Rabbi Howard Morrison

Over a month ago, two of my teachers from rabbinical school passed away, Rabbis Israel Francus and Avraham Holtz, zichronam l'veracha.

This week, Rabbi Jules Harlow, z"l, has passed away. I met him first before entering rabbinical school at Camp Tel-Noar, a retreat center in New England, where he taught during a Shabbaton for the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. His academic field was liturgy. Rabbi Harlow had an ability and expertise of updating the Siddur while retaining its traditional core. He was involved in the 1961 Rabbinical Assembly Weekday Prayerbook before becoming more noteworthy for the 1970's Rabbinical Assembly Machzor and the first rendition of Siddur Sim Shalom in the mid 1980's.

Unlike the style of most Siddurim today, Rabbi Harlow did not believe in appending a commentary to the text of the Siddur. I heard him speak to this point. He distinguished between praying a text and studying a text. Thus, the first Siddur Sim Shalom had almost no commentary. He was proud that it was the first Siddur Shalem, complete prayerbook, published by the Conservative Movement for weekdays, Sabbaths, and Festivals. My previous congregation in Long Island used that Siddur.

In the 1990's when the Conservative Movement first grappled with adding the matriarchal names to the Amidah, he spoke and wrote in opposition because of his genuine fidelity to the liturgy, notwithstanding that he had supported other modifications.

In my current congregation, we use other Siddurim. However, we use his Al Ha'Nisim on Yom Ha'Atzmaut. We have also used his version of Nachem on Tisha B'Av. We also use his prayer for peace from Siddur Sim Shalom every Shabbat.

Rabbi Harlow was a mentch and a scholar.

Yhi Zichro Baruch - May his memory be a blessing.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

After an enthusiastic meeting several weeks ago, we are putting together a Beth Emeth Israel solidarity mission this Spring. The itinerary and registration materials are on our website. The mission is open to the entire community. Please share with relatives and friends. We are hoping to have at least twenty participants on the mission, if not more.

To keep costs low, travel arrangements and meals are up to us individually. We are scheduled to meet in the morning on Tuesday May 14 at Ben Gurion airport in Israel. That day is Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. We are purposely starting on the definitive day which marks the birth of the State of Israel and the Jewish people's commitment toward ensuring a safe and secure Jewish homeland. To commemorate the holiday, we will visit Mount Hertzl, where one of the most famous military cemeteries is located.

The majority of the mission will be centered around helping Israel with daily service projects, hearing from leading dignitaries, and visiting families and sites which have been most severely impacted by the horrors of October 7th.

We will stay each night at the same hotel in Jerusalem and celebrate Shabbat in the holy city.

By allotting a couple of months to organize our mission, I hope to encourage lots of people to attend. The trip will last an entire week. Each day will have a particular theme which will underscore the activities of that day.

I am away on Sabbatical now. I will be back the Shabbat of February 23-4. In the meantime, Jennifer in the office can assist you.

We will have an in-person meeting on Tuesday evening February 27 at 7PM to plan further.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Here is the scene - The Israelites have approached the banks of the Sea of Reeds. A stormy sea awaits them, and the Egyptians are pursing them. There is no sign of a miracle at this point.

An ancient Midrashic interpretation based on Biblical verses suggests that the Israelites were divided into four camps: Let us throw ourselves into the sea; Let us return to Egypt; Let us fight them; Let us cry out against them."

In the Torah text, God instructs Moses, "Speak to the Israelites that they should move forward." The text is then silent on the matter.

In the Midrash, an unknown Israelite at the time, Nachshon ben Aminadav, jumped into the sea. He was in the process of drowning as the water reached his nose. Then, the sea was miraculously split. All of the Israelites followed and walked through the sea on dry land.

Not a leader, but an unknown Israelite who believed in God, took the plunge. He demonstrated not only a leap of faith but also a leap of action. His behavior united what had been a divided and diverse people.

