Shaarei Tzedek – Orthodox Judaism in Downtown Toronto

By Dov Greenberg

Of more than one thousand Rabbis cited in the Talmud, only one became a heretic. His name? Elisha ben Abuya.

Elisha was, by all accounts, one of the outstanding Jewish sages of the Second Century, a contemporary of the great Rabbi Akiva and the teacher of Rabbi Meir, who became one of the leading scholars of his generation.

There are differing opinions as to the cause of Elisha ben Abuya’s apostasy (1). Some say he was attracted by Greek culture, others that he was tormented by the problem of theodicy, how to reconcile G-d’s essential goodness with a world in which the righteous suffer.

Elisha moved so far from Jewish tradition that his colleagues stopped referring to him by his name, but called him Acher, “the other”, the outcast, the renegade. Only his student Rabbi Meir remained loyal to the man who had once been his master, sought out his company and still believed that he might one day repent.

Against this backdrop we find one of the most moving scenes in rabbinic literature.

It is Shabbat, and Elisha ben Abuya is publicly desecrating the holy day by riding a horse (2). Walking alongside him is Rabbi Meir. Heretic teacher and faithful disciple travel together along the road arguing and debating Jewish law.

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By Shifra Hendrie

At sunset on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Hashem will remove some of his light from the world. He will still remain present in a basic way, of course, or the world could not exist. But that presence will be remote, withdrawn.

Then He will wait. The next move is ours.

At around midday of the holy day, when Jews in every corner of the world acknowledge His sovereignty with prayers and the blowing of the shofar, Hashem will once again agree to be our King. He will recommit to His relationship with our world. And when He does so, it will be with an entirely new level of light and power. Entirely new possibilities – possibilities that never existed before – will enter the world. We will advance one giant step closer to our ultimate destiny.

But the first move has to come from us. We must renew our contract with our Creator if the world is to continue to exist.

Each year, the world must choose G‑d.

From Tears to Transformation

Why the shofar? What power does this primitive instrument have to bring down such an intense and essential light?

More than a simple horn, the shofar is