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Rabbi Howard Morrison

07/08/2024 12:55:41 PM

Aug7

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

15/10/2024 09:38:34 AM

Oct15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The infant in its mother's arms - We remember

The one sacrificed on the bed - We remember

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

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

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

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

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

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

The innocents dancing their final dance - We remember

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

The cyclists on a never-ending trip - We remember

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

The foreign workers who remained alongside their elders - We remember

The agricultural workers from around the world - We remember

The elders and founders - We remember

The musicians whose music went silent - We remember

The artists whose works remain forever incomplete - We remember

The passers-by who encountered evil - We remember

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

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

who fought a few against many

Who stood and delivered

Who saved lives

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

WE REMEMBER!

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

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

Gmar Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

It is up to us - Kol Nidrei sermon

15/10/2024 09:19:00 AM

Oct15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We need to continue more than ever to support Israel. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gmar Chatima Tova,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Today, October 7th 

07/10/2024 09:21:13 AM

Oct7

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

"God of compassion, 

In a universe that lacked compassion

Grant tender rest

Beneath the wings of the Shekhinah.

In the broken spheres of human radiance

To the souls of each and every of the injured 

And the violated in the horrors

of the pogrom of October 7.

For the fear

That fell upon each man and woman,

elders, youth, and children;

our mouths do not know how to scream

Or put into words.

 

For we lament and mourn 

For them, for us,

Because of this our hearts are faint

because of these our eyes grown dim

Woe to us, for we are broken

Woe, for our homes were shattered

Our souls and bodies tormented

And our faces darkened. 

 

Therefore, Compassionate One

Reveal our torment to the world and for all time

And from one end of the earth to the other

May the silenced voices utter:

Guard our souls in the Land of Life

For life is our heritage

May we come in peace to healing

Please God, heal all the injured.

Please God, heal the families and caretakers.

Please God, hear and heal us all.

And let us say, Amen."

Rabbi Howard Morrison

 Rosh Hashanah sermon - A history of resilience

07/10/2024 09:18:42 AM

Oct7

A history of resilience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shana Tova U'Metuka!

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Rosh Hashanah sermon - 5785

07/10/2024 09:13:22 AM

Oct7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Am Yisrael Chai!!!!!!

I wish us all Ketiva v'Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ushering in 5785

02/10/2024 09:23:26 AM

Oct2

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shana Tova U'Metuka
Rabbi Howard Morrison

 Nitzavim-Vayelech/ Torah anew

30/09/2024 09:54:04 AM

Sep30

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

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

24/09/2024 09:00:49 AM

Sep24

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

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

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

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ki Tavo - When you enter the land

23/09/2024 09:31:21 AM

Sep23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Ki Tavo - "Blessed are you in your coming, and blessed are you in your going"

19/09/2024 08:53:54 AM

Sep19

In this week's Parsha, we read a number of blessings. One I find particularly meaningful is the verse, "Baruch Atah B'Voeacha U'Varuch Atah B'Tzaitecha - Blessed are you in your coming, and blessed are you in your going."

On one level, we understand these words as applying to birth and death - when we come into the world, and when we go forth from the world. Our lives are a blessing.

On another level, we understand these words as applying to the everyday comings and goings, which may be recited about loved ones and friends.

I have seen this verse actually posted on entrances of synagogues. Blessed are those who enter and exit the halls of our synagogues.

Soon, we will exit the year of 5784 and enter the year of 5785. Blessed are we as we close out one year and renew ourselves in a new year.

As we transition our calendar in under three weeks, may we undergo the exercise of self assessment and awareness so that we may truly be a blessing to God, to ourselves, and to those around us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ki Tetze - When you go out to war

16/09/2024 09:54:56 AM

Sep16

"When you go out to war against your enemies," our Parsha begins. Most years, I prefer the homiletical interpretation of the enemy being within yourself. Now, three weeks before the onset of the High Holy Days, the enemy is us. We need to conquer those base animalistic drives within ourselves which motivate us to make bad decisions, and which hurt ourselves and those around us. The season of Teshuva, repentance, calls on us to take seriously the model of wherever possible to RECOGNIZE the wrong we have done, to express REMORSE, to RECITE our error, to make RESTITUTION by fixing the wrongdoing, and effecting ultimate RECONCILIATION with those whom we have wronged -The five R's of repentance.  Most years, this would be my message on Shabbat Ki Tetze, three weeks prior to Rosh Hashanah. It is still a message for this year with a significant "HOWEVER."

One cannot gloss over the plain reading of the Biblical words, "When you go out to war against your enemies." We are at war! We have enemies.  Israel is at war with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and others. The global Jewish community is waging a war against anti-Semitism. How much of today's civilized world remembers the war thrust upon the U.S. 23 years ago on September 11th? We Jews know only too well that last October 7th was comparable to many 9/11's in a single day.

Parshat Ki Tetze contains more Mitzvot than any single Parsha in the entire Torah. Depending on the source, either 72 or 74 of the 613 Mitzvot are found in this parsha. They cover everything including war, an extension of last week's parsha which contained a digest of Jewish war ethics (see my sermon from last week on our website). Interestingly, today's parsha reiterates a Mitzvah which originated last week. Today's text reads as follows: "When a man has taken a bride, he shall not go out with the army or be assigned to it for any purpose; he shall be exempt one year for the sake of his household, to give happiness to the woman he has married (Deut. 24:5)."