Another Midrash raises the question - How could all of these many thousands of people have emerged together on the same spot of dry land? Each tribe was united in the midst of the sea in a transparent vault. Thus, each tribe saw where it was in relation to the other tribes so that they could emerge as one. This is another instance where a diversity of tribes truly became one nation.

The famous song of deliverance, recited in daily morning prayer, has Moses and the children of Israel singing as "one," given that the verb for "sang" is in the third person singular.

Men and women are also united as one, given that Moses initiated the song with the children, perhaps, the men of Israel. At the end of the song, Miriam unites all of the women in song and dance with instruments.

From the text and commentaries, we witness a fragmented people uniting in common purpose. With all the challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people these days, may the unity of our contemporary common purpose be our lesson, one learned from this week's Torah portion.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Before there was sensitivity to left-handed people, the world had a right-handed bias. Some of us remember when school desks and scissors were always made for right-handed people, and everyone was forced into that reality. Similarly, instructions in old Siddurim advised one to don Tefillin on the left arm. However, these myths and assumptions would be correctly challenged.

All of my life, I have written left-handed but done almost everything else right-handed. When I was near Bar Mitzvah age, my mother asked Rav Joseph Soloveitchik about Tefillin for me. The Rav explained that the hand you write with is the hand you bind with. This ritual practice is based on the juxtaposition between "you shall bind" and "you shall inscribe" in the first paragraph of the Shma. At least twice daily, we recite two paragraphs of the Shma (from Devarim and B'Midbar) which contain two Biblical references to Tefillin.

The first two references (there are four in total) appear at the end of Parshat Bo (Exodus 13:9 and 13:16). The Tefillin remind us that God liberated us from Egypt with a "Strong hand." 

On weekdays, observant Jews don Tefillin every morning whether praying in private or public. The boxes on the arm and head are called "Batim," houses, for they house four hand written parchments containing the four references to Tefillin in the Torah.  The house for the hand is angled to the heart to show that we serve God whole-heartedly. The seven wrappings around the arm signify the seven days of creation, including Shabbat. Since both, Shabbat and Tefillin, are called "Oht-Sign," it is unnecessary to don Tefillin on Shabbat and Festivals. While there are many customs on the actual donning of Tefillin, all end up wearing the letters Shin, Dalet, and Yud. These letters spell "Shadai," a Biblical reference to a name of God. In addition, one makes three rings around the middle finger, the origin of wedding bands, and recites Biblical words of betrothal between God and the Jewish people. 

With the Tefillin on the hand, head, and angled to the heart, we serve God with intellect, faith, action, and passion, symbolized by the three H's of hand, head, and heart. While the daily Mitzvah of Tefillin is incumbent on men and exempt for women, I do know a number of women who choose to accept the daily obligation of donning Tefillin. The two sets of leather straps are akin to jumper cables, warming us up spiritually on an ordinary weekday.

The four parchments in the hand box are all housed in one chamber, teaching us to be unified as a people in terms of ritual practice. The four parchments in the head box are each housed in a different chamber, teaching us to study and comprehend Torah in diverse and meaningful ways. The two shins on the head box remind us of the 613 Mitzvot. Each shin is numerically 300, four branches on one shin, three branches on one shin, and the two shins combined spell "shesh," meaning six.

It is appropriate that during the Superbowl season which often falls out around Parshat Bo, the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (FJMC) designates Superbowl Sunday as a time to appreciate the Mitzvah of Tefillin. This year, Parshat Bo occurs during the weekend of the divisional playoffs. Let us make Tefillin a super Mitzvah in our lives.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

When people talk about great philosophical challenges in the Torah, they often cite some verses toward the end of the ten plagues. For example, after the Egyptians suffer from boils, the Torah says, "And God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not hear them (the suffering Egyptians)."There are challenges to free will here. If God hardened Pharaoh's heart, how could God continue to punish him and the Egyptians?

