Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

I had visited my older son Elie in Alpena, Michigan from Wednesday, March 11, through Monday, March 16. On the previous Monday, March 9, hundreds of people had celebrated Purim in our shul. One week later, on the night of March 16, ours was one of the last shuls in the GTA to hold a daily evening service. On Tuesday, March 17, lock down began in almost every synagogue in the area.

Sad as it was to enter a new normal, Beth Emeth did not slow down. We quickly configured an online daily weekday morning and evening service which followed our interpretation of Halakha and which enabled individuals to pray as a group, in which mourners could recite a form of Kaddish which did not necessitate a physically present Minyan, and which brought groups of daveners together, whether they be five or thirty at any given service.

Our entire clergy team got involved with spiritual outreach: Classes in Pirkei Avot, the weekly Parsha, Tefila training, Reel n Shpiel, chanting from the weekly Torah portion, a young families pre-Shabbat, a Cantorial Kabbalat Shabbat and Havdalah, daily printed messages, all conducted using social media.

Our various committees started having on going adult education, guest speakers, social gatherings, and more. Our Chesed committee members called our elderly and vulnerable members. Our volunteer leadership continued to meet even more than ever before to ensure the vitality of our synagogue.

While some lifecycle celebrants chose to reschedule their Simchas, others maintained their original plans. While adhering to provincial guidelines and physical distancing, I have gone to private homes on a weekly basis to officiate a baby naming, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or wedding. Funerals cannot be delayed. Over the past three months, many small graveside funerals have taken place, adhering to new guidelines and protocols.

When I take a step back and look at all we have done over the last three months, exactly since we had to close our doors to the public, we have come so far in many ways. I am proud to be Senior Rabbi of Beth Emeth, and I am proud of the kind of congregation we are.

I pray that during the Summer weeks, we will open our shul slowly and safely. For the time being, we will continue to be the best we can under unprecedented circumstances.

I hope that each and everyone of you will stay the course with your shul. Please let me, our clergy team, our office, or a volunteer leader know when any particular need arises.

Stay safe, healthy, and well. Better Days are coming.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This week's Torah portion contains many narratives which take place during the Israelites' wilderness journey. Two seemingly independent texts take on a united meaning.

We find the mystery of two inverted nuns, which surround two well known verses: "When the Ark was to set out . . . And when it (the Ark) halted (Numbers 10:35-36)." These two verses, set apart by a form of parenthesis, are recited in public prayer on Torah reading days, when the synagogue Ark is opened (verse 35), and when the synagogue Ark is closed (verse 36).

The verses which begin and conclude the Torah service are recited on Mondays, Thursdays, Sabbaths, and Festive occasions. While most prayers, with the exception of a few, may be recited in public or private, the Torah service symbolizes the fullness of community at prayer. Sadly, over the last few months, we have been unable to celebrate the public reading of Torah with its associated honors.

Toward the end of the Parsha, we read a very different prayer experience. Miriam is stricken with a skin disease. Moses, her brother, recites the briefest prayer in the Torah, consisting of five Hebrew words which literally translate as, "God, please heal her please (Numbers 12:13)."

Praying for the sick is not restricted to a public setting. A petitionary prayer for healing, couched in the plural, is found in the weekday Amidah. It can be recited individually. The brevity of Moses' prayer, which is recited privately, shows the efficacy of prayer even when recited outside the setting of community.

We are saddened that communal prayer in our synagogues has ceased over the last three months. Gradually, we shall see synagogues reopening, hopefully in a safe, healthy, and secure manner. Whether or not we can attend public services, we can still attach ourselves to God, to our people, and to our heritage through personal prayer, as exemplified by a brother caring and praying for his sister.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

If you watched the funeral for George Floyd last week, you may have noticed something familiar. The Pastor who opened the service recited Psalm 27. This Biblical passage is familiar since we recite it morning and night from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Shemini Atzeret. Many refer to it as the penitential Psalm. Its many verses contain spiritual lessons leading up through the High Holy Day season.

One line in particular is relevant during the recent crisis that started in the U.S. and which has had rippling effects around the world, as well as during the pandemic, a challenge for the entire globe.