In Jewish law, the full year exemption for a newly married man applied only to a voluntary war, which is inapplicable these days.

In today's IDF, Jewish law would characterize Israel being in an obligatory war, defensive in nature, which does not exempt Israeli newly marrieds from service. However, in the past year, what I find inspirational are the many stories of weddings which have taken place during war time. Young Israeli men and women have learned how to celebrate their love in the midst of war. Stories abound about the creativity in providing a wedding dress, a Huppa, and the like.

Our tradition teaches us that once a wedding is scheduled, it goes on, even in a year of bereavement. The Talmud instructs that if a funeral and a wedding procession are coming your way at the same time, join the wedding procession. With out disrespect to the sadness, the first priority is to love and to celebrate the union of a wedding couple. This ideology is understood to this very day.

As the opening of the Parsha confronts war time situations, so does the end of the parsha, which is known to us because it is read on the Shabbat prior to Purim: 

"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt . . . Do not forget." While the Mitzvah here is to remember specifically the war against Amalek, which descended to Haman, an Amalekite himself, we Jews are prone to remember war. The Haggadah has us focus on our confrontation with Pharaoh. The Haggadah also includes references to other persecutions in antiquity, such as with the Roman empire. The Kinnot, dirges recited on Tisha B'Av, contain references to all kinds of persecutions throughout Jewish history. On Yom Ha'Atzmaut, we remember the War of Independence. On Yom Yerushalayim, we remember the Six Day War. Who does not recollect the 1973 Yom Kippur war every year on our holiest day? I am certain that when the dust clears, and we have some historical perspective, the October 7th war, being waged right now, will also find its place in the annals of Jewish remembrance.

Yes, each of us needs to fight the internal war against our personal demons. I wish that were my only message this year on this Shabbat. As important if not more so, each of us needs to unite and join together in the fight which threatens the very fabric of our homeland and our heritage wherever Jews dwell on this earth.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Ki Tetze - A week of remembering

12/09/2024 09:02:30 AM

Sep12

In this week's Parsha, the importance of remembering appears a few times:

We are commanded to remember the Exodus from Egypt - noone should be enslaved. 

Moses is commanded to remember that Miriam slandered him - noone should gossip about another.

We are commanded to remember Amalek - Pure evil must be remembered and eradicated.

These lessons are noteworthy for us. On Wednesday, we remembered the evil that took place on 9/11 twenty-three years ago. That same kind of evil still exists today and especially since last October 7 when Israel experienced multiple 9/11's in one day, when comparing Israel to the U.S. on a percentage population basis.

Now, three weeks prior to the High Holy Days, we are meant to internalize the lessons of this week's Parsha in our own lives. 

For me personally, this is a week of remembrance. My mother, Helen Morrison, died on September 11, 1999, which coincided with Rosh Hashanah. On a happier note, my son, Elie, was born on September 12, 1994 and turns 30 this week.

I wish us all Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Shoftim - Sept. 7, 2024

11/09/2024 11:44:44 AM

Sep11

"War and Peace" - The ethics of the IDF

The origin of Jewish warfare ethics stems from today's portion of Shoftim. The Torah clearly states that when the Israelites were to approach a city to wage battle, it first had to do everything possible to achieve peace and avoid war. When the Torah requires the sparing of fruit bearing trees, this Mitzvah includes sparing civilians and allowing an open path for them to escape.

Subsequent Jewish law is succinctly explained by Maimonides and others. Jewish law distinguishes between optional war, which is unfunctional today. It required monarchy and expansion of borders. Rather, what is functional today is called obligatory war, which is defensive in nature.

The same Torah law we read about this morning is preserved throughout history to this very day. Aspirations for genuine peace and the safety of civilians are paramount.

I firmly believe that the IDF has always adhered to such Torah values. Peace has always been first and foremost. When peace has been unavoidable, Israel has enabled safe passages for civilians and issued warnings of eventual conflict thru leaflets and social media. What other nation gives such warning in advance?

Israel, like no other, tries to avoid civilian loss at all costs. Contrast Israel's ethics to its beastly enemies:

It is just tragic and inexplicable that evil Hamas brutally murdered Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lobanov, and Ori Danino - when they were miraculously still alive two days before being brutally slain.

It is just tragic and inexplicable that murder and hostage taking took place at all on October 7th.

It is just tragic and inexplicable that evil Hamas and Hezbollah conceal terrorists and weaponry amongst civilians and underneath alleged hospitals, schools, and mosques. 

It is just tragic and inexplicable that evil terrorists block passage from harm to safety among its member population.

With the beginning of Elul, and the HHD under a month away, we continue to strive for peace, the release of our remaining hostages, and a cessation of war.

Let us be proud of the IDF, most of whom are young people serving on the front lines North and South.

Let us mourn the hundreds of IDF personnel lost in the past eleven months.

Let us mourn the six precious souls whose lives were taken last week, and the many other hostage souls whose lives have been taken over the past eleven months. 