In actuality, we read five times before the plague of boils that Pharoah hardened his own heart. Thus, in Midrashic literature, Rabbi Simon ben Lakish taught, "Since God sent the opportunity for repentance and doing the right thing five times to Pharaoh and he sent no notice, God then said, 'you have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart on your own. . . . So it was that the heart of Pharaoh did not receive the words of God." In other words, Pharaoh sealed his own fate, for himself and his relationship with God. Pharaoh refused to change. He became recalcitrant and arrogant. Pharaoh was unable to be self-critical and introspective. Thus, he led his army and his nation to disaster.

There have always been, and there will always be, Jew-hating Pharaohs and those who serve them. We are witnessing this phenomenon most recently since October 7. While a small few may be able to self-assess and change, the many do not and cannot change. They have put themselves in a place where their hearts are completely hardened and stiff. 

So, how do we overcome them? We are in the process of doing so by our unity, our caring for each other, our commitment to the ideals and principles that have guided our people for millennia. A modern miracle - the State of Israel - the Jewish people have returned to our homeland, established Jewish sovereignty, and are in the midst of building the third Jewish civilization and commonwealth. 

Sadly, and tragically, we are witnessing the hardened heart right here in the GTA. If any particular group wants to have its own demonstration or rally, there are appropriate ways to do so. The Pro-Israel rallies in Toronto and Ottawa have been done in peaceful ways and which have not disturbed the lives of innocent people. The Pro-Hammas rallies have been the opposite. These hardened and stiff-heartened people have recently held their so-called protests in the heart of the Jewish community. On recent Shabbatot, these have occurred at the Avenue road bridge hovering over the highway 401 and where a good part of the location is residential and largely Jewish.

Even more disturbing is the participation of a small but significant number of police officers distributing coffee to these supporters of Hammas. Rightly so, the Jewish community has responded. These hateful rallies in Jewish neighborhoods, without sufficient police protection, and with inadvertent support by giving coffee, only serve to validate these modern supporters of Pharaoh and which can only exacerbate further attacks on Jewish owned businesses, establishments, and other Jewish institutions. Due to the proper outcry of the Jewish community this past week, local police leadership endorsed some changes to better support the needs of our people. We will watch and see if progress is made.

We are forever grateful for the police support on a daily basis around our shul and the local Jewish community and do not fault the entire police for the acts of a few. However, all need to know the difference between an appropriate versus an inappropriate form of protest.

We have overcome the hardened heart in the past, and we will do so again and again.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

This past week, I attended the annual Rabbinic Training Institute at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Maryland. An opportunity for professional development, I had attended almost annually until the pandemic. This was my first retreat in four years. 

Arranged by the Jewish Theological Seminary, my alma mater from 1982-1987, fifty Conservative rabbis became students for a four-day period. There was a colleague from Israel and from Germany, but most were North American. I am now one of the older students who attends. I met many returning colleagues, saw some colleagues whom I had not seen in many years, and discovered new acquaintances.  We picked our classes from a number of options. Mine were as follows:

Early morning - "Should we still care about obligation?" A Talmud/Rabbinics class on the notion of obligation regarding prayer and Mitzvah observance.

Mid-morning - A roadmap for preventing burnout and building resilience

Mid-afternoon - "Who was Moses?" This was a Biblical text on Moses. What were his origins? Was he a magician/warrior? a passive vessel of God? and more.

Evening - The cornerstone of healing

As you can see, a couple of classes were academic, and a couple were focused on physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Regardless of our professional and personal station in life, I encourage us all to deepen an appreciation of our heritage and our self-fulfillment on a regular basis.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

The Hebrew term for the second book of the Torah is Shmot, "names." In the Parsha, names abound: Jacob and his twelve sons, Pharaoh,  Shifra and Puah, Amram and Yocheved, the daughter of Pharaoh, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, Yitro, Tziporah, Gershom and Eliezer, and other significant people. 

Even God declares the divine name to be "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh," on which the commentary in the Etz Hayim Chumash states, "The phrase defies simple translation. It has been taken to mean ' I am whatever I choose to be,' 'I am pure being.' 'I am more than you can comprehend.' . . . The name is gender free . . . as befits a God who embraces polarities of male and female, young and old, transcendent and near at hand (Etz Hayim Chumash p. 330)."

