodies - We remember

Those who were out for day trips and were murdered on the road - We remember

The children and young innocents who were slaughtered before their time - We remember

The parents murdered in front of their loved ones - We remember

The innocents dancing their final dance - We remember

The peace-loving youngsters who were viciously captured, raped, and killed - We remember

The cyclists on a never-ending trip - We remember

The vacationers in their tents, in the desert, or on the beach - We remember

The foreign workers who remained alongside their elders - We remember

The agricultural workers from around the world - We remember

The elders and founders - We remember

The musicians whose music went silent - We remember

The artists whose works remain forever incomplete - We remember

The passers-by who encountered evil - We remember

The philosophers whose last page will never be written - We remember

The security forces, and the Police, and the town security teams, and the military observers, and the IDF:

who fought a few against many

Who stood and delivered

Who saved lives

 And who fought till the bitter end, ensuring more innocents survived -

WE REMEMBER!

I conclude by returning to the U'Netaneh Tokef prayer. While little or nothing we do can actually change that which is not in our control, the prayer ends with the words:

"U'Teshuva U'Tefila U'Tzedaka Maavirin Et Roa Ha'Gezerah - But repentance, prayer, and acts of righteousness enable us to endure the sting of the decree."

Gmar Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

It is up to us - Kol Nidrei sermon

15/10/2024 09:19:00 AM

Oct15

Each one of us is sacred, unique, and special. Each one of us forms an integral part of a larger group, called "Am Yisrael - the people of Israel."

Many of us know the Talmudic expression, "Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh La'Zeh - All the Jewish people are responsible for one another."

Many of us know the famous legend about the four species of the Lulav - the four species represent four different characteristics of Jews but which all must be bound together for performing the Mitzvah of taking the Lulav.

These statements of collective responsibility are also found at the outset of the Kol Nidrei service:

"Anu Matirin L'Hitpalel Im Ha'Avaryanim - We are permitted to pray with the Avaryanim." In other words, we are discouraged to pray alone. We are encouraged to pray with others. But who are these others? Who are these called "Ha'Avaryanim?" 

From the Hebrew term, "Ovair - One who transgresses," it could mean we are permitted or encouraged to pray with those who transgress. Let me ask you - if you have not committed a single wrongdoing in the past year, please raise your hand. I have a gift waiting for you. No one raised a hand???? Right - because we have all committed mistakes, some we recognize, and some we do even know that we committed. We are all transgressors. We all are linked together and pray together over these next 25 hours.

Alternatively, "Avaryanim" in Hebrew sounds like "Iberian" in English. The Jews of the Iberian peninsula refer to the Jews of Spain and Portugal in the late 1400's who had to conceal their Jewishness at least publically lest they be put to death, as in the Inquisition. While the term "Marranos" should never be used, for it literally means "pigs," those Jews who hid their Jewishness in public but who practiced Judaism in secrecy, as in the basements of their homes, became known as "Conversos." Accordingly, the Kol NIdrei prayer was composed during that time period (Not at Sinai) and exclaims we are permitted and encouraged to pray with our Iberian Jews who became Conversos.

Soon after the famous paragraph of Kol Nidrei, we pray the following words to God: "V'Nislach L'Chol Adat Bnai Yisrael - May all the segments of the Children of Israel be forgiven." In other words, every Jew is preciously linked to every other Jew. AND every Jew has transgressed in some way over the past year. We are a singular people based on the union of every single Jew. In every culture, there is the expression, "A stick alone is breakable, but a bundle of sticks is unbreakable." This is so true in Judaism.

On this Kol Nidrei night, I want to implore upon you an easy but significant Mitzvah which binds every Jew together. You do not have to read Hebrew to do this Mitzvah. You do not have to attend shul every day to do this Mitzvah. You can call yourself religious, traditional, cultural, or secular and do this Mitzvah. This Mitzvah is called TZEDAKAH.

Literally, Tzedakah means "Justice" or "Righteousness." It has come to be understand as an act of charitable giving which, in Judaism, is considered mandatory and not voluntary. Did you know that in antiquity, Jews were expected to give up a "Maaser," a tenth of their equity and leave it for the unfortunate. Depending on the specific year, that percentage may have gone to support the Kohain, or the Levi, or the widow, or the orphan, or other vulnerable members of society. While no Jewish institution demands the giving of a tithe, that literal ten percent, many Churches do so.