Let us mourn all the precious innocent lives which have been taken on October 7th and beyond by acts of terror and evil.

A week ago while in the U.S., I, a retiree of the U.S. Air Force chaplaincy, was invited to meet with a group of American military retirees. Many took great risk in World War II, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. Many lost comrades in arms. The ones I met are truly heroes.

So too, our IDF personnel, past and present, are heroes. We support them with pride and cherish the memories of their comrades in arms.

Nobody wants war. Our Torah and tradition are realistic about the extreme conequences of  free choice. Israel's situation now with Hamas, Hezbolah, Lebanon, and Iran has left no alternative.

Unlike the evil and terror perpetrated by others, ours is an ethical approach, defensive and thus obligatory in nature, in which Israel tries to protect innocent civilians in situations where the enemy does not protect its own. 

May the conclusion of 5784 bring about a culmination of the last eleven months. 

May the rest of our hostages come back home and hopefully alive.

May the efforts, prayers  and sounds for genuine peace be at last heard and fulfilled.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat Shalom 

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Shoftim - Isaiah versus Jeremiah

05/09/2024 09:12:20 AM

Sep5

I am so torn approaching this Shabbat after the heinous murders of six young Israelis this past week. 

On the Jewish calendar, this is the fourth Shabbat in a series of seven weeks of comfort, following Tisha B'Av. On all seven Shabbatot, we read from the prophet Isaiah, who offers words of comfort following the destruction of ancient Jerusalem during the first Temple period.

In today's Haftarah, Isaiah's message begins with the words "Anochi Anochi Menachemchem - I am He (God) who comforts you."

However, I for one am not able to be comforted right now. I am not sitting in the aftermath of destruction. I am existing in the moment of destruction. Rather, the words uttered by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations speak to me right now: "Over these things I weep. My eyes run with water because a comforter to revive my spirit is far from me (Lamentations 1:16 - recited on Tisha B'Av)."

On this day, we are in the midst of a Churban, a destruction, with six more precious lives lost.

On this day, we are still mourning as on Tisha B'Av, not ready to be comforted.

On this day, the sad words of Jeremiah win out over the comforting words of Isaiah.

I pray, however, that the comfort we so desperately need will come sooner than later.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

A week of grief

04/09/2024 09:00:25 AM

Sep4

When 21 of us visited Israel this past May on a solidarity mission, one of the most moving experiences was hearing Rachel Goldberg-Polin. She addressed our group and some others at the Ramah Israel Institute, which had organized our mission. At that time, Rachel, a mother concerned about the plight of her son Hersh, was inspiring us with her hope, faith, and optimism.

Now, less than a week ago, she, her family, and the Jewish people had her positive ideals transformed into grief, pain, and sadness, as Hersh and five others (names posted in yesterday's blog) were brutally slain by pure evil after hopes had been high for their return just a couple of days prior to their deaths.

In her amazing eulogetic tribute about her son, Rachel was thankful for the privilege of being Hersh's mom. She exclaimed that he was the perfect son for her. She prayed that her son's soul needs to help herself, her family, and the Jewish people to be strong and to survive.

Rachel's ability to speak with raw emotion, combined with authentic passion and words of inspiration, will be something I will always remember. Over the past eleven months, she and her son, now of blessed memory, stood as symbols of the entire hostage community and the will of the Jewish people. 

As six families mourn the loss of loved ones, they are joined by the entire people of Israel. We pray that the deaths and the grief will not have been in vain. We continue to pray and aspire for the day when the now 101 hostages are returned home, and the evil of Hamas will be eradicated.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Rabbinical Assembly: Statement On The Murder Of Israeli Hostages

03/09/2024 09:31:37 AM

Sep3

We mourn the tragic loss and brutal murders of Israeli hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lobanov, and Ori Danino.

Hersh and his family have deep, multi-generational ties to the Conservative/Masorti Movement. We offer our prayers, comfort, and strength to Rachel, Jon, their family, and to the families of all those whose lives were taken and those still being held hostage by Hamas.

We stand together as one people, Am Yisrael, as we mourn together with these families, for "The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalms 121:4).

May these six souls’ memories be a blessing, and may our leaders work quickly to free all the other hostages and end this war.  

Jacob Blumenthal, Chief Executive Officer

Jay Kornsgold, President

Rabbinical Assembly

Honoring the IDF

29/08/2024 09:13:06 AM

Aug29

This week while in the U.S., I attended a meeting of American retired military personnel. Being among the youngest, I met wonderful men, some of whom served in World War II, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. These men represented army, air force, navy, marines, and the coast guard. Many shared their stories of bravery in which they survived but in which colleagues of theirs paid the ultimate price.

The meeting made me think of the IDF, not only of the last eleven months but going back to Israel's earliest days.We have amazing heroes who stood side by side with colleagues who paid the ultimate price 

Now, thinking of the past year, I can imagine the stories which will be told years from now of great heroes who lost colleagues paying the ultimate price.