Being created in the image of God, our names contain levels of meaning that define our character in part. On a personal level, I am named in English and Hebrew for my maternal great grandfather, of blessed memory. I was given his Hebrew names, "Avraham Tzvi." The first is a patriarchal name, hinting to my being a father of two sons and a patriarchal figure in my professional capacity. The second, Tzvi (gazelle), finds a rabbinic source in Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Sages, "Run like a gazelle (in terms of performing Mitzvot)." Little did I appreciate as a young boy that my late great grandfather was an ordained rabbi, although he never used his training to assume a congregational position.

Shmot, names, are indeed meaningful. Elsewhere in Pirkei Avot, we learn that the crown of a good name (the reputation we earn in life) exceeds all else.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

On this Shabbat morning, we completed reading Sefer Bereishit, the Book of Genesis. If one were to try and summarize the entire book, one might call it a book about brothers. At the outset, Cain kills Abel, a brother kills a brother. At the very end, however, brothers once divided, live together in harmony, that of Joseph and his brothers.

What about the intervening stories about brothers? We have the saga of Isaac and Ishmael. At an early stage in their lives, they have to be separated from each other. Ishmael is a bad influence on Isaac. They cannot remain together. However, that estrangement does not have to be permanent. We read that when their father Abraham dies, Isaac and Ishmael buried their father together. At some point, these two brothers united. 

While Isaac would be a progenitor of the Jewish people, Ishmael would be the progenitor of the Arab/Muslim world. There was a time in the Golden Age of Spain when Jews and Muslims got along, worked alongside each other, and shared from each other's insights. However, the Jewish - Arab/Muslim world has been bitter as well. Before October 7, Israel had made economic agreements with the United Arab Emirates and was close to striking a deal with Saudi Arabia. Do we know how these Arabs feel about the Jewish people right now? Sadly and tragically, Hamas seems to have purposely done what it intended to do in order to destroy any kind of bond between the Jewish and Arab/Muslim world.

Jacob and Esau are twin brothers. Conflict defines the early years of their relationship, causing Jacob to leave the nuclear family. However, some two decades later, these two brothers embrace each other and unite before going their separate ways again. 

While Jacob's name would be altered to Israel and become a progenitor of the Jewish people like Isaac, Esau's national personna would evolve over the generations. Esau became identified with the nation of Edom in Biblical times. Esau became identified with Rome in ancient rabbinic writings. Esau subsequently became identified with ancient Christianity. When one considers Jewish - Christian relations - hostility, persecution, and hatred came to define antiquity and most of the Middle Ages. Most of Christianity adopted replacement theology. The Church was now Israel. The Jew was replaced by the Christian. The New Testament superseded what Christians called the Old Testament.

While tensions still exist between certain Christian denominations and Judaism, some branches of Christianity, like some evangelical groups and Catholics, no longer believe in replacement theology. God has two legitimate covenants, one for Christians and one for Jews. There has become a new dawn in the relationship between Judaism and some denominations of Christianity.

Today, we finish Bereishit, Genesis - a book about brothers and their spinoffs throughout history. Now is a time to assess Judaism's brotherly relationships today. The events of October 7^th and beyond seem to have set many of the relationships backward, at least for the time being. With Ha'Tikvah as our mantra, we must "hope" that situations can change and improve, as has been the case up and down throughout Jewish history. Let us keep in mind that a book which began with one brother killing another ends up with brothers uniting as a family.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

This Shabbat, we conclude the book of Bereishit-Genesis. The entire book takes us on a journey of brothers' relationships. 

Cain murders Abel.

Isaac is separated from Ishmael, but they reunite to bury their father.

Jacob flees from his brother Esau, but they reunite and embrace later on.

Joseph has an estranged relationship with his brothers, but they reunite and make peace with each other.

Ephraim and Menashe are born in Egypt. While they are grandsons to Jacob, they are seen as sons by him as well.