I implore unto each of us, without hurting yourself or your family's genuine needs, make this a Tzedaka year, locally and for Israel.

Locally - our shul, BEBY. Little or no Tzedaka was requested during the pandemic. During the last twelve months, it felt unethical to ask Tzedakah for the shul, when Israel was under attack. Tragically, all Jewish communities are under attack. We need our shuls to be as strong as ever.

Local Tzedakah alone, however, is incomplete, and maybe even, still unethical. 

We need to continue more than ever to support Israel. 

Yes, there are hundreds and hundreds of Tzedaka sources that benefit Israel. You all know that we are splitting HHD contributions between the shul and Beit Ha'Lochem, which assists the needs of wounded soldiers in Israel and their families, disabled Israelis and their families. When you give your HHD donation this year, you are helping Beth Emeth locally and Beit Ha'Lochem in Israel. In addition, every you gift you make is being matched dollar for dollar.

For those who can do more, please continue to listen. For those who cannot do more, I ask you also to continue listening.

Israel Bonds is technically not a donation but an investment. It has a long history and has been supported by many synagogues in Canada and around the world at Kol Nidrei services. Large envelopes are available to you, or you can invest on line.

Did you know that over the course of this past Summer, Jewish National Fund Canada had its charitable status revoked by the Canada Revenue Agency. Can you believe it???? Is this the latest form of anti-Semitism, which has reached subtle levels of prejudice and discrimination? Many people may not make their regular commitments without the ability to receive a tax deduction. While JNF is legally contesting the CRA decision, I for one recently donated to JNF, not to receive a tax receipt, but because their work directly benefits the trees, agriculture, land, and communities in Israel. If not us, who will support JNF?

On our website, there over twenty more Tzedaka sources which benefit Israel. And without looking too hard, you will find hundreds of Tzedaka sites for Israel. Choose the one or ones that speak to you.

If there is any single Mitzvah that easily unites every Jew into a collective entity, it is the Mitzvah of Tzedakah. Perhaps that is why our Sages have taught, "Shekula Tzedaka K'Neged Kol Ha'Mitzvot - The Mitzvah of Tzedaka is analogous to all the other Mitzvot put together.

Gmar Chatima Tova,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Today, October 7th 

07/10/2024 09:21:13 AM

Oct7

Today, October 7th, marks the one-year anniversary of the worst tragedy in contemporary Jewish history since the Shoah. While we ordinarily commemorate Jewish occasions on their Hebrew date, it is noteworthy that we remember on both, October 7, and the Hebrew date of the horrors, Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah. I share with you the English translation of a special El Maleh Rachamim - Memorial prayer composed by the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel for this day. We will have recited it in Hebrew and in English at morning services:

"God of compassion, 

In a universe that lacked compassion

Grant tender rest

Beneath the wings of the Shekhinah.

In the broken spheres of human radiance

To the souls of each and every of the injured 

And the violated in the horrors

of the pogrom of October 7.

For the fear

That fell upon each man and woman,

elders, youth, and children;

our mouths do not know how to scream

Or put into words.

 

For we lament and mourn 

For them, for us,

Because of this our hearts are faint

because of these our eyes grown dim

Woe to us, for we are broken

Woe, for our homes were shattered

Our souls and bodies tormented

And our faces darkened. 

 

Therefore, Compassionate One

Reveal our torment to the world and for all time

And from one end of the earth to the other

May the silenced voices utter:

Guard our souls in the Land of Life

For life is our heritage

May we come in peace to healing

Please God, heal all the injured.

Please God, heal the families and caretakers.

Please God, hear and heal us all.

And let us say, Amen."

Rabbi Howard Morrison

 Rosh Hashanah sermon - A history of resilience

07/10/2024 09:18:42 AM

Oct7

A history of resilience

The history of confronting Jew hatred with resilience goes back 4000 years to Abraham and Sarah. The stories of an ancient Pharaoh, the Hittite cemetery owner Efron, Malki Tzedek (king of Salem)  and many others point to Abraham being hated for simply being a Hebrew, but also point to Abraham being resilient and holding his ground. This has continued to be our story for four thousand years.