As Israel confronts enemies on all sides, may we always support with pride the members of the IDF and cherish the memories of the IDF's fallen.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Shabbat Nachamu

19/08/2024 09:09:29 AM

Aug19

Shabbat Nachamu, the Sabbath of comfort, is one of a handful of Sabbaths with a special designation. Usually the title emanates from the haftarah or when we read a maftir from a second Torah scroll. Consider  the names of Shabbat Shuva, Shekalim, Zachor, Parah, Ha'Chodesh, Ha'Gadol, and Chazon last week.

Now consider the challenge and opportunity found in today's theme of comfort.

From Isaiah chapter forty, imagine if you had experienced the period surrounding and including the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem in 586BCE. All was lost. The Babylonians had conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the holy Temple. Much of Jewry had been exiled to Babylonia. How would you have responded to Isaiah's call to God, "Nachamu Nachamu Ami - Comfort, comfort my people?"

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

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

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

Fast forward to the Spring of 1945. Eastern European Jewry had been slaughtered in under a decade. Six million Jewish lives had been lost. How would you have responded to the Prophetic words, "Nachamu Nachamu Ami - Comfort, comfort my people? 

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

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

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

How would you respond to today's Prophetic words, "Nachamu Nachamu Ami - Comfort, comfort My people?"

Would you take these words seriously? Or would you be in despair? Sarcastic at the very least?

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

Nachamu Nachamu Ami - Comfort, comfort My people!

Amen!

Rabbi Howard Morrison

A need for comfort

15/08/2024 08:55:02 AM

Aug15

The last ten months have been overwhelming, to say the least. On the Jewish calendar, we have just completed observing Tisha B'Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year.

The Shabbat which follows is called Shabbat Nachamu, the Sabbath of comfort. It begins a series of seven weeks of comfort. On this coming Shabbat Nachamu, we will celebrate an Aufruf and a Bat Mitzvah. It should also be noted that this Friday marks the yahrzeit for Chazzan Louis Danto, zichrono l'veracha.

May the coming days and weeks of comfort include peace for Israel and the world Jewish community. May we celebrate Semachot, joyous occasions, and remember loved ones proudly.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Correspondence from the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto

08/08/2024 10:00:26 AM

Aug8

The Christian-Jewish Dialogue group is a project of the Toronto Board of Rabbis which has met over many decades. Its work is especially important nowadays since the events of October 7th and its aftermath.

Their letter of support to the Jewish community against the acts of vandalism perpetrated on Jewish institutions is below. 

Rabbi Howard Morrison

08/08/2024 09:01:08 AM

Aug8

Next Monday night and Tuesday are the Fast Day of Tisha B'Av.

Classically, this saddest date on the Jewish calendar commemorates the destruction of both, the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem.

The Mishna enumerates five calamities which befell our people on Tisha B'Av, including the divine edict that the generation which experienced the Exodus from Egypt would not enter the Promised Land after the episode of the spies.

It is noteworthy to consider that other calamities occurred on the date of Tisha B'Av including the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

Tisha B'Av has become a sad day to recall all Jewish historical suffering. The Kinot, elegies, which have been composed over the centuries, cover many eras of persecution. Kinot were even composed after the Shoah. We will recite one of them on Tisha B'Av morning.

This year, we and many other synagogues will add dirges for October 7 and its aftermath.

The name of the book of Lamentations is Eicha, literally, "How!?", to which there is no adequate response. Knowing this, our Sages revocalized EICHA into the word AYE'KA, which means "where are you?" The origin of "where are you?" appears after Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden fruit.

We may not be able to answer the "How" of our history of tragedy. We can answer " Where are you?" during times of peril. Where are we now? - what are we doing to support Israel and help stem the tide of anti-Semitism?

Where will you be Monday night and Tuesday? I invite you to join us at Beth Emeth.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard Morrison

300 Days

01/08/2024 09:26:22 AM

Aug1

Thursday August 1 marks 300 days of horror since October 7.

 In Hebrew, the letter shin corresponds to the number 300. The most famous "shin" word comes to mind on this day - SHALOM.

Shalom - Where is the peace for some 120 captives wherever they are? Dead? Alive?

 Where is the peace for Israelis in every sector of Israel?

Where is the peace for Jews in Canada and around the world who are facing unprecedented surges in acts of anti-Semitism?

 One of the many surnames for God is "Shalom."

Is not the Author of peace wounded with how the people of Israel have been abused over the last 300 days?

 It is the word Shalom which sets all of our prayers in motion: The last word of the Priestly blessing, the last word of the Amidah, and the last stanza of the Kaddish are all centered on the word Shalom.

 "May the One who established Shalom in the uppermost parts establish Shalom for us and for all Israel, Amen."

 Rabbi Howard Morrison

 

The intensity of the Three Weeks

29/07/2024 08:51:37 AM

Jul29

There are two forms of bereavement in Judaism, personal and national.

When confronting personal loss, our tradition progresses from the severity of restrictions toward a gradual return to the normalcy of daily life, thus the progression from funeral to shiva, shloshim and the year.

Currently, the Jewish calendar has us undergoing three weeks of national bereavement from the 17th of Tammuz, last Tuesday, through Tisha B'Av. The restrictions are the opposite or mirror image of those from personal bereavement. After a minor Fast, restrictions progress gradually until the last nine days and the major Fast of Tisha B'Av itself.

Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed American leaders. In the audience, he had invited Israelis representing different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Israel is certainly a multi- ethnic and cultural democratic country.

Tragically, this past weekend, twelve Israeli Druze CHILDREN lost their lives while playing on a soccer field in Northern Israel, from a Hezbollah launched missile.

Our national bereavement this year is for all of Israel, Jews and non-Jews who have made the ultimate sacrifice over the last ten months specifically and throughout our history more generally.

This year, the national grief of Summer does not seem to progress from minor to major notwithstanding the evolution of ritual practices during these three weeks. Our grief, anger, and loss are overwhelming.

We extend condolences to all who have suffered horrific devastation.

Yhi Zichram Baruch - May the memories of the fallen be a blessing.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Guest Blog - Ranford Jackson

24/07/2024 09:16:31 AM

Jul24

MY REFLECTIONS AS A CONVERT

There's a quote from Gandhi which says, "Learn as if you were to live forever.” If there's a civilization that lives up to this saying, it's definitely Judaism. In my continuous journey what I've come to notice is that the more I think I know something is the more I realize that I know nothing about it at all. There's an ETERNALITY to Judaism which is definitely marked by a plethora of opinions and points of view and questions where laws and practices and customs are concerned, which keeps me actively in pursuit of LEARNING and KNOWING. It just never ends. And this is where Judaism feeds me intellectually. There's never a dull moment - there's always something to learn, whether it is from the different perspectives of Torah commentators or the different sects that make up Judaism - if a Jew DESIRES to learn, s/he will definitely learn, indeed! You can be an ignoramus in Judaism ONLY if you CHOOSE to be! And so for a person who's never satisfied with what he THINKS he already knows, Judaism is the perfect fit, for me!

Secondly, there's an aspect of Judaism which keeps me active, spiritually. In T'hillim 16:8 David says, "I have placed HaShem before me constantly;. . ." and in T'hillim 73:28, Asaph says, "But as for me - G-d's nearness is my good;. . ." Judaism encompasses both of these verses, heavily, and as such, has truly kept me on point, spiritually. There's a saying that while the calendar of non-Jews goes by days, the calendar of the Jewish people go by hours. And it's true. One of the practices that I've learned to continually adapt to is to being constantly in line, spiritually. The earliest time for donning tallit and t'phillin, the latest time to say "Sh'ma", the latest time to say the Morning Prayers, et cetera - all matters of spirituality or "closeness to G-d" is ordered in such a manner, daily, almost by an hourly basis, that a Jew can stray from spirituality ONLY if s/he WANTS TO. For some, this may come off as being very burdensome but for me, personally speaking, it is an exercise that keeps me straight, spiritually. This continuous sense of order, throughout each day, brings about spiritual discipline the likes of which I never had when I was a part of another religion wherein there was no spiritual order by which each day was lived, and so everyone usually did "what was right in his [own] eyes" (Shof'tim 17:6; 21:25). Judaism feeds the desires of one who truly desires closeness to G-d, consistently.

Finally, through my journey towards Judaism as well as my continuing journey within Judaism as a Ger, one of the things I've found truly intriguing is what I call "Jewish Hospitality," especially here at Beth Emeth. In D'varim 10:19, there is a mitzvah stating, "You shall love the stranger. . ." or some say "CONVERT", ". . .for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." During my talk with the Beth Din, during my conversion process, one of the questions I was asked was whether or not I've received any form of support within the community that I have become a part of, especially as one in the process of conversion.

I remember my first Shabbat walking into Beth Emeth, not only was I given warm greetings but I was even asked to stay around for Kiddush after Service; and after being absent for one Shabbat while I was still a visitor here, I was greeted, the following week with, "Where were you last week? We missed you." That's what you call loving a stranger! As a non-Jew I received invitations to Pesach Seders, Rosh HaShanah dinners, and even became a member of the "Kiddush Club!" If there was absolutely nothing about Judaism that I found worth converting for, the hospitality that I had been shown here, at Beth Emeth, would be enough for me to want to convert! I was never approached or spoken down to as a non-Jew (as some have sadly reported in other communities) but treated as though I was already a part of the Tribe! And when it became public, during Shavuot of 2023, that I had started the conversion process, not only was I greeted with well-wishes on my conversion process, but I was encouraged with the particular and heartwarming statement, "you're already one of us!" It's support like this that truly elevates and encourages the soul of a Ger who's the only Jew in his biological family, like myself. Beth Emeth, through the virtue of Judaism truly embraces the concept of what it means to be a part of an "extended family unit!"

Such hospitality does not end with Beth Emeth. On June 9, during the UJA's 55th annual "WALK WITH ISRAEL" I was treated like a star by everyone and anyone whom I told I was a Ger, when asked what moved me to walk in support of Israel! Everything from hugs, to fist bumps, to hand shakes, to selfies were exchanged with people who were complete strangers to me, but nonetheless immediately embraced me as a part of the family! This makes me proud to be a part of a people who not only embraces strangers but who equally and swiftly embraces the Convert as their own!