The individuality of each narrative as well as a collective analysis show us the complexity of these stories of brothers.

This past week, I saw the movie, "The Iron Claw." Some of you know that I enjoy watching and attending professional wrestling, now referred to in many circles as sports entertainment. Sure, the results and the moves in a match are scripted. However, there is true athleticism, fine acting, special effects, and more.

When I was a child in the 1970's and a young man in the early 1980's, pro-wrestling did not show the kind of glitz it does now. The action was largely in the ring. Often, there was real hurt and pain in order to glorify the illusion of it being a competitive match. At times, injuries and hospitalizations took place.

In the 1980's and before, North American wrestling was divided into many territories. One of them, a branch of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) was called World Class Championship Wrestling, based in Dallas Texas. The most famous and popular wrestlers at the time were the Von Erich brothers: Kevin, Kerry, Mike, David, and Chris (not shown in the movie). They were loving brothers who excelled in their craft. Tragically, in real life and depicted in the movie, each brother except for Kevin dies horrific deaths in the prime of life. Also, the oldest brother, Jack, died as a young child before any of the other brothers entered the scene. Kevin is currently married with children and grandchildren.

As in the Torah's tales, the relationships between siblings are influenced by many things: the impact of parents, personal mental and emotional issues, sociology, and more. The same can be said about the Von Erich brothers and most other familial situations.

The Iron Claw is more than a wrestling movie. It is a timely modern Midrash on the stories found in the book of Bereishit-Genesis.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

The Second book of Maccabees relates a story about a woman and her seven sons. This Biblical tale has been amplified with variations in different depictions found within Jewish literature.

Soon after Antiochus Epiphanes IV assumed leadership of the Syrian-Greek Hellenists, he outlawed Jewish practice and belief in God. In one particular scene, he summoned Hannah and her seven sons to worship idolatry, forsake belief in the one God, and abandon all forms of Jewish practice. When the family refused, Antiochus took the oldest son and dismembered the boy before killing him. Antiochus went on to kill all of the remaining sons, even the youngest, one after the other, with a mother having to witness the deaths of all her children.   Depending on the version of the account, Hannah then either threw herself over the corpses of her sons, threw herself into a fire, or threw herself off a rooftop, dying after witnessing the barbaric murders of her children.

This haunting Chanukah tale comes to mind especially this year, when Hamas tortured and brutally murdered over 1200 Jews in one day, including the rape and murder of many women, as well as the dismembering and killing of many children. The brutality of Antiochus can indeed be compared to the evil Hamas monsters.

Hannah and her seven sons have their story recorded for posterity in our tradition. A mother and her children are considered martyrs having died a Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God's name because they were Jews. Likewise, may the stories of all who have died at the hands of Hamas, civilian or soldier, have their stories recorded for posterity and be remembered as martyrs who sanctified the name of God in their deaths. May their memories be recorded as blessings for all time.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Although our originally planned trip to Israel had to be postponed due to the war, lately, many Jewish institutions are planning up to one week solidarity missions in Israel during which time we help performs deeds of lovingkindness with and for our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Already, I have contacted Ramah Israel Institute, our original tour operator. They would be glad to organize a solidarity trip for us this coming Spring. Please note that this kind of mission is very different from a two-week tour. We would stay in nice but more economical accommodations. We would be working every day in appropriate service projects. We would try to get a first-hand glimpse at some of the events which have transpired. We would aim to spend a Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Toward this goal, I need to know if there is sufficient interest from you, our Beth Emeth family. I have scheduled a meeting for Sunday morning December 24 at 9:30AM to discuss with you.

May the lights of Chanukah dispel the darkness of the world.

Chag Urim Sameach,
Rabbi Howard

In this week's Parsha of Vayeshev, Joseph appears to go down and down. At first, he is cast into a pit by his brothers. How could siblings, even if estranged from Joseph, do such a thing to him? The Torah informs us that the pit was without water. The good news is that Joseph will not drown. The bad news is that Joseph may die of thirst.