Our Summer season connected our calendar to these High Holy Days. The saddest day of the year Tisha B'Av provided us with a history text book of one act of Jew hatred followed by another from the destruction of ancient Jerusalem, to the Crusades, Pogroms, and Inquisition of the Middle Ages, to the Shoah, and to this very day.

Consider the following examples of Jew-hated and resilience in our history:

Imagine if you had experienced the period surrounding and including the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem in 586BCE. All was lost. The Babylonians had conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the holy Temple. Much of Jewry had been exiled to Babylonia. How would you have responded?

Would you have been in despair? Sarcastic at the very least? For those who believed, some fifty years after the Exile, Jews returned to Israel and began to pave the way toward a Second Temple period. Resilience won the day.

Fast forward several hundred years later. Imagine if you had experienced the period surrounding and including the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in 70CE. All was lost. The Romans had conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the holy Temple. Much of Jewry had been exiled to Babylonia and beyond. How would you have responded?

Would you have been in despair? Sarcastic at the very least? For those who believed, just decades later, Sages living in Yavneh began to sow the seeds of the Mishna and Talmud. Judaism was reimagined and reinvigorated. Judaism could and would endure without a holy Temple and anywhere in the world. Resilience won the day.

Fast forward to the Spring of 1945. Eastern European Jewry had been slaughtered in under a decade. Six million Jewish lives had been lost. How would you have responded? 

Would you have been in despair? Sarcastic at the very least? For those who believed, the State of Israel was born three years later. Soon, Jewish life thrived in Israel, North America and other parts of the globe. Resilience won the day.

Fast forward to October 7, 2023, Simchat Torah in Israel, One of the happiest days on the Jewish calendar. The unthinkable happened - 1200 lives lost on a single day, babies butchered, women raped and murdered, safe houses turned into places of horror and brutality, hundreds taken hostage. 

In a year since, Israeli lives have been lost. Israeli lives have been displaced in Southern and Northern Israel, the lives of Jews and non-Jews. Twelve Druze children were murdered on a single day playing on a soccer field. Young Israelis, Jews and non-Jews, serving in the IDF, have made the ultimate sacrifice. Jews around the world have suffered from unprecedented surges in acts of anti-Semitism with little or no support from local government, our growing concerns regarding Iran, Hezbollah, etc.

And the list goes on in almost every city and country around the world - Take Canada and Ontario, specifically: Bomb threats, pro-Hamas demonstrations in Jewish residential areas, the shooting up of a girls' yeshiva nearby, the beating up of an elderly Jew at a peaceful protest held weekly at the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard, an anti-Palestinian racism policy formed by the Toronto District School Board (No protection for Jewish students!?), the Jewish National Fund losing its charitable status by the CRA during the Summer, etc.

Would you be in despair? Sarcastic at the very least?

The Haftarah for today, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, unites the seasons of Tisha B'Av and the High Holy Days. This morning, we read a Haftarah from the Prophet Jeremiah. He was the definitive prophet who experienced the destruction of the first Temple and the exile of the Jews to Babylonia. In today's prophetic lesson, he personifies Jerusalem as the matriarch Rachel weeping over the banishment of her children from their mother's home. She refuses to be comforted because her children are gone. This year, it feels like our Haftarah speaks to the indescribable sorrow following the horrific attack of Israel on October 7th. Many of us continue to feel like Rachel in today's Haftarah, still weeping , still unable to find comfort over the loss of so many innocent souls. 

For me, the Rachel of today's Haftarah echoes Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who became a symbol of hope for the hostages and their families. For some ten months, she spoke around the globe and prayed for the welfare and survival of her son, Hersh. We all know that Hersh and five other hostages were brutally slain during the Summer. Her prayers and hopes have become transformed from her SON'S survival to beseeching the soul of her son to look after OUR survival. 

Our Haftarah, while acknowledging the pain, also points the way to our people's ability to be resilient. The Haftarah exclaims, "There is a hope for your future; your children shall return to their country." From one Rachel to the next Rachel, connected by 2500 years of pain and resilience, we cry and yet we find Tikvah in God's promise for a better future.

History has taught us to be resilient time and time again. It is challenging to believe that a season of comfort, peace, and renewal will come when we are in the midst of a perilous time.  But believe and work toward that belief are vital.

My friends - We all witnessed the latest example of resilience on Tuesday afternoon our time. Israel endured over 1800 missiles from Iran with barely a scratch. Our people not only survived. In one instance, a wedding ceremony was completed in a bomb shelter. Soon after it was safe to go outside, people went about their business getting ready for Rosh Hashanah - buying and preparing food for this holiday, enjoying the outdoors and taking selfies with each other, and more.

Resilience got us through one perilous chapter after another. Resilience will win again.

Shana Tova U'Metuka!

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Rosh Hashanah sermon - 5785

07/10/2024 09:13:22 AM

Oct7

With the new year of 5785, I am beginning my twenty-fifth year with you at Beth Emeth. One of the best decisions in my life was accepting your invitation to move here with my family in the Summer of 2000. My boys, Elie and Yonah, were six and two respectively when I stood here on Rosh Hashanah a quarter of a century ago. Now, my young men, here in shul today, are 30 and 26. Elie is a meteorologist living in New York city, and Yonah intends to soon start a career as an air traffic controller in the United States.

For many years, my younger sister, Andrea, has joined us on Rosh Hashanah. I am thrilled that she is here today. On this Rosh Hashanah, my siblings and I are observing the twenty-fifth Yahrzeit of our dear mother, Helen Morrison. We remember her every day. May her memory always be for a blessing.

At a young age, my mother explained to me the derivation of my name. I am named Avraham Tzvi in Hebrew and Howard Bradley in English, in memory of my maternal great grandfather, Harry Abraham, who was Avraham Tzvi. Years ago, Andrea showed me his burial plot in Massachusetts. How did this Avraham Tzvi become Howard Bradley and not Harry Abraham? My mother preferred Howard over Harry. In the 1960's, Howard was a popular name. Now the dilemma for my mother - The initials of Howard Abraham Morrison would spell HAM, not very appropriate for a religious Jewish boy who would later become a rabbi. If you remove the "A" from Abraham, the next three letters are "B.R.A." thus BRADLEY. Nevertheless, my Hebrew name begins with Avraham for the middle name of my great grandfather, Abraham.

As we know, the very first Abraham-Avraham was our first patriarch and the founder of our faith, heritage, and history. It is interesting to note that while Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world, the Torah readings for both days take us back to the creation of the first Jewish family, Abraham and Sarah, four thousand years ago. The Talmud teaches us that God remembered Sarah's infertility on Rosh Hashanah. Our ancient tradition also teaches us that Abraham underwent ten divine tests upon being selected to parent a new faith and peoplehood. the tenth test is the most famous and which is the Torah reading for the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the binding of Isaac.

Today, I want to focus on one of the other tests experienced by Abraham, the founding patriarch of our people. It is a test that established his virtue at the outset of our history and which is relevant today as well. 

One of the more unusual stories is that of the battle of the kings. There were four kings from the West who fought five kings from the East. As a child reading this particular story, I always thought of it as being comparable to a professional wrestling battle royale, the likes of which one watches on WWE. However, in the serious truthfulness of this Biblical narrative, the kings from the East captured Lot, Abraham's nephew, and Lot's family, taking them as hostages.

News of Lot's capture reached Abraham, who was deeply concerned for his nephew's safety. Despite the risks, Abraham gathered a small army, three hundred and eighteen of his own men, and set out to rescue Lot. 

We should remember that some time earlier, Lot's shepherds had quarreled with Abraham's shepherds, resulting in the permanent separation of these two segments of a single family. Regardless of internal differences, there was no doubt that a Hebrew, to be called a Jew in later history, was going to do everything possible to save and protect a member of his family and peoplehood.

With determination and courage, Abraham and his men pursued the enemy kings. In a surprise attack, they defeated the enemy forces and rescued Lot and the other hostages. 

The Midrash, ancient rabbinic commentary, elaborates on Abraham's bravery in rescuing Lot and his cunning strategy. The Midrash portrays Abraham as a skilled warrior. It suggests that Abraham was an expert in military tactics and devised a clever plan to defeat the powerful kings who captured Lot. Abraham must have been an expert tactician since his 318 men were probably not a match for the various kings and their greater armies. Other Midrashim emphasize that Abraham's success in the battle was due to Divine intervention.

The story of Abraham and the war of the kings and the modern war between Israel and Hamas are distinct historical events separated by millennia. While both involved conflict and force, drawing distinct parallels between these two situations can be challenging. But there is some merit in lessons that can be learned. After all, we have the expression, "Maaseh Avot Siman Labanim - The deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children." This ancient rabbinic notion reflects the idea that the actions and behaviors of one's ancestors or predecessors can serve as a guide or lesson for future generations.

By studying the actions and consequences of past generations, individuals can learn from their successes and mistakes, and apply those lessons to their own lives. What moral and ethical lessons can we learn from Abraham rescuing his nephew/hostage Lot to today's conflict with Hamas holding over 100 hostages almost one year later?

  1. Pikuach Nefesh - The saving of life. This is a fundamental concept of Jewish tradition and ethics. It implies that saving a life takes precedence over almost all other religious commandments. 
  2. Justice and Righteousness - The Torah emphasizes the pursuit of justice and righteousness. "Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof - Justice, justice, shall you pursue," says the Torah. Rescuing hostages can be seen as a manifestation of these values, as it involves freeing the unjustly oppressed, and upholding justice.
  3. Pidyon Shevuyim - Redeeming of captives. Jewish law underscores the importance of rescuing captives/hostages whenever possible. The story of Abraham rescuing Lot is the first such story in the Torah which emphasized how important it was to rescue one's kin and restore them to safety.
  4. Moral courage - Through the story of Abraham, the Torah encourages us to exhibit moral courage and take action when we witness injustice or the suffering of others. We cannot stand idly by and do nothing, another Mitzvah stated explicitly in the Torah. 

This past May, twenty-one of us from Beth Emeth journeyed to Israel on a solidarity mission to offer support in the wake of October 7th and its aftermath. On this Rosh Hashanah of 5785, each of us and every Jew around the world enters the new year with grief,anger and sadness over what has transpired in Israel, here in Canada, and in many Jewish communities around the world. Many of us sit today in shock over the way Israel and the Jewish people have been targeted and attacked by people who we thought were friends, by evil enemies of the Jewish people, by hired outsiders to spread their venom, and even by echelons of government. 

Except for we the Jewish people and very few others, the world has turned a blind eye to what transpired on October 7, to the plight of hostages who were kidnapped on that day, and for the unknown whereabouts of over a hundred precious people right now. Every day, we pray for the hostages and sing Am Yisrael Chai with fervor and passion. Last May, our Beth Emeth delegation visited among other places the Nova Festival site and hostage square. We also met and heard Rachel Goldberg-Polin when she and her son, Hersh, were the beacons of our hope. Today, I dedicate my remarks to the hostages who have been rescued, to the hostages who have perished, and to the hostages for whom we still pray. Thus, I have shared a Torah lesson about the very first hostage situation in Jewish history, when Abraham's nephew, Lot and family were taken hostage, and how Abraham responded.

Our tradition provides us with a moral ethical framework for approaching our overwhelming challenges today. When we read about Abraham rescuing his nephew Lot and his extended family who were taken hostage, let us take note of the lessons to be learned. Yes, we need to have expert tacticians who know how to fight and win. At the same time, we also need to have Divine intervention and guidance. May the same God who helped Abraham fight and win during his ancient battle of the kings help Am Yisrael win the battle against terrorism, and safely bring back our hostages. 

Am Yisrael Chai!!!!!!

I wish us all Ketiva v'Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ushering in 5785

02/10/2024 09:23:26 AM

Oct2

The new year of 5785 is rendered in Hebrew by the letters: Tav, Shin, Pay, Hay. The last two letters are also an abbreviation for the words "Petach Ha'Ohel - the opening of the tent."

The very first Jewish couple, Abraham and Sarah, were known for their kindness by opening their tent to those in need, as illustrated by the Biblical narrative of the three passersby.

The Jewish home is modeled from the first Jewish family - an open and welcoming home. Likewise, the Huppa is covered on top and open on the sides.

The modern State of Israel has prided itself on being an open home. The law of return guarantees any Jew in the world a home in Israel. As the only democratic country in the area, Israel is home to many non-Jews, including Christians, Muslims, Druze  Bahai, and others.

For safety and security this past year, the entrances to our homes, our synagogues, and our homeland have had to be extra careful.

May the new year be filled with peace so that we can reclaim the ideals of "Petach Ha'Ohel - The opening of our tents."

Shana Tova U'Metuka
Rabbi Howard Morrison

 Nitzavim-Vayelech/ Torah anew

30/09/2024 09:54:04 AM

Sep30

This past week, a number of us helped to change all the Torah mantles to white in preparation for the High Holy Days. Already, we have begun to roll some of the Torahs to their proper places for reading on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and the like. It seems like almost every day for the upcoming month, we will be reading from the Torah.

This was not always the case. In fact, if we observed the Torah literally without any interpretation or historical development, our services would be much shorter. In our double portion today, we learn that every seventh year during Sukkot did Moses read the Torah before all of Israel. This public reading was called "Hakhel," an all-out gathering for men, women, and children. It is not clear what was actually read in those Biblical times. Suffice to say, if the Torah were read only once every seven years, would it have any staying power upon us?

When the Jews returned to Israel from Babylonia after the first exile and prepared for the second Temple period, Ezra the scribe, the forerunner of the ancient rabbis, legislated that the Torah would be read on Shabbat,  Monday and Thursday. Thus, the Torah would be read three times a week. Why Monday and Thursday? Those were public market days in the period of Ezra. In later Talmudic history, the Sages compared the Torah to water, both being sources of life. Just as the Israelites never went more than three days in the desert without water, so too, we should never go more than three days without a formal reading of Torah. Do the math Monday/Thursday/Shabbat; we never go more than three days without Torah, and that is without intervening holidays.

During the early Talmudic period, Babylonian practice was to read the entire Parsha every Shabbat. In ancient Israel, the Torah was read over a three-year period. It would take three weeks to read a single Parsha. Contemporary liberal synagogues which read on a triennial basis do not adhere to the ancient practice in Israel. A modern system was devised for such congregations. When the Parsha was read in antiquity before the era of books in the pews, a Gabbai on the side of the Torah reader was called a "Meturgeman." He translated and interpreted the Biblical Hebrew into Aramaic, the language that Babylonian Jews knew as their vernacular. Thus, the Torah was not meant to be read robotically, but to be studied, understood, and analyzed. These days, we are blessed with various books containing all sorts of commentaries from the past to the present. We should perpetually be challenged and inspired to find new insights in our age-old words and passages.

Years ago, I attended a discussion on how to abbreviate a service if necessary. I remember one colleague quoting a teacher who said - If the words of the prayers are our words to God, and the words of the Torah are God's words to us, where would you abbreviate if necessary? I have always been a proponent of reading the whole parsha each and every Shabbat.

Over the next few weeks, we will conclude the final portions in the Five books of the Torah. We will also insert thematic selections for the Yom Tov season. Soon enough, on Simchat Torah, which will mark the anniversary of October 7th, we will begin to read the Torah anew. It has been quite a year since we concluded and began anew the Torah last Fall. Our hope and prayer, as we enter the new year and a new cycle of holy days, is that the next Torah reading cycle will be filled with peace and well-being for all of Israel and Jews around the world. May we follow the weekly portions more devoutly in the coming year and glean new insights to refine the purpose of our lives.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Nitzvavim/Vayelech - How will you stand this new year?

24/09/2024 09:00:49 AM

Sep24

On the last day of his life, Moses assembles the entirety of the Children of Israel and exclaims: "You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God." In the opening six verses of the Parsha, the term "Ha'Yom-This day" appears five times. Why the repetition? On one level, "This day" refers to the day that Moses will day. In subsequent rabbinic literature, "Ha'Yom" refers to Yom Kippur in particular and the High Holy Day season in general. The five-time repetition of "Ha'Yom" could possibly mean that each and every day of our lives we stand as individuals and as a community before God.

How are we Jews standing right now, given the past year of tragic events? How will we stand in an unprecedented new year which has not known of such horrors since the days of the Shoah? Will we stand in fear? Will we stand hidden from our Jewish identities? Will we choose to not stand as Jews at all?

I hope and pray that now and into the new year, we will stand with courage, hope, faith, and optimism. Always feel assured to lean on your family, community, and rabbi. We need to stand firmly and proudly always and especially nowadays.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ki Tavo - When you enter the land

23/09/2024 09:31:21 AM

Sep23

Soon before my last year of rabbinical school, the seminary administrators took two baskets. In one, they placed the names of the upcoming seniors. In the other, they placed the names of the weekly Torah portions which would be read during the academic year. The Fall semester would begin with today's Parsha of Ki Tavo. Wouldn't you know it, the name of the student plucked from the corresponding basket for the first Shabbat of the school year was "Howard Morrison." Thus, Ki Tavo is very dear to me. It was my senior sermon Shabbat on which I delivered a sermon in front of faculty, classmates, family, and friends.

The portion is about "entering." Back in the Fall of 1986, for me, this Torah lesson was preparing me to enter the rabbinate and to begin a lifelong career, now, thirty-seven years in the congregational rabbinate, with twenty four of those years right here at Beth Emeth.

The Pshat, or plain meaning of the opening section, envisions the imminent time when the Children of Israel would enter the land of Israel and experience their first harvest. At Shavuot time, the Israelites would take baskets of first fruits and present them to the Kohen in the Tabernacle as a gift of gratitude for their lives, their history, and for the privilege of being in the promised land. Upon bringing the first fruits, our ancestors would recount their history, harkening back to the travails of Abraham and Jacob; enduring oppression in Egypt, and ultimately being liberated to the point of entering a land flowing with milk and honey, providing for the vulnerable of society, and rejoicing before God with what they had.

How relevant our Parsha is right now. Many of us are angry, sad, and grief stricken over the past year, and rightly so. However, we also need even more so to be grateful for our personal wellbeing, our families, and our community. We need to rejoice in our beautiful and historic synagogue. We have to celebrate that we have a State and Land of Israel over which to be concerned. While travel to Israel has been and continues to be challenging over this past year, anyone I have spoken to who has been to Israel has been only grateful and celebratory for the time they had, whether it was to visit family, volunteer, go on a solidarity mission, or just to be there.

Our tradition commands us not to rejoice at the downfall of our enemy. When we celebrate Pesach, we do not rejoice at the downfall of our foes, but we do celebrate our internal victory. While Israel has never wanted to be at war, we Jews around the world have a right to celebrate modestly what Israel accomplished this past week against Hezbolah in Lebanon. While over a hundred thousand Jews have been displaced from their homes in the North; while thousands of missiles have been hurled at Israel indiscriminately; while 12 Druze children were murdered indiscriminately while playing soccer a couple of months ago; while six Israelis were shot in the backs of their heads after surviving ten months in underground tunnels;  while the horrors perpetrated against our people on October 7th were performed indiscriminately - - - - - Israel was precise and targeted this past week, using the latest in modern technology to explode pagers and walkie-talkies handled by Hezbolah terrorists. We do have reason to celebrate even briefly while confronting the worst year in Jewish history since the Shoah.

From the moment that our ancestors entered the land, they were honest about the challenges of their history. They recited their ups and downs out loud, even as they rejoiced with pride about their covenant with God and their place in the world as Israel. At Pesach time, we sit down and recite exactly what our agricultural ancestors recited when they first entered the land almost four thousand years ago. The Haggadah, based on the opening of today's Parsha, is framed by the Sages as "Matchil B'Gnut U'Mesayem B'Shevach - We begin with degradation but we end with praise." Our Jewish way has always had us be honest, open, and transparent, but to also always be positive, hopeful and affirming.

Now, we need that lesson more than ever. With the HHD approaching in under two weeks and challenges abounding in Israel and wherever Jews live, let us be honest, open, and transparent about our situation, but also to be positive, hopeful, and affirming.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Fri, 13 December 2024 12 Kislev 5785