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Ranford Jackson

Statement On Attempted Assassination Of Former President Donald Trump

15/07/2024 09:04:06 AM

Jul15

ur Rabbinical Assembly expresses our relief that former President Trump was not seriously injured in the shooting at his rally and our deep grief at the death of one of the attendees. As we unequivocally condemn the attack, we pray for a refuah shlemah (a complete recovery) for all who were hurt.

Political disagreements can only be resolved at the ballot box and through civil discourse, and, as rabbis, we have a moral duty to stand up against all violence directed at elected officials. Even in moments of profound disagreement, we urge our communities and the nation to heed the Talmudic exhortation, “Ohev shalom v’rodeif shalom – Love peace and pursue it.”

Parshat Chukkat - Remembering the merit of loved ones

11/07/2024 08:55:18 AM

Jul11

Chukkat is the last portion with Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. In the Parsha, we read the deaths of Aaron and Miriam. We also learn that Moses will not be permitted to enter the promised land, and that his passing is forthcoming. These three siblings led our people from the bondage of Egypt through the Exodus, to the giving of the Torah, and to the threshold of the Promised Land. In a succinct manner, Moses embodied Torah; Aaron embodied Avodah (the Temple service); Miriam embodied acts of lovingkindness. Their merits form the three pillars on which the world is established. The Haftarah for Parshat Balak, which is read with Chukkat in a non-leap year, also mentions these three siblings to correspond to their being mentioned together in Chukkat for the last time.

As we consider the memories of these three great Biblical leaders, we also remember those among our people who have given their lives since October 7th to today, be they Israeli civilians, IDF soldiers, security personnel, Jews around the world who succumbed to acts of anti-Semitism, and more. We mourn over their deaths as well as grieving over the meritorious contributions they were making for the betterment of Israel and the Jewish world.

In less than two weeks, we will usher in the three weeks of sadness on the Jewish calendar, starting with the seventeenth of Tammuz and culminating with the ninth of Av. May we use this season of the year to lament over the last nine months and to strengthen our resolve to be proud and dedicated members of the Jewish people.

Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Korach - Legitimate dissent?

08/07/2024 09:11:25 AM

Jul8

Most of us believe in the value of dissent and disagreement. As human beings, no single person possesses the entirety of truth. So, we listen to each other, learn from each other, agree to disagree with each other, and even be open to modifying our pre-conceived notions when involved in persuasive argument and debate. Our Sages call this "Machloket L'Shem Shamayim - Dispute for the sake of heaven," meaning that we disagree meritoriously when the purpose is to understand a deeper truth. The Sages, Hillel and Shammai, are considered exemplars of legitimate dispute.

Our Parsha today, however, contains a different kind of dissent, one which is not valued in our tradition. The portion begins with the words, "Vayikach Korach - Korach took." But what did he take? The English translation found in the Etz Hayim Chumash suggests that Korah took himself. Korach cared about himself only. He was not interested in legitimate debate when he and his followers challenged Moses and Aaron. Korach was interested only in self-aggrandizement. When Moses was willing to be pro-active and take the first step to meet with Korach's cohorts, they were not interested in any kind of dialogue. In rabbinic tradition, Korach and his cohorts are considered the exemplars of "Machloket Lo L'Shem Shamayim - Dispute which is not for the sake of heaven." 

I ask you to consider your own debates with family, friends, and other associates. In your mind, were you willing to be convinced by the other? Was the other willing to be convinced by you? Or were you or them really not interested in hearing a different perspective? Were you or they guilty of the expression, "Do not confuse me with the facts; my mind is already made up?"

Legitimate debate is very difficult. It is not easy to truly listen with mind, heart, and soul to a position which differs from your own. It is easy to go through the motions of thinking you are really listening to the other, when really, you have shut yourself down. Often in my office, I try to help parties in conflict by helping them with listening skills. In a difference of opinion, I ask one to share his/her view. The other must listen and restate what he/she heard before responding. Then, the two parties to switch roles. In many instances, one has a difficult time really hearing the other - Thus, the conflict in the relationship.

In all the shuls I have served, I have witnessed legitimate debate and illegitimate debate in formal committee-like settings and in casual conversations. I have witnessed the same phenomenon among family and friends.

Our rabbis suggest that the portion of Korach is applicable at any time of the Jewish year precisely because the Jewish people often get embroiled in Korach-like debate. Take for example the tremendous rift at this time a year ago in Israel over proposed judicial reform, the controversy between who has the upper hand - the Knesset or the Supreme Court. The sharp division occurred not only in Israel but even in the Diaspora where sharp divisions within our people took place over political and philosophical lines.

Now, almost exactly nine months since October 7th, there is more unity within our people because much of the world stands against us. However, we know that internal debate within Israel and within the Jewish world are still sharp in terms of hostages, eradicating Hamas, what to do with Hezbollah, and so many other earth-shattering concerns. Are our internal debates legitimate like Hillel and Shammai, with the ability to really listen and even be willing to change our minds? Or, are our internal debates illegitimate like Korach and his cohorts, who are unable to truly listen, learn, and be willing to modify their views?

A week and a half ago, I was truly pleased when our shul hosted myself, Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, and Rabbi Tina Grimberg on the subject of "Angst in the Jewish community post October 7th." While there really was no sharp debate between us, we truly listened to each other, respected each other, and cared about each other. 