Soon after, Joseph is sold. The Torah informs us that literally, Joseph was taken down to Egypt, another level of descent. After an awkward scene in the home of Potiphar and his wife, Joseph is sent to prison, another downward spiral in his young life.

As we read about Joseph enduring and surviving in a pit and in an Egyptian prison, I think about the hostages who were and still are, God willing, enduring and surviving in secret tunnels and downward places under the reign of Hamas. Survivors have already reported their horrific treatment while in captivity. One can only hope and pray for the wellbeing and future return of the hostages still in captivity.

Among other things, Chanukah celebrates the ascent from lowliness and despair. We follow the view of Hillel who explains that we should light the Chanukiah in ascending sequence from night to night. The Talmud explains Hillel's view, "Maalin B'Kodesh V'Ain Moridin - We ascend in holiness and do not descend." 

May the remaining hostages soon ascend from that low place of physical and moral depravity. When that happens, we will truly say, "Nes Gadol Haya Sham - A great miracle happened there."

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Urim Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

I am struck at how every Parsha speaks to our contemporary relevant situation. Over the last several weeks, all of my sermons have interfaced with the plight of Israel and Jews around the globe. During these tumultuous times, I actually feel guilty to concentrate on anything else, for our people's physical, spiritual, and moral life is at stake.

In Parshat Vayishlach, Jacob is forewarned that Esau is approaching with four hundred armed men. Like a military strategist, Jacob divides his family into two camps, one to potentially fight, and one to escape and keep the family alive. 

Right after Jacob splits his family into two camps, prays to God for divine assistance, and sends gifts of appeasement, we are told, "Vayivater Yaakov Lvado - Jacob was left alone." How striking and relevant these words are right now. I, for one, and I believe for many of you and for many Jews around the world - we are feeling all alone. Almost no one understands our history, our experience, our suffering, our pain on real and existential levels. It is as if the prophecy of Bilam has come true again - Behold they (the Jewish people) are a nation that dwells alone, not recognized by the nations."

Maybe for a couple of days after October 7, there was international sympathy. But as one may have predicted, that sympathy did not last long. Overnight, Israel the victim became perceived as Israel the aggressor. The good are called the bad, and the bad are called the good. We are living in an upside-down world. Almost no one speaks with moral clarity. Almost everyone speaks with moral relativism, the likes of which we have heard before. Why is it so difficult to simply have people respond to the pure evil of October 7? Why do so many people avoid the question and bring up comments which are either factually wrong or simply irrelevant to the evil of October 7?

A few days after October 7, except for Jews, the U.S., and a few others, who is caring about and speaking about hostages? Who is caring about and speaking about rockets which continue to be hurled indiscriminately in Israel? Do I care about the loss of all life? The loss of lives in Gaza? Of course, I do. I consider myself a moral person. However, I also look at the root causes for the tragedies unfolding. The loss of life in Gaza is due to the people of Hamas and Hamas only! There was no loss of life prior to October 7. The loss of life since October 7 is due to the evil and indifference of Hamas to the people they are supposed to represent.

Jacob was left alone - We are left alone. Who do we speak with on an individual level? Who are our friends? Who understands us? Who even cares to understand our narrative, one which is based on irrefutable historical facts.

Jacob was left alone - We are left alone. Who do we speak with on an international level? With no disrespect, only the U.S., which is divided among itself, and a few others seem to understand Israel and support its needs.

Jacob was left alone - You have heard me say it before. But where are the clergy of other faiths and the adherents of other faiths? Here in Canada, don't they remember when rabbis and members of our synagogues formed rings of solidarity in years past when Churches and Mosques were attacked?

Jacob was left alone - In the aftermath of the Shoah, Pastor Martin Niemoller famously said, "First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me." 

In his article, "The lonely people of history," Yossi Klein Halevi, of the Shalom Hartman Institute, writes, "First they came for LGBTQ and I stood up because love is love. Then they came for the black community and I stood up because black lives matter. Then they came for me, but I stood alone, because I am a Jew." Klein Halevi's thesis is "When even Israel's allies begin to lose moral clarity about the justness of this war, Jews will stand and proclaim our truth."

