Rabbi Howard Morrison

In Parshat Vaera, Pharaoh hardens his heart during the first five plagues, and God hardens Pharaoh's heart during the last five plagues. How is Pharaoh to blame if God was determining his course of behavior? It is suggested by a number of the classical commentaries that Pharaoh had free will throughout. That is why at first, he hardened his own heart. Once his heart was as rigid as stone, he could not change. God was confirming the Pharaoh's own nature.

Perhaps one could say the same of Hitler, Yimach Shmo. He hardened his own heart. Even at the end of the war when he knew the Allied Forces would win the day, his heart continued to be as rigid as stone.

Friday January 27 marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date was established by the United Nations to commemorate the memory and the end of the Shoah, symbolized by the liberation of Auschwitz on this date.  Within the Jewish community, we have our own dates, Yom Ha'Shoah in the Spring and the anniversary of Kristallnacht in the Fall.

It is noteworthy that the civilized world has set a universal date as well. While the Jews were targeted for annihilation, millions of others perished as well. While the term Holocaust should apply only to the horrors of 1933-1945, its consequences and moral implications apply to all peoples and at all times.

I encourage everyone to commemorate this date appropriately.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

This Shabbat, we read the last portion in Sefer Bereishit - the Book of Genesis. It is called "Vayechi Yaakov - Jacob lived." Euphemistically, however, the narrative describes the final events in Jacob's life leading up to his death. In his final chapter, Jacob has his son Joseph vow that his father will not be buried in Egypt. Jacob blesses his grandchildren and children, offering each of them personalized lessons and aspirations. Living to a ripe old age, Jacob is able to prepare for his eventual passing and hand down life lessons to future generations.

As I write this message, I, like many sports fans and moral citizens, continue to be shaken by the collapse of Buffalo Bills safety, twenty-four-year-old Damar Hamlin. An avid football fan, I was watching the Bills-Bengals game when the world witnessed the collapse of this young football player. At the moment of this writing, Hamlin continues to fight for his life and is listed in critical condition at a hospital in Cincinnati.

At the end of the day, football is just a game, and life is delicate and sacred. It was correct and ethical that the NFL postponed the game and focused on a young man fighting for his life.

I hope and pray that soon we can say "Damar Hamlin lives." Our thoughts and prayers go to him, his family and to his entire community. The horror witnessed this past Monday night on a football field reminds us how fragile and sacred life is. May we use the new calendar year of 2023 to truly "Love our fellow as ourself" and to do our best to forgive others and be forgiven by others for spats that should not last long. 

Our tradition teaches us to "repent the day before we die," precisely because one never knows when the last day will come. In secular language we say, "live each day to the fullest" because it could be one's last day.

When we finish reading the first book of the Torah this Shabbat, we add the familiar postscript words, "Chazak Chazak V'Nitchazek - Be of strength, be of strength, and let us strengthen each other." I offer these prayer-felt words to a football player, his family and community, and to each and everyone of us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

The first day of Chanukah has personal meaning for me. Even though I was obviously not present, my parents, Ruben and Helen Morrison, were married on December 19, 1954, which coincided with the first light of Chanukah. This year, the secular and Jewish dates coincide again.

Chanukah, along with Passover, are the two most family-centric holidays on the Jewish calendar. I remember as a child that our family Chanukiah had a wind up key and played the melody of Maoz Tzur, as we kindled the Chanukiah as a family.

I remember as a child that the four Morrison kids would receive fun gifts on the first couple of nights of Chanukah. On the remaining nights, we received necessities such as articles of clothing and school supplies. While not being overly commercial, my parents did give us something each night of the festival.

Perhaps the most outstanding Chanukah/wedding anniversary of my parents took place when my siblings and I surprised mom and dad for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We took them out to a surprise dinner at a downtown Boston hotel and presented them with two original poems and an engraved platter inscribed with a recognition of their silver anniversary. 

While mom and dad passed away three months apart from each other in 1999, I remember them every day and even more significantly on the first day of Chanukah and December 19. How meaningful it is that both dates converge this year. 

As I lit the candles for the first night, I thought of my parents being like the Shamash candle, and their children being like the candle for the first day of Chanukah. As the Shamash illuminates the candles of the holiday; so too, Ruben and Helen Morrison brought light, love, and dedication of Judaism to all four of their children.