There was a time until recently when clergy and representatives of different religious traditions could also sit down and truly share constructive dialogue. This seems to have come to a screeching halt after October 7. I strive and hope for the day when multi-faith conversation can legitimately take place.

In the U.S. right now, and at some point in Canada, there will be debates between political parties. Will those striving for office care about the people they are charged to serve? Or, will they be like Korach, caring only about themselves and their positions of power?

Indeed, Parshat Korach is truly a relevant Parsha for the ages, with lessons to be learned in all kinds of situations.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Rosh Chodesh Tammuz and Summer

04/07/2024 08:59:42 AM

Jul4

This coming Shabbat and Sunday are Rosh Chodesh Tammuz. While Summer officially began in the end of June, I tend to think of the months of Tammuz and Av as being Summer for me. The previous month of Sivan included Shavuot, part of Spring. The following month of Elul will coincide with the beginning of Fall and introduce the High Holy Day season.

Tammuz and Av are certainly not the happiest months on the Jewish calendar. The seventeenth of Tammuz is a minor Fast, sunrise to sundown, reminding us of the Babylonians breaching the walls of Jerusalem before destroying the holy Temple three weeks later. Tisha B'Av is a major Fast, nighfall to nightfall, reminding us of the date on which the first and second holy Temples were destroyed. 

Many rabbis take much of their annual vacation during the Summer when the pace is a little slower than the rest of the year. Mine will be no exception. I will be away July 12-August 11 for starters. However, with minor exception over the years, I prefer to observe the Fast and other rituals surrounding Tisha B'Av with you, my congregational family, and not in a different community. I find it comforting to observe the saddest day of the year with my spiritual community. When I sit on the floor or on a low chair with you at night for the book of Lamentations; when I refrain from wearing Tallit and Tefillin in the morning; when I recite Kinnot, sad dirges, in the morning - somehow the despair of the day is lessened when I share those experiences with you.

 This year at Beth Emeth,  the sadness of Tisha B'Av will be preceded and followed by the joy of Aufrufs. We yearn for the day when the vision of the Prophets will come true, when FASTS will be transformed to FEASTS permanently for all time.

In the meantime, for those who are embarking on Summer travels or who have left for Summer camp, I wish you safe travels. I wish us all a healthy and meaningful Summer.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Shlach: Narratives or Truth - A commentary on the recent APR decision

02/07/2024 09:16:24 AM

Jul2

The plan was simple. God had already promised the Land of Israel to the Children of Israel. As a formality, Moses designated a representative from each tribe to investigate the land and report back. Then, the entire nation would enter. Within a couple of years, the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and the people in its God-given land would be complete. However, ten of the chieftains came back, not with facts, not with a positive assurance which had already been promised, but a contrived editorial opinion which scared the rest of the people. "Efes - Zero" - No chance of success. We are grasshoppers in their sight. The truth was lost in the sight of what we might call today competing narratives. At the end of the day, only Joshua and Caleb affirmed God's given truth. Some 40 years later, only they would enter the promised land from the generation that came out of Egypt.

My friends - Truth vs falsehood is almost lost. Good vs evil is almost lost. Everybody has their "narrative," their "truth." Over the last eight months, Jews in Israel, Canada, and all over the world have tried and must continue to try to speak about right vs wrong, light vs darkness, even when much of society has lost its way.

The latest example took place just over a week ago when the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) accepted a committee resolution by a vote of 15-7 to introduce a new form of protection for its students called APR - Anti Palestinian Racism. Why the need? On the books we already have legislation against Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and other forms of protection from prejudice and bigotry. 

To its credit, the entire Jewish community came and rallied together but did not succeed. The APR policy was ratified without a clear definition of what it even means. In addition, on the school board level, there was no mention or discussion of anti-Semitism, which is on the rise much more than anything else. What started on the local school board level can extend into government and other areas of society. Will Zionism, the belief that Jews have the right to be sovereign in our promised land, become an example of anti-Palestinian racism? Will the IHRA, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism become an example of anti-Palestinian racism? Part of that definition includes:

"Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion. . . . Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews. . . . Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor. etc."

 Will the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism be ignored, negated, and buried?

Will the fundamental truth that the Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

 Will our 3000 plus years of Jewish history in the land of Israel become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

 Will our use of Hebrew become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

 Will our facing Jerusalem in prayer become a form of anti-Palestinian racism? 

Will our plea at the end of Yom Kippur and the Pesach seder, "Next year in Jerusalem" become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

Will any truth about Jews and our relationship with Israel pre-1948 become a form of anti-Palestinian racism? 

Will failing to recognize the term Palestinian or a Palestinian people become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

Will the only way of understanding "From the river to the sea," as meaning the elimination of the State of Israel, become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

Will the truthful statement that in 3500 years there was never a sovereign territory called Palestine become a form of anti-Palestinian racism?

 Will fighting anti-Semitism be interpreted as a form of anti-Palestinian Racism?

Will a false narrative which calls for the annihilation of the State of Israel be called freedom of expression, but the truth about the Jewish State of Israel be called a violation of law and policy?

Where is the call for school policies directed against anti-Semitism?

Where is the call against renaming the map of Israel as Palestine as being a form of anti-Semitism?