It is no accident that right after Jacob finds himself alone, he struggles, he wrestles -  with God? with an angel? with himself? Not clear, perhaps some or all of the above. From that encounter, Jacob becomes identified with the word 'Yisrael-Israel," one who wrestles and prevails with God.

Today, the household of Israel finds itself alone in the vastness of the world. We are hurting; we are struggling; we are wrestling. But only by adhering to what we know is right and true will we prevail and move on as AM YISRAEL CHAI - the nation of Israel which is meant to live for eternity.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

In this week's Parsha of Vayetze, Jacob flees from Esau at his mother's request, to find safety and security at his uncle Lavan's house. Did you know that the literal translation of Lavan is "white." So, if you will allow me, Jacob is sent to find peace and tranquility at the "White house."

With this poetic joke in mind, if I were Jacob (a symbol of the Jewish people), and if I were sent to the White House or to Ottawa's equivalent, I might say the following to the Lavan in charge:

Do you believe that what took place on October 7^th is an example of moral depravity of the worst kind?

Do you believe that the victims of October 7^th are truly the victims? and the perpetrators of those events are advocates of pure hatred?

Do you believe that the victims of October 7^th have the right to defend themselves so that such depravity never again occurs on my (Jacob's) soil?

If nations of the past were validated and understood for fighting fully against Nazism, imperial Japan, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Isis, and other forms of pure evil, then why is my people not accorded the same right and understanding? Why I am the only nation in the world being pressured to have a cease-fire when the enemy for evil still stands strong?

Dear Lavan, or whatever your name is in your contemporary "White house:"

If you are not able or willing to speak with moral clarity, do you know that you are supporting hatred and violence against me, Jacob, and my people in your country?

Do you know that you are complicit in hatred perpetrated against Jews on campus and for an ideology of hatred on campus?

Do you know that you are complicit in Jews being fearful of attending school? wearing symbols of Jewish pride and commitment? displaying age-old Jewish symbols on the doorposts of our homes?

Do you know that you are complicit in anti-Semitic pictures being displayed at a downtown coffee shop? in a bomb threat at a Jewish high school one week ago which forced students and staff to evacuate to a nearby synagogue? to attacks at synagogues and other Jewish institutions? in the ripping apart and removal of pictures showing the faces of innocent hostages, young and old, taken away by brutal monsters?

Dear Mr. Lavan, or whatever your name is, let me ask you:

If over 1200 local citizens were slaughtered in your country on a single day; if among them babies were decapitated and cooked; if women were raped and then shot; if over 200 young people were murdered attending a music festival; if some 240 innocent people, young and old, were taken hostage - - - All on the soil of your country, I ask you, what would you do???? and what if the attack came from right outside your border????

3500 years ago, my ancestor Jacob thought he could dwell with his community safely under the jurisdiction of Lavan. Jacob thought wrong. Ultimately, he had to take his family away. I pray that for the people of Jacob today, we will never have to flee the countries of our "White houses."

Without moral clarity from top leadership, however, we the descendants of Jacob now live in constant fear and anxiety.

Without moral clarity from top leadership, we the descendants of Jacob are re-experiencing the angst and pain of the 1930's in Eastern Europe.

But we are the descendants of Jacob, not in the 1930's, but in 2023. We will not remain in fear, shock, or denial. We are now angry. We will not accept the hate directed against our people. We will not accept the moral relativism. We will not accept weakness in leadership, be it at universities, businesses, or in government. We will fight back.

We will not fight back by defacing stores, cars, or by burning flags.

We will not fight back by attacking people.

We will fight back by assertively using legal and moral principles to protect our rights, our safety, and our place as a "Jacob" in society.

The original Lavan did not mend his ways. Jacob had to flee. I pray that the Lavan leaders in democratic countries will see what is  morally clear, so that the Jacob of today will not have to flee but will be able to call his Diaspora his home.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison