Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

In this week's Parsha of Shlach, we read the famous narrative of the twelve tribal chieftains who are sent to investigate the promised land. In later Scripture, they are called "spies," but not in the original episode. As many of us know, ten come back with an editorialized account of what they have seen. They fill their report with falsehoods and personal opinions, inciting a panic among the people. Only Joshua and Caleb return with a factual, faithful, and positive report. Ultimately, after the entire nation is punished to wander in the desert for a total of forty years, only Joshua and Caleb will enter the promised land from the generation that had been liberated from Egypt.

The reporting of the ten leaders reminds us of the false and editorialized reporting taking place in our day regarding Israel and the Jewish people. It is this kind of propaganda which has led to outbreaks of Anti-Semitic verbal and physical violence around the world. In the Biblical incident, the root cause came from within our people. Nowadays, all Jews regardless of belief and practice, are victimized by external forces.

A generation after the Torah's account, Joshua leads the Children of Israel into the promised land. In this week's Haftarah, he sends two representatives to investigate the city of Jericho. This time around, belief and optimism prevail. A more mature nation,  now settled in Israel forty plus years after the Exodus from Egypt, is confident in its faith and purpose. The Haftarah's narrative is a model lesson for us.

As Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav wrote, "The entire world is a narrow bridge, but the important thing is not to be afraid."

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

I am truly blessed. I had the best mom and dad in the world. Many of you know of my mother's Yahrzeit because it falls out on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. I dedicate my sermon to her memory every year. My dad passed away June 7, 1999, the twenty-third of Sivan, some three months prior to my mom's passing. Tonight will be the twenty-second Yahrzeit of Ruben Morrison. In this week's Parsha, the tribe of Reuven is mentioned at the outset of the Torah portion, and the name Moshe permeates the Torah lesson. My father's Hebrew name was Reuven ben Moshe. While my dad was the third oldest of six siblings, like Reuven the oldest of Jacob's sons in the Bible, my father served as the oldest brother to his two immediate younger brothers. As an elementary school age child, those three brothers were being raised by a particular foster family in New York.

Not having a warm and fuzzy childhood, my dad expressed love and fun in his own way when my siblings and I were young. We knew he loved us. The hugs and kisses came, but to play ball with his two boys was not part of his DNA. Around the time I was completing high school, my dad truly became my best friend and confidante. As I was maturing, I understood him better and appreciated the background in which he was raised. As I ventured into university and a series of part time jobs, dad was my go to guy for just about everything. When I assumed the position of a part-time rabbi in the Bronx during my second to last year of rabbinical school, mom and dad visited me at my first shul. I still have a photograph to prove it. My dad had grown up not far from that shul in the Bronx during the 1920's and 1930's. My parents also saw me in action when I served as a full time rabbi in Union, New Jersey and Wantagh, New York. 

My father died a little over a year before I assumed my current rabbinical duties at Beth Emeth. He never got to witness the Bar Mitzvahs of his two grandsons in Toronto. Yet, so much of his spirit resides in my boys. Elie is known for his precision in the way he works as a meteorologist in Michigan. My dad, an architect and construction engineer, excelled in precision. Yonah is mechanically inclined and can envision a final product in his mind from the inception of an idea. So was my dad when he designed plans which would become a blueprint and soon after an actual building in the Boston area. 

My father trained to become a Chalutz in New Jersey at a Hachshara farm preparing to make Aliyah before he went to university and met my mom. Although he never did make Aliyah, his Zionism and love for Israel filled my childhood home. My own love for Judaism and for Israel comes from both my parents. These commitments are now shared by my grown children. Elie is an unofficial advisor to the only synagogue in Alpena, Michigan. Yonah recently completed three years in Israel as a lone soldier. 

My dad received very little Jewish education as a child because of the depression. Nevertheless, he was an observant Jew, a shul goer, and a virtual one man house committee in my childhood synagogue. He was my best friend. When people ask me about the most significant sources of Jewish inspiration and education in my life, the answers are Ruben and Helen Morrison, of blessed memories.

Tonight, I will proudly and sadly observe my father's twenty-second Yahrzeit. "Yhi Zichro Baruch - May the memory of Reuven ben Moshe V'Chaya be for a blessing."

With love,

Rabbi Howard Morrison - Avraham Tzvi ben Reuven V'Chana Fruma

Dear Congregational Family,

When slander leads to Anti-Semitism - Parshat B'haalotcha  (May 29, 2021 - 18 Sivan 5781)

I wish to focus on two texts from today's Parsha, which I referred to in blogs I wrote this past week. The first narrative appears at the very end of today's portion. Miriam speaks against Moses to her brother Aaron. This story underscores the perils of Lashon Ha'ra - slander, gossip, malicious speech. Commentaries vary as to what Miriam's purpose was. Maybe she was protecting the integrity of Moses' wife, whom Moses had neglected in his service to the Jewish people. Maybe she was prejudiced that Moses' wife was a Cushite, from a part of Midian, with a different culture and ethnicity. Who knows for sure? Regardless, Miriam sought to degrade and bring down Moses by smearing him falsely to their sibling, Aaron. Fortunately, in this vignette, Moses is unharmed because of his modesty. Miriam is critiqued and punished right away. Moses even prays for her wellbeing.

Our entire history has been filled with slander, gossip, and malicious speech perpetrated against our people. Every generation knows of it. During the Israel-Hamas war and in its aftermath,  Lashon Ha'ra directed against Israel and the Jewish people has filled almost every part of the globe. The words and expressions are just so graphic. How ridiculous it is when certain  politicians vilify Israel with the worst of lies one day and then speak against Anti-Semitism to their local Jewish community the next day. 

One year ago this week, the expression, "Black lives matter" became well known. From Torah times to today, we Jews have been taught to be empathetic when any group feels oppressed. As an example, many American Jews walked along side their Black neighbors during the civil rights marches of the 1960's. 

In the last two weeks, we have heard: Death to Jews; a Jewish diner assaulted in Los Angeles; A New York Jew wearing a Kippah beaten up in Times Square; the hashtag - Hitler was right; or, Covid 1948 - implying that Israel is a virus that needs the cure of Hamas's rockets as a vaccine; an elderly Jew beaten up last weekend near Nathan Phillips Square; Jews in Thornhill afraid to display Walk with Israel signs on their lawns; and this list of verbal and physical acts derived from Lashon Ha'ra goes on and on.

Unlike the Miriam story, slander left unchecked leads to the obscene horrors we have seen, heard, and read  happening all over the world in recent days.

Jewish lives matter! Jewish lives matter! What corporate executive, academic institution, or recognized political leader has denounced the Anti-Semitism of the last two weeks???? Here in Canada, I did read a statement against Anti-Semitism which also included being against Islamophobia, racism, and more. On the one hand, these words are welcome. However, it is not enough. Such words equate Anti-Semitism with other evils. Over the last two weeks, only Jews are being targeted everywhere. Where is the singular definitive stand against Anti-Semitism? period!

The second text is well known to us all because we say it every time the Ark is opened and closed in the Torah service. The origin of these words appears in two verses in today's Parsha, surrounded by two inverted Nuns. In Aramaic, a Nun means a fish. The inverted Nun refers to the Kosher fish and its ability to swim against the current. Has this not been our history? Having to swim against the current in every generation? In antiquity, the Torah tells us,  "When the portable Ark moved forward, Moses would say, Advance O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered." In this instance, we may know the Hebrew better than the English, "Vayehi Binsoah Ha'Aron, Vayomer Moshe, Kumah Adonai V'Yafutzu Oyvecha."

In the Midrash known as the Sifrei, the question is asked, "Can there be enemies of the One who spoke and the world came into being? The verse informs us that whoever hates Israel is as if he hates the Omnipresent." The ancient commentary suggests that those bent on the destruction of the Jewish people regard us as the standard bearers of truth, justice, and the representation of God's Torah. For this reason, they persecute us and hate us. In line with this Midrash, the 19th century scholar, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch wrote, "Moses was aware that enemies would rise up against the Torah from the moment it was given. Its demands for justice and altruism were bound to antagonize aggressors and tyrants and stand in the way of their designs. The Torah's call to holiness would not only arouse hatred, but also active persecution."

Who are the enemies that we want scattered?  My colleague, Rabbi Michael Gold, writes: "The enemies are all those who would subtract from human dignity. The enemies are the Anti-Semites, the racists, the bigots, the haters of the world. The enemy is anyone who fails to see the dignity of other human beings. It is those who would follow in the steps of the Nazis by seeing some people as less than human, as mere vermin. The enemy is those who think hate speech is alright. If the Torah is about loving your neighbor, then the enemies are those who hate their neighbour."

So what is the message at the center of our Torah service when we recite, "Kumah Adonai V'Yafutzu Oyvecha - Advance O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered?" Rabbi Gold adds, "Let those who practice hate be scattered and let love pour out. Let love overcome hate. The message when we take out the Torah is not to kill the enemy, but to transform the enemy. It is to take a message of hate and overpower it with a message of love. Ideally, we would want to make our enemy into our friend. A lesser ideal is to live in a peaceful co-existence." At the very least, may haters of the Jewish people be scattered from being a threat to our very existence.