Where is the protection of Jewish students in the public schools to feel free and safe? To wear a Kippa, Tzizit, a Star of David, a Chai, a stand with Israel bracelet, a dog tag with a plea for rescuing hostages now, etc.?

In today's Parsha, we do have hope and optimism - the courage and bravery exemplified by Joshua and Caleb. They held their ground. They knew there was no such thing as competing narratives when it comes to the Jewish right to be sovereign in Israel. They maintained the faith and promise given by God. It is their determination that enabled our ancestors to reside in Israel during their lifetimes. So, may we be modern Joshuas and Calebs, keeping the faith and promise, and assuring the right for Jews everywhere to express their beliefs, based on a definitive solid historical truth.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

The Angst of the Jewish community post October 7

28/06/2024 09:17:46 AM

Jun28

I am a spoiled person raised outside of Boston, Mass. On my street were mostly Jews and Asians. I attended Yeshiva day school followed by Boston University before attending rabbinical school. I had many non-Jewish friends from part time jobs and the neighborhood. I do not remember any overt forms of prejudice in my formative years. What I do remember is the following incident:

As a rabbinical student, I also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain. In Chaplain school, Summer of 1984, a faculty member, A Catholic chaplain asked me to remove my Kippa because it was not an official part of my uniform. At the time, the issue of Kippa in uniform was being debated in the Supreme Court. Only after my incident, the Court ruled that "Unobtrusive headgear" was permissible. Thus, I would wear a black or dark blue kippa with my blue uniform.

I will never forget that it was among multi-faith clergy that I felt attacked for my faith and heritage. I learned never to take anything for granted; that prejudice, bigotry, whatever word you choose, can happen anywhere.

Fast forward, I came to Toronto in the Summer of 2000. Called a multi-cultural society, I did not feel it that greatly. For example, attempts at clergy dialogue in this riding have been attempted with partial success at best. In the aftermath of October 7th, the little interaction I had with Christian and Muslim clergy has dropped completely. Even before any military response from Israel; in the days following October 7th, I received not a single call of comfort or sympathy for me or the Jewish community from any of my non-Jewish colleagues. I am not alone in this regard. Many rabbis and members of my community have received little or no support. I would call that "Angst #1."

I am reminded of the Passover Haggadah, "In every generation there are those who rise against us." We Jews know that anti-Semitism, the hatred for Jews being Jews, is nothing new. We Jews know that anti-Zionism is another term for anti-Semitism. Judaism is linked with the right of Jews to live in our historic ancestral homeland called Israel. 

I am reminded of the Prophet Bilam's words, "Behold there is a people that dwells apart, not recognized by the nations."

What I do know is that the majority of Jews in Israel, Canada, and around the world have become more united after October 7. The political divide in Israel over judicial reform has paused. If Sinat Chinam, baseless hatred among Jews, led to the destruction of the Second Temple, I believe that Sinat Chinam was eroding our people before October 7th. 

Since that time, I am in pain, I cry, I pray - For those who were brutally slain on October 7th, for their families, for the hostages - the ones rescued, the ones in captivity, and for their families. I pray for the wellbeing of IDF, police, and security heroes. I mourn for those who have lost their lives in acts of kiddush hashem, martyrdom. I cry and pray for our fellow Jews around the world who have suffered at the hands of Jew-hatred. I believe that evil against Jews has always been present, but the reactions of the world since October 7th have made it easier to get away with harassing Jews, young and old, on the streets, in schools, on campuses, at work, and even in governments.

I am thankful for the bold and clear voice of some non-Jews who understand that we are not dealing with competing narratives but with moral clarity of right vs wrong, good vs evil, light vs dark. They include but are not limited to Douglas Murray, Natasha Hausdorff, Dr. Phil, and Bill Maher.

I am in angst that when Israel suffered the equivalent of many 9/11's on one day, Israel is not accorded the same right to defend itself by going after the perpetrators. And while I lament for anyone who has died in the last eight months, I blame Hamas and its supporters for it all.

I had the chance to go on 3–4-day solidarity missions to Israel in the early months. I chose not to do so because I wanted to go with my synagogue family. In mid-May, 21 of us went for nine days with three objectives in mind.

1. To help out -  by working in fields, preparing food, and even tying tzizit knots.

2. To bear witness and visit impacted sites - the Nova Festival grounds, the site of burned out and destroyed automobiles, homes and neighborhoods where innocent people lost their lives in safe houses and other places.

3. To hear from people who were directly touched, such as Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh is still a hostage; By the Vital's, huband and wife, whose daughter was murdered on a Kibbutz.

Last - I urge us to be careful, but not afraid. while I believe in covering my head everywhere, I cannot believe that in parts of Toronto and Vaughan, I choose to wear a cap over my Kippa, because of safety and security concerns.

I urge us to be pro-active and not give up or be passive. I commend 50,000 of us who walked with Israel. I commend those who have fought against the APR policy in the Toronto District School Board I commend those who stand with Israel every Sunday at Sheppard and Bathurst. I commend those who are working in business, university, government, and more to speak truth against falsehood.

Am Yisrael Chai!
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Wed, 30 April 2025 2 Iyyar 5785