Here is the verse, "One thing I ask of the Lord, this do I desire, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life."

Many lessons emanate from this quotation. One is that we should not ask too much at one time. King David, to whom this Psalm is attributed, could have been justified in asking many things from God. He focused on one ideal which was central to him.

He asked for a sacred place, a communal center, in which to feel the spirituality of God's presence. During his lifetime, King David aspired to build and establish the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. He would never realize his dream, which would be fulfilled by his son, King Solomon.

For us today, we miss our communal center, where we gather together to feel the spirituality of God's presence, our synagogue. I would imagine that if we had one request of God other than an end to the pandemic, we would yearn for the safe return to our synagogue.

Our Psalms contain richness of meaning. Psalm 27, in particular, was recited as a relevant passage at George Floyd's funeral. Psalm 27 will contain richness of meaning for six weeks when Elul begins. Even one particular verse contains so much value during these challenging times.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This coming year of 5781 will be an unprecedented one in contemporary Jewish history. Given the current pandemic, many of us are facing new challenges in our lives and in the lives of those who are dear to us. Those challenges are manifested in economic, emotional, mental, and other ways.

As Senior Rabbi of Beth Emeth, I want to state unequivocally that our synagogue and I are here for you. Over the past number of months, we have done our best to connect with you through various forms of social media. We have continued to provide prayer, study, and socialization. We will continue to do so. While adhering to public health guidelines and physical distancing, we have also continued to officiate at graveside funerals, offsite baby namings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and weddings.

While public health guidelines are unclear in regard to High Holy Day services, we are actively considering a variety of approaches to enable all of us to celebrate these sacred occasions in the context of our Beth Emeth community during the weeks leading up to the High Holy Days and on the actual days themselves.

Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda - Hebrew Men of England has been a strong congregation for sixty-five years. Many of us are rooted in multi-generational families that go back to the early days of our synagogue's history. Many of us have joined along the way. For all of us, Beth Emeth has played a special part in our spiritual lives.

What defines our sacred congregation is all of you, the members of our congregational family. During these challenging times, I encourage you to stay affiliated with us. We are a community. We stand together as one through thick and thin. We have weathered difficult storms in the past, and we will weather this pandemic storm as well - together as one.

We at Beth Emeth - our clergy, volunteer leadership, and administrative staff are here BECAUSE of you and are here FOR you.

I wish us all good health. Better days are coming. I look forward to celebrating the new year of 5781 with you.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Many of us were saddened to learn on Sunday that Rabbi Norman Lamm passed away at age 92. Tragically, he had lost his wife a month earlier to complications from Covid-19.

For those who do not recognize his name, Rabbi Lamm was the head figure of Yeshiva University (Y.U.) for decades. After the Rav, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchhik, Rabbi Lamm was probably the most well known scholar associated with Y.U.

Regardless of one's denominational or ideological orientation, one should come to understand the contribution of Rabbi Lamm to contemporary Jewish life. He was one of the true exemplars of Modern Orthodox Judaism. He exemplified the principle of "Torah U'Mada" - that one could study traditional Judaism and modern science.

While I did not personally study at Yeshiva University, the Maimonides Day School I attended as a youth was modelled after the same principles, which have continued to inspire my approach to Judaism to this very day.

Some twenty years ago, while vacationing in Manhattan, I heard Rabbi Lamm deliver a sermon on a Shabbat morning at the Jewish Center, a Modern Orthodox shul. He was addressing young single men and women. He spoke against what he called the "frumometer." Rabbi Lamm was concerned that young observant Jews were neglecting the attributes of "Chesed - Lovingkindness" and "Rachamim - Compassion" and were over emphasizing the extra legal minutia of Jewish Law.

Given some of the extremism shaping Judaism nowadays from various perspectives, we desparately need the voice and vision of Rabbi Lamm on Jewish and worldly issues. "Yhi Zichro Baruch - May his memory be a blessing."

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Traditionally, at the conclusion of sacred seasons, we pause to remember loved ones of blessed memories who have paved our way in life. Four times a year, Yizkor is recited: On concluding the Ten Days of Repentance, on concluding Sukkot-Shmini Atzeret, on concluding Pesach, on concluding Shavuot which also culminates the seven week counting period.

While it is preferable to recite Yizkor with community, one is permitted to recite Yizkor privately, with the exception of Kaddish. During the pandemic, synagogues are currently closed. This morning, we offered a community Yizkor on Zoom so that we could remember our loved ones as a congregational family. Nevertheless, one may recite Yizkor privately on Shabbat, the second day of Shavuot. So that each holiday provides its own flavor, I have included a contemporary Yizkor reflection for Shavuot from Siddur Lev Shalem.

I wish everyone fond memories of your loved ones and Chag Sameach.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

It happens periodically. While all Jews around the world are one people with one calendar, we occasionally witness a difference between Israel and the Diaspora.

As we know, Festivals which are observed one day in Israel are kept two days in the Diaspora. This reality harkens back to ancient times to ensure that the holy day was being properly maintained outside of Israel. While nowadays there is no doubt outside of Israel, the second day of yom tov has acquired its own customs, especially in regard to the selection of Torah and Haftarah passages.

This week, Shavuot will be observed on Friday in Israel and on Friday - Saturday in the Diaspora. What are some of the practical differences? On Friday night and Saturday in Israel, regular Shabbat prayers and Scripture passages will be recited. Outside Israel, on Friday night and Saturday, Festival prayers and Scripture passages will be recited.

Thus, Parshat Naso, the longest Parsha, will be recited in full this Shabbat in Israel the day after Shavuot. Meanwhile, in the Diaspora, Parshat Naso will be recited in its entirety a week from this Saturday, since this Shabbat will coincide with the second day of Shavuot.

Up until Shavuot, the beginning of Naso will have been read everywhere. Come Shabbat afternoon and the following Monday and Thursday, Jews in Israel will read the beginning of B'haalotcha, and Jews outside of Israel will continue reading the beginning of Naso.

Eventually, a double Parsha in the Diaspora will be read over two Shabbatot in Israel, and the Torah reading cycle will be the same inside and outside of Israel. Until then, let us appreciate the subtle and salient differences. We can thereby ponder the relationship, challenges and strengths of the Diaspora with Israel.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This Sunday is Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The new month brings with it new hopes and aspirations. We pray that with the onset of Sivan, we will continue to be healthy and see some signs of of normalcy returning.

An indirect reference to Rosh Chodesh Sivan is found in the Torah: "On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19:1)." The Oral Tradition identifies "that very day" as Rosh Chodesh Sivan.

As we know, the sixth of Sivan is Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks. We will have counted seven full weeks from the second night of Pesach. The fiftieth day, sixth of Sivan, commemorates the giving of Torah.

It is interesting to note that when the Israelites encamped at Mount Sinai, the language of the Torah shifts to the singular, as if Israel were being personified as a single person with one heart. What an amazing statement of unity having hundreds of thousands as one.

These days due to the pandemic, we are affirming our Jewishness as individuals. With synagogues having to be closed, our virtual synagogues offer on line services and classes. Still, we require nowadays more individual self motivation to assert our Jewish commitments.

In Biblical times while encamped at Sinai, hundreds of thousands were like one person. Today, each person, while observing physical distancing, is bound to an eternal people with an eternal legacy.

While our synagogue doors will be closed on Shavuot, there are many Torah learning opportunities on line in preparation for Shavuot. Check our website for sessions emanating from the Schechter Institute, Mercaz-Masorti Canada, and our own Beth Emeth team.

In advance of this Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, I wish us all Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

This Friday, we will celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the miracle of the six day war fifty-three years ago in 1967. Many of us remember this time in modern Jewish history like it was yesterday. As a seven year old, I do not remember much except for the following. I remember my father being glued to the large radio which rested on our kitchen refrigerator. I remember him explaining to me the events as they transpired. That memory for me made a strong impact when six years later in 1973, I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel, something which could not have taken place prior to the six day war.

From the time of King David, Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for over three thousand years. In Jewish tradition, one is supposed to face Jerusalem during prayer. If one prays from outside of Israel, face Israel. If one prays from within Israel, face Jerusalem. If one prays from within Jerusalem, face the old city. If one prays from within the old city, face the site of the Temple. If one prays from within the Temple, face the holy of holies.

Living in North America, we face Mizrach, East, when we pray, so that we physically and spiritually face Jerusalem. Some people buy as a gift a Mizrach wallhanging to be affixed on an Eastern wall in one's home.

While we are temporarily unable to pray as a community facing East from within our beautiful sanctuary or chapel, we can still pray as often as we can on line with our Beth Emeth family or privately.

Face East. Face Jerusalem. Remember past visits. Plan future visits. For thousands of years, our ancestors could only dream of being in Israel, in general, or Jersalem, specifically. As we face East, we metaphysically bring ourselves to Jerusalem and Jerusalem to us.

Please join us Friday for a celebratory Yom Yerushalayim service in the morning and a concert in the afternoon.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Parshat Bhar begins with the significance of the number seven. We all value this number. We celebrate Shabbat, sanctifying the seventh day of the week. We are now enumerating the seven weeks which connect Pesach to Shavuot.

In the weekly Parsha, the land of Israel lies fallow and rests every seventh year. In addition, seven cycles of seven years are counted. The fiftieth year becomes a "Yovel-Jubilee," during which time all land reverts to original ownership.

While Yovel has been inoperative for many centuries, the observance of Shemita, the land resting every seventh year, was revitalized soon after Israel became a modern State. Depending on one's religious view, the Mitzvah of Shemita is seen as being of Torahitic status, rabbinic status, or a measure of piety.

From these lessons and others in Bhar, we ultimately learn the lesson that we are tenants on this earth. The land does not belong to us. It belongs to God. One of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's most acclaimed books is entitled, "The Earth is the Lord's."

During this time of the pandemic, we are humbly reminded that the land is not ours. The land breathes its own way. We as tenants and caretakers contribute to the health and vitality of the land as well as to the illness and vulnerability of the land.

The Torah's instruction to be responsible tenants of the earth is perhaps more relevant now than ever before.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

In Judaism, we have blessings which affirm our belief in God for all occasions. When we hear the ultimate bad news, we recite, "Baruch Dayan Emet - Praised be the true Judge." When we hear especially good news which impacts on us and others around us, we recite, "Baruch Tov U'Maitiv - Praised be God who is good and beneficent."

At face value, these blessings make logical sense. The foundation for the blessing of goodness and beneficence, however, is intriguing. In the aftermath of Lag Ba'Omer, we know that according to legend, 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died during the Sefira season. That legend tells only part of a disturbing story. Rabbi Akiva and his followers supported the famed Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans. The revolt failed terribly. The final defeat at the hand of the Romans took place at the fortress of Beitar in 135CE.

Despite the tragedy, a miracle happened in that all the deceased were buried properly and with dignity. Thus, while grieving over the losses, our ancestors composed the blessing of "Tov U'Maitiv," thanking God that our slain were buried in accordance with Jewish values.

An extension of this short blessing expanded into an additional fourth blessing in Birkat Ha'Mazon, the blessings after meals, in which we express gratitude to God for the past, present, and future.

As we today grieve and learn to live amidst covid-19, I pray that we can find silver linings of God's goodness and beneficence, even as our ancestors were able to do so almost two thousand years ago.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Since May of 1973, I have been fond of saying that I did not celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. Rather, I celebrated a "Bhar Mitzvah," because the Parsha of my Bar Mitzvah celebration was called "Bhar."

I celebrated my age of maturity in Israel at the Kotel on that particular Shabbat morning of "Parshat Bhar." For my parents, it would be the first and only time that they visited Israel.

In 1960, I was born just a couple of hours after Mother's Day had ended. Now, sixty years later, my Hebrew birthday fell out on Friday, my English birthday on Shabbat, and Mother's Day on Sunday.

Celebrating my Bar Mitzvah in Israel surrounded by the love of my parents and siblings, the beginning of the Parsha could not have been more appropriate. The Torah legislates that every seventh year, the land of Israel must lay fallow. The land must rest every seventh year, just as we celebrate a day of spiritual and physical rest every seventh day.

Right now, the land, in a universal sense, is not at rest. It is fighting a plague which tragically has impacted on so many lives.

Forty-seven years ago, a young healthy Morrison family celebrated a beautiful Bar Mitzvah in a young healthy land of Israel. Our prayer this year is that the land of our planet and all humanity rediscover youthfulness and good health.

I wish everybody safety and wellbeing.

Shavua Tov,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

Whereas last week's Torah portion of Kedoshim detailed laws of holiness for the entire people of Israel, the beginning of this week's Parsha of Emor details laws of holiness directed specifically to Kohanim.

At the very outset, a Kohain is forbidden from defiling himself by being in close proximity to a corpse. Since the Kohain had to maintain a strict level of ritual purity in order to fulfill his priestly duties, he was not allowed to become ritually impure which would happen with being in close proximity to the deceased.

As Jewish Law developed, a Kohain could attend a funeral for only his immediate relatives. He could not simply attend another's funeral or visit graves at a cemetery. In order to attend another's funeral, visit a grave, or attend an unveiling, a Kohain has to stand at least eight feet away from any grave.

For this reason, at many cemeteries, the row for deceased Kohanim and their families is right off the roadside so that Kohanim can maintain the requisite distance from all graves. Similarly, funeral homes provide a separate Kohain room under a completely separate roof from the rest of the establishment so that Kohanim may attend funerals while not being in the same physical presence as the deceased.

In contemporary Jewish life, the priestly rules of purity and impurity for Kohanim are inoperative. Nevertheless, many Kohanim honor their status by observing the classical restrictions.

Nevertheless, for most Jews, these priestly rules have seemed irrelevant, at least until nowadays. With the health concerns presented by covid-19, funeral homes are closed. Cemeteries are open only for small graveside funerals. We are prohibited from holding unveilings or visiting the graves of loved ones. The concern of contagious disease prompts us to stay pure versus impure, in modern terms.

For the time being, all Jews can now relate to the laws pertaining to Kohanim. While the Torah metaphorically refers to the entire Jewish people as being a Kingdom of Kohanim, today's reality was not envisioned.

Certainly, Parshat Emor is more than an instruction manual for Kohanim. Also, the middle section contains a digest of all the Holy Days. The source for counting the Omer, as we do now, is found in this week's Parsha. I encourage us to devote some time before Shabbat and during Shabbat to explore the relevance of Torah in our lives.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

There is a custom to recite 100 blessings every day. The formula of a Beracha (blessing) is not found in the Torah itself. The development of the Beracha is found in Talmudic literature. There are different kinds of Berachot (blessings). Some are very formal, such as the ones found in the Siddur. Examples include the blessings upon arising in the morning, the blessings surrounding the Shma, and the blessings which comprise the Amidah. There are Berachot which express praise, petition, or gratitude in our relationship with God.

Based on a Scriptural verse, one recites three particular blessings after a meal. Individual blessings are recited for all kinds of reasons, most of which sanctify something that might be seen as ordinary. Some blessings thank God for a benefit or pleasure which should not be taken for granted. These Berachot include but are not limited to before eating food, affixing a Mezuzah, lighting candles, experiencing wonders of nature, appreciating the talents of distinguished people, and so much more.

Over the generations, Berachot have evolved to commemorate new ideas. As an example, the fourth blessing in the Grace after meals was added on by Sages around 130 CE to show gratitude to God for divine beneficence after an historical tragedy.

In sum, Berachot sensitize us to important spiritual values. There is no greater value than safeguarding one's life. Nowadays, the donning of a mask may be seen as a religious value and should be seen as such. The Torah specifically commands us to protect our bodies. Using similar language, a colleague of mine has composed a Beracha to be recited prior to donning the mask. The Beracha sensitizes us to understand health and safety standards as being in harmony with our Jewish value system. I encourage us to utilize the following contemporary Beracha during this unprecedented time in history.

Rabbi Howard Morrison