In his famous statement, now a well known song, Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav wrote, "Kol Ha'Olam Kulo Gesher Tzar M'od, V'Ha'Ikar Lo L'Fached Klal - The entire world is a narrow bridge, but the main thing is not to fear."

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

When one kindles Shabbat or Festival candles, one recites the words, "L'hadlik ner - to light the candle." At the outset of this week's parsha, the Kohain is instructed to light the Tabernacle Menorah. The Hebrew verb for lighting is not the familiar "l'hadlik," but rather, "B'ha'alotcha - When you make the lights rise."

In his commentary, Rashi explains, "Because the flame rises upward ("olah"), an expression denoting "ascending" is used for kindling the lights, implying that one must kindle them until the light ascends of itself."

Many of us are familiar with the term "aliyah - rising upward." When one is called up to the Torah, one is having an aliyah. When one immigrates to Israel, one is making aliyah.

After a person dies and leaves this world, many people will say, "May the neshama (soul) have an aliyah. There is even a religious textbook used for children called by that expression. In traditional Jewish belief, while the body dies, the soul leaves the body at the moment of death. Countless ideas have been proposed as to what happens to the soul, or to where it goes. Suffice to say, the neshama (soul) being spiritual and not physical contains eternal life and lives on forever. 

When we light a shiva candle, we are reminded of the Biblical verse from Proverbs, "Ner Hashem Nishmat Adam - The human soul is likened to a flame kindled unto God." Through the ritual of the shiva candle, we are petitioning that the neshama of a loved one should rise to spiritual lofty heights.

While a Kohain is not commanded to make the lights rise in an official menorah nowadays, we make the lights rise every time we kindle a flame. When we do so at times of shiva, yahrzeit, and yizkor, may the flame remind us of the eternity in the souls of our precious loved ones.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational family,

At the end of this week's Torah portion, B'Ha'Alot'cha, we read how Miriam gossiped to Aaron about Moses. Much of Judaism's teachings about lashon ha'ra - gossip, slander, false speech, etc. can be traced back to this one story. In it, Miriam is directly punished. Aaron's punishment is less apparent in the text. In rabbinic literature, we learn that gossip is worse than murder because in the case of gossip, three people are involved - the speaker, the listener, and the object of the conversation.

There are many commentaries which attempt to explain the nature and purpose of Miriam's slander. One interpretation picks up on the Biblical statement, "because of the Cushite woman he (Moses) had married." Could it be that Miriam was prejudiced based on ethnicity or race? Interestingly, Miriam's punishment consists of her skin turning white as snow.

Over many decades and during the past year in particular, race and ethnicity have become important and even polarizing issues in the world around us. A year ago, "black lives matter" became a recognized expression after tragic deaths in the United States. As Jews, we have a history of being empathetic to any group which feels oppressed or degraded. In the 1960's, American Jews marched in the Civil Rights movement because of shared experiences of being persecuted based on religion, ethnicity, and race. 

Jewish lives matter too. Why is it that almost no-one is willing to recognize that Hamas initiated the war with Israel? In the United States and Canada, Jewish lives and institutions are being assaulted with barely a response from civilized society. Any statements I have seen condemning Anti-Semitism also add in other expressions of support for other groups. I have not seen any specific statement that has been exclusive to the rights of Jews to live freely and safely. When will our neighbors march for Jewish civil rights? It would seem that we Jews must be pro-active in taking care of our freedoms when no-one is willing to stand with us.

Jewish lives also matter.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

To all of our Beth Emeth member families in Israel, please let our shul recognize your commitment of living in our historic homeland, surrounded by the threats of enemies on all sides. Please let us know your email and other contact information so that we can connect with you.

As we express our concern for Israel as a whole, I want to reach out to our Beth Emeth families in Israel. A Zionist congregation, many of our members have chosen to live in Israel for brief periods or life long commitments 

Over the years, many individuals and families have made permanent Aliyah.

Many individuals have spent time studying in a variety of academic programs.

Many adults have participated in Sar-el, volunteering in Israel.

Many young adults have served in the lone soldier program.

Now, any number of our Olim, immigrants to Israel, have been called into military service.

We support you and pray for your physical, spiritual, and emotional well being.

We are one people, whether we live in Diaspora or Israel. Let us stay connected.

" Chaverim Kol Yisrael - All of Israel is one fellowship/connection."

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, this past Monday was to have been a day of full celebration. The liberation of the old city, the redemption of the Kotel, and the victory of our small nation over invading armies, are all reasons for a full celebration. At Beth Emeth, we correctly omitted Tachanun and included a full Hallel, Ha'Tikvah, and the sounding of the Shofar.