May their memories be a blessing. 

Wherever you are in the gates of Paradise, I wish you a Freyleche Chanukah, mom and dad.

To you, my Beth Emeth family - As we enter the final days of Chanukah, ask and share: What are your family Chanukah memories? What new memories do you want to establish for your children and/or grandchildren? How will you involve the next generation in the ritual lighting of the Chanukiah and other family oriented Jewish traditions?

I wish us all a continued healthy and joyous Chanukah.

Chag Urim Sameach, Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

When one learns of the passing of a loved one or a dear friend, the immediate response is to say the words, Baruch Dayan Emet - Blessed is the true Judge.

Yesterday (Wednesday), we learned that Danny Allman passed away in Israel. Many of us remember that he served our synagogue community in a variety of capacities - as ritual director, building manager, and I.T. consultant. After leaving our shul voluntarily, Danny spent the rest of his life living in Israel. He lived nearby children and grandchildren.

Danny was a true Mensch. He greeted everyone with warmth and a smile. At daily services, he inspired attendees to become more conversant with the liturgy and customs. Over the years, he taught men and women how to lain the Torah and Haftarah, as well as teaching Nusach and davening skills. In the other areas of his work, he seemed to always be at the synagogue, never taking a day off or even a break for lunch or dinner. He was completely devoted to Beth Emeth spiritually and administratively. We will miss Danny.

Yhi Zichro Baruch - May his memory be for a blessing.

Rabbi Howard Morrison
Senior Rabbi

Steve Werger
Synagogue President

During the current Hebrew month of Kislev, we are encouraging youth and young families to take over synagogue life. 

Tomorrow night, after Kabbalat Shabbat services, our synagogue Shabbat dinner is focused on the primacy of young families.

On Thursday December 15, we will hold our second monthly Bnai Mitzvah dinner program. Young men and women who will celebrate their milestones beginning March 2023 through February 2024 are invited with their families to attend. Our theme this month will be "Ask the Rabbi."

On Shabbat morning December 17, we will hold our first young families Shabbat morning service followed by lunch, beginning at 10:30AM. Guy Mannheim, who oversaw our young family High Holy Day services, will  be spearheading these services on a monthly basis.

On Sunday afternoon December 18, all are invited to usher in the first light of Chanukah at 5PM, during which time we will sing, rejoice, and begin to light the Chanukiah for the first of the eight nights of the Festival.

This month culminating with Chanukah is truly a time to celebrate the continuous miracle of the Jewish family. Mattathias and his five children, known as the Maccabees, ensured the continuity of Jewish life over 2000 years ago.

Our current Torah readings from Bereishit-Genesis center around the very first Jewish families in our history: Abraham-Sarah, Isaac-Rebecca, Jacob-Rachel/Leah, etc. These family narratives connect the contemporary Jewish family to 4000 years of our heritage.

I now invite our young families to actively participate in this month's menu of special events.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

At the outset of Parshat Toldot, we read that after a period of infertility, Rebecca became pregnant, and the children to-be struggled in her womb. The Torah text goes on to suggest that these two children represented nations to come and which would be in conflict with each other. Soon enough, Jacob entered the world. He would epitomize the Jewish people. Two portions later, Jacob is also known as Israel, the ultimate name for our people, our heritage, and our land. Esau emerged into the world first. He would epitomize nations in history that would be in conflict with Israel, such as Greece. Rome, and other nations which quarreled with Israel. 

A beautiful commentary suggests that the conflict between brothers or nations need not be the case. In one particular Midrash, our ancient Sages suggest that the descendants of Jacob and Esau were Rabbi Judah the Prince, a leader of the Jewish people, and Antoninus, a Roman emperor. Although their respective nations were in conflict, Rabbi Judah and Antoninus had a deep and abiding friendship. Notwithstanding their obvious differences, they demonstrated connection, friendship, understanding, and peace. While Jacob and Esau were known for accentuating their differences, Rabbi Judah and Antoninus accentuated their common humanity.

When one considers the Torah's statement, "But the children struggled in her womb," one could think of contemporary challenges in our own time. Gender identity issues are now publicly discussed as emanating soon after birth. In recent months, I have personally given much thought toward my own sensitivity and toward greater inclusion in our shul. It would be easy to create division and debate, as exemplified by the personae of Jacob and Esau. I prefer to promote peace, understanding, and connectedness, as exemplified by Rabbi Judah the Prince and Antoninus.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

In this week's Parsha, we read that the Lord remembered Sarah. That verse and narrative are also read on Rosh Hashanah, known as Yom Hazikaron, the day of Remembrance. According to tradition,  God took note of Sarah's infertility on Rosh Hashanah and promised her a child, who would be Isaac.

This week is truly one of remembrances. Thursday, November 10, marks the eighty-fourth anniversary of Kristallnacht, which also culminates Holocaust education week in our community. We shall remember and never forget is a dogma for all Jews after the Shoah.

Friday, November 11, is Remembrance Day. We remember all Canadians who gave their lives on the battlefields for the sake of the freedoms we cherish. They made the ultimate sacrifice.

This Coming Shabbat also commemorates the fourth anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting which took place on 18 Heshvan (October 27) 2018. The terrorist murdered eleven people including several Holocaust survivors on this date. It was the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in the United States. We remember that such an act of hatred could have taken place at any synagogue or any Jewish gathering. 

Please take time this week and focus on these themes of remembrance and their lessons for us today. 

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

In this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha,  Abraham and Sarah begin a personal and national Jewish journey. On a micro level, they begin to establish a new belief system in which they will attract others under their canopy of faith, and they begin to raise their own family. On a macro level, their journey is the start of four thousand years of Jewish history and heritage. Their journey will be anything but simple. They face one test after another along the way.

Now, four thousand years later, we Jews today continue their journey as our own on personal and national levels. Ona micro level, every Jewish person and family face the challenge of preserving one's identity amidst a growing anti-Semitism. In addition, we face the challenge of ensuring our children's and grandchildren's commitment to Judaism amidst the forces of assimilation.

On a macro level, the Jewish historical journey has been anything but simple. Wherever Jewish communities have resided, they have faced oppression from local government and citizenry. Even in Israel, we were dispersed from our land for almost two thousand years until the middle of the twentieth century. Even while being sovereign in our homeland, our people have faced one challenge after another.

As we enter the new months of Cheshvan and November, the tests of our national journey have been made even more intense by the anniversary of the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, z"l, on November 5 and the anniversary of Kristallnacht on November 9-10. In one, a fellow Jew murdered his Israeli Prime-Minister at a rally on a Saturday night in Tel Aviv. In the other, Jewish homes, shops, and synagogues were smashed and destroyed, opening the path to the destruction of six million Jewish lives in under a decade.

There is much to be grateful for as we read the origins of our ancestral journey in this week's Parsha, and there is much to be concerned about as well.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

This Shabbat is called Shabbat Bereishit, as we begin to read the Torah anew from the beginning. It is with this Shabbat that the Holy Day season has concluded, and the Torah reading cycle starts again.

Whatever pledges we might have made to ourselves during the High Holy Days should now begin as our own personal "new beginnings." If not now, when?

Many years ago, a teacher explained that the years of our lives are not cyclical but are spiral. Cyclical would mean that we go through the very same experiences year in and year out. Spiral means that every year we are raised to a new level of consciousness and appreciation. 

While the Hebrew words of the Torah reading cycle are the same from year to year, we are not. Let us integrate the values of Torah with the values of our own lives and feel personally enriched this coming year.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

While God brought on the flood as recorded in the story of Noah, most modern people of faith understand that hurricanes and other natural disasters are products of weather systems and are not brought on by God as some kind of moral lesson. With the devastations caused recently by hurricanes Fiona and Ian, as well as previous hurricanes, what can we learn from these terrible disasters? How can our tradition help us in coping with the challenges raised from these and other natural disasters? As I pose these questions,  we pray for all who have been impacted. We pray also for Jewish communities who are forced to approach the High Holy Day season very differently this year.

Like the hurricanes, this season of the year reminds us that life is fragile, and our existence on this earth is temporal. The prayer, U'Netaneh Tokef, recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, takes on new meaning after the recent events: "Who shall die by fire, and who by water?" We feel for the families who have lost loved ones, and we feel for the millions of people unable to leave their homes to purchase food and water, and for those living without electrical power.

Are natural disasters simply part of a system we cannot control? Or is humanity's refusal to be good stewards of God's planet now having an effect? How we answer these questions may have severe consequences in the future life of humanity on this earth.

On Simchat Torah, we will finish and begin the Torah. The Sages of the Talmud teach us that the Torah begins and ends with divine acts of kindness. In Bereishit (Genesis), God clothes Adam and Eve. In Devarim (Deuteronomy), God buries Moses. So too, we are commanded to imitate God's attributes by performing deeds of kindness.

Lessons imparted to us by hurricanes and other natural disasters can only reinforce our religious mandate to practice deeds of kindness.

Gmar Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

It is said, though unproven, that a significant number of deaths takes place around the time of Holy Days on the Jewish calendar. Recently, our Beth Emeth family has been saddened by the passings of a number of long time members of our shul.

On the happier side, our shul has recently witnessed an abundance of Bar Mitzvahs, Aufrufs, and weddings as well. While many people understandably choose to participate via livestream, these lifecycle celebrations along with recent Shabbat attendance have shown a surge in more and more people attending shul. There simply is no replacement for physically sharing each other's presence in the context of community, public prayer, and socializing at a Kiddush.

In a matter of days, we will usher in the year of 5783. For those who are comfortable, I hope that you will consider joining us within the warm environment of Beth Emeth. This year, we are offering three diverse venues for spiritual fulfillment. Please check our High Holy Day section on our website for the details. In addition, we will gather together outdoors for Tashlich on the first day of Rosh Hashanah.

I look forward to celebrating my twenty-third Rosh Hashanah with my congregational family next week. I wish us all a year of good health, peace, sweetness, and prosperity.

Shana Tova U'Metuka,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Yesterday was a remarkable day at Beth Emeth. With the vision of Candace Vogel, our executive director, our volunteer leadership and professional staff planned and executed a wonderful open house. The weather participated perfectly. Outside and inside the shul, Jews of all ages came together for a great time to welcome each other after two long years of isolation for many of us. Singles, couples, young families, lots of children, teens, and young professionals all came together for food, fellowship, and fun. I had the pleasure of simply walking around the parking lot and the inside of the shul greeting many people, some of whom were new to me and others whom I had not seen since before the pandemic. 

Inside the Fischtein Hall, Cantor Yakov Zingboim and I called a Jewish Bingo game. Jewish thematic concepts replaced the familiar "B-I-N-G-O." In an informal way, I had lots of fun sharing some deeper meanings of the concepts we used in the game.

Steve Werger, the president of our shul, was at his best as in years past working the hot dog and hamburger grills. There are so many people to thank, including our custodial team and many volunteers.

I hope and pray that the enthusiasm generated at the open house will spill over into the new year and well beyond.

What a wonderful way to introduce the coming of a new year, which I hope will be filled with good health, peace, and prosperity for all.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

In Judaism, we safeguard the particularism which defines us as Jews, as well as the universal, which defines us as part of a world community. Our rituals, beliefs, and customs uniquely shape our Jewish way of life. Such expressions as Tikun Olam (repair the world) and Ohr La'Goyim (a light unto the nations) shape our commitment to the larger world around us.

This week, we take note of two tragic anniversary dates. Earlier this week on Monday-Tuesday, September 5-6, we commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the brutal slaughter of Israeli athletes which took place during the Munich Olympics. I still remember vividly being a twelve year old grade seven student when the principal of my Jewish day school called the school community together for a memorial vigil and explained to us the horrors which had taken place.

This coming Sunday, September eleventh, we will commemorate the twenty-first anniversary of what is now called 9/11. We recall the horrors which took place in New York, in Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon.  We take note that this evil could have taken place anywhere.

The Munich massacre has a distinctive Jewish/Israeli tone to it. The evil of 9/11 has a universal tone to it. Each should be remembered appropriately in contemporary Jewish life.

Years after both tragedies, may the memories of those lost be for a blessing, and may the families of the victims be comforted in the remembrance of their loved ones.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Masei, the final Torah portion in the book of Bemidbar, recounts all of the stopping points made by the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. The Midrash likens the text to a loving parent recounting all of the significant experiences in the life of a child entering adulthood. So too, God has Moses review in love the highlights of the people of Israel during their experiences leading up to the Promised Land.

During my Summer vacation, I have had the privilege and pleasure of reliving childhood and adult memories from my life before entering the promised land of Toronto. I have stayed by the homes of siblings and other relatives. I have visited the graves of parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. I have spent time with members of my two former congregations as well as with friends from different chapters of my life. I have davened Shabbat services at the Yeshiva day school of my childhood. I have attended baseball games in Boston and New York, cities which occupied much of my life. I have driven by my childhood home, and more. Before Shabbat Hazon next week, I hope to be back in my home city of Toronto and with my congregational family of Beth Emeth.

It is often said that life is not a destination but a journey. No one knows how and where a final destination will take place. Our journey of life takes us from place to place, with each stop along the way potentially providing lessons of inspiration and growth.

I am forever grateful for the journey I am on and hope that everyone finds meaning and appreciation in their particular journeys.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

By now, almost everyone knows what took place in the old city of Jerusalem on Thursday, June 30, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. At Robinsons' Arch, the Southern part of the Kotel is a section established by the Israeli government for all forms of Jewish denominational prayer. Some call that section the egalitarian Kotel. Others call it an area for all forms of mix gendered non-Orthodox services. Sifrei Torah and Siddurim of the different movements are stored for groups who arrange in advance to daven there.

In August of 2008, we at Beth Emeth convened a Thursday morning Shacharit. Men and women stood together. 13 year old boys read from the Torah. A 12 year old girl read a Haftarah which was augmented into our service. Everything went well from a Beth Emeth perspective.

In recent years, I have twice been in Israel on Tisha B'Av. Once, I joined a Masorti group at the Haas Promenade overlooking the glow of the old city. Another time, I joined students from the Conservative Yeshiva who met at Robinson's Arch on Tisha B'Av eve, where men and women participated in the evening service and the reading of Lamentations. All went well.

But under a month, ago, everything went into spiritual ruins, matching the historical ruins of stone left as it was from Jerusalem's destruction almost 2000 years ago. Safely emerging from the caves of the pandemic,  families from the U.S. Conservative Movement had arranged to hold a service for Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Children, parents, grandparents, relatives and friends had traveled to

Israel, many coming to Israel for the first time since prior to the pandemic. All were anticipating a time of celebration and joy at the heart of Jewish history, the area of the Kotel. Years ago, the allowance for non-Orthodox service at Robinson's Arch also enabled the more well known area of the Kotel to be preserved with the Mechitza, the partition which separates men from women.

On Thursday, June 30, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, young Charedi Jews mobbed the service at Robinson's Arch, screaming terrible words and ripping pages out of the siddurim. For these Charedim, they were taking action against heretics and destroying their books of heresy, even while the dedicated space of Robinson's Arch was supposed to be a protected space for the diversity of Reform, Reconstructionist, and Conservative practices.

What is as alarming as the event itself is the aftermath. Except for members of non-Orthodox denominations including myself, there has been no protest from anyone regarding this incident. Where is the sense of collective accountability and responsibility? The Israeli government? The Israeli police? More moderate forms of Orthodoxy which have positive relationships with their non-Orthodox brothers and sisters? 

Noone is looking for one representation of Judaism to authenticate another representation of Judaism. I myself have philosophical and halakhic issues with some of what takes places in all of the various expressions of Judaism to the right and left of where I stand. But I do not attack their designated places of prayer and practice, and I do my best to engage in positive relationship building.

One of the failures in the aftermath of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz is that no-one has taken responsibility. The tragedy has been put under the rug.  It is an anomaly. It is a one off. Yet we know this is not true. In theory, fundamentalist Jews who cannot accept even the co-existence of other ideas will keep invading and attacking until others take responsibility. What is at stake is not a Rosh Chodesh service at Robinson's Arch, but rather, what kind of Judaism and what kind of Israel will we have in the 21^st century.

According to the Talmud, it was Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred among Jews, which prompted the destruction of the Second Temple. Now, in almost the same geographic location almost 2000 years later, Sinat Chinam continues to destroy our people. The lesson will only be learned when all Jews take responsibility for our people's behaviors and actions.

Rabbi Howard Morrison