While our praise and celebration were full in terms of liturgy, the joy of the day, however, was diminished. Sadly once again, terrorist attacks from Southern Israel have befallen our people. The world stands silent. Malicious false propaganda goes unchecked. The Jewish people feel alone.

All too often, we have to confront evil which is forced upon us.

While there is no acceptable explanation or justification for terror and evil, we Jews have had to learn over four thousand years how to praise and celebrate our Jewishness in full even when the joy has been tragically diminished.

Pray for the "Shlemut," the wholeness and peace of Jerusalem and Israel.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

On this coming Sunday, we will celebrate Mother's Day. Over the years, my mother taught me that in Judaism, every day is a mother's and father's day. Nevertheless, she never turned back the gifts that I brought her on the second Sunday in May.

In ten days, we will celebrate the Festival of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah. Many Jews think of the Ten Commandments as the symbol and outline of the entire Torah. In it, "Honor your father and your mother" is the fifth commandment. It is the one that unifies all the commandments together. It is found with the first five statements, which define our relationship with God. Who else but our parents are the ones to nourish us when we are young with the values of our faith and heritage? The same commandment links the remaining ones which enhance our relationship with society at large.

I wish all the mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers a healthy and happy  Mother's Day. May your families honour and appreciate all that you do for them.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This week, we read Parshat Bhar. This was my Bar Mitzvah portion, which I read at the Western Wall in 1973. I kiddingly refer to it as my "Bhar Mitzvah" Parsha. Much of the content deals with observances that are contingent on the land of Israel. The very beginning and end serve as bookends. The opening verses speak of a Shabbat for the land itself, called Shemita, the origin of the word "Sabbatical." Every seventh year, the land of Israel rests. Since re-entry into Israel after 1948, different rabbinic  interpretations suggest that the land should once again rest in one of a variety of ways. 

The very end of the Parsha reaffirms personal observance of Shabbat, "You shall safeguard my Sabbaths." Back in 1973, I had the privilege of keeping two Sabbaths with my family in Israel, and I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah on the second Shabbat while in Jerusalem.

This year, more than ever, we need Parshat Bhar and its directives for the land and the people to have Shabbat. We continue to mourn the loss of life, and we grieve over the many injuries, all of which occurred during Lag Ba'Omer. Both, a  people and its land, would benefit from the peace, serenity, and tranquility that Shabbat provides.

How appropriate that Parshat Bhar comes at a time when its lessons are so relevant.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Today is Lag Ba'Omer. Today is the definitive day of rejoicing during the counting of the Omer. Originally, the entire seven week period was meant to be a time of joy anticipating the journey from Egypt to Sinai, and counting each intervening day with spiritual excitement.

Sadly over the years, historical tragedies entered this season of the year: The genocide surrounding the Bar Kochba revolt, the deaths of thousands and thousands of students of Rabbi Akiva, the medieval Crusades, pogroms, and massacres, the designated date of Yom Ha'Shoah. All of these and more took place during the seven week period known as Sefirat Ha'Omer.

The one definitive day of joy that has always stood out has been Lag Ba'Omer. On this day, the deaths of Rabbi Akiva's students came to an end. On this day, one celebrated the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron in Northern Israel. On this day, one celebrated his Kabbalistic influences, which have inspired the recitation of  daily value concepts when counting the Omer.

As many of us learned yesterday, tragedy befell our people who were celebrating Lag Ba'Omer in and near Mount Meron. Some forty-four people have died, and over a hundred people are seriously injured, as result of a terrible accident.

Now is not the time to intellectually analyze. Now is the time to join our brothers and sisters in grieving, empathizing, and comforting. As recounted in the book of Lamentations, "Our dancing has turned into mourning."

In shul tomorrow, I will expand on these words, and we will recite selected Tehilim-Psalms, passages of comfort to be recited at a time of pain and duress.

Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh La'Zeh - All of Israel is bound to one another, the Talmud teaches us, at times of joy or sadness.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

The Parsha titles of last week's and this week's portions are called "Acharei Mot, Kdoshim, Emor." As a single statement, the words are translated as "After one's death, one must speak of that person's holiness."

How true this is when we honor the memory of a loved one at a funeral, shiva, and beyond. Eulogizing goes back to the very first death in Judaism when Abraham eulogized Sarah after her passing. To this day, the rituals associated with Yahrzeit and Yizkor help us to continuing memorializing our loved ones.

Perhaps a lesson learned, however, is not to wait for one's death before we recognize that person's sanctity. How many of us honor and recognize those dear to us in life? How often do we regret not telling dear ones how much we loved them before it was too late?

Yes - say positive true things about a person after death.

Yes - say positive true things to that person in life

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This past Shabbat, the double portion of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim was read. These two portions occupy the center of the entire Torah and are part of a section known as the holiness code. Given the Covid  centered world in which we currently live, one particular verse stands out in my mind for everyone and which is particularly relevant for our Beth Emeth community this week.

In Leviticus 18:15, we read, "You shall keep My rules and My laws, by the pursuit of which one shall live by them (Va'chai Ba'hem). . . "

From this single verse, our tradition teaches us that all commandments, excluding murder, incest, and idolatry, are set aside for "Pikuach Nefesh - saving a human life." One is specifically commanded to violate the Torah to save one's life in order to live by the Torah afterward. The words "Va'Chai Ba'hem - And live by them" are meant to teach us that we shall not die by our observance of Judaism.

As you know, for the first time since livestream equipment was installed last Summer, we did not offer a Shabbat morning service this past weekend. Due to a potential Covid exposure which might have taken effect on the previous Shabbat, the entire clergy team was mandated by governmental health protocols to stay away from shul and observe a fourteen day quarantine. Speaking for myself, I took a Covid test Friday afternoon and found out after Shabbat that I tested negative. Of course, our on line services and programs will continue. Given that the quarantine will end on this coming Friday, we fully intend to provide a Shabbat morning service next Shabbat.

In our personal and collective lives, we all understand that safeguarding life comes before all else. The words of this past Shabbat's Torah lesson makes our understanding of life first very clear. Especially during this past year of Covid related concerns, let us remember to do our utmost best in safeguarding our lives even as we do our utmost best to safeguard Jewish practice.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

In secular culture, one counts downward in anticipation of celebratory events. One might say something like "only such and such number of days to go until my birthday, or some other occasion."

At this season of the year in Judaism, we are counting upward, as we anticipate the Festival of Shavuot. The second night of Pesach was day one in the count. Today is day twenty-four. After forty-nine days of counting in total, we will have arrived at Shavuot. The ritual of counting upward simulates for us the physical and spiritual journey our ancestors faced from the time of the Exodus to the time of their encampment at Mount Sinai.

During this challenging pandemic, it is important that we stay as positive as possible by looking upward and not downward. At Beth Emeth, it is noteworthy that on the Monday and Thursday mornings this week and next week, I will have been in shul officiating a Shacharit service with either a baby naming or a Bar-Mitzvah. While the celebrant families know they are restricted to a very small gathering in our sanctuary, they are grateful to celebrate their milestones in the synagogue, while inviting their guests to join on Zoom or livestream. 

For four thousand years, Jewish life has had to confront  many threats and challenges. For the most part, we have persevered and moved forward in a positive direction. Our historical experience is symbolized by the Israelite journey from Egypt to Sinai, and by the daily seven week ritual of counting the Omer in an upward direction.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This week, we find ourselves in the midst of a journey on different levels.

We transition from the third to to fourth week in counting the Omer. The totality of seven weeks of counting connect Passover with Shavuot. This week, we are right in the middle. What  are we doing to integrate the spiritual roller coaster ride of Spring which takes us on an up and down journey from Pesach to Yom Ha'Shoah to Yom Ha'Zikaron to Yom Ha'Atzmaut to Yom Yerushalayim to Shavuot and the historical sadness associated with the Omer period?

We find ourselves smack in the middle of the five books of the Torah. The double Parsha of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim is the midpoint. Our Sages teach us that the majority of the fundamental principles of the entire Torah are found in Kedoshim. The Ten Commandments are indirectly found as we encounter the midpoint of the Torah.

It is customary to study the six chapter treatise called Pirkei Avot, The wisdom of the Sages, during the six Shabbatot between Pesach and Shavuot. This coming Shabbat marks chapter three in the journey through Pirkei Avot. In our weekly Tuesday class started virtually last year, we are in the beginning of chapter four. Feel free to join our group or study these brief inspirational maxims on your own. Most complete Siddurim contain Pirkei Avot.

A year ago, we probably thought that the pandemic would be finished by now. It is clearly not over. Hopefully, we are past the mid point, but who knows for sure? While vaccinations are on the rise, so are actual cases. I encourage everyone to continue exercising caution. We are still in the midst of journeying through the pandemic.

We are in the midst of the midpoint on many things right now. May we be inspired by our calendar, our Torah portion, our rabbinic literature, and may we be aware of what needs to happen while we continue to confront Covid-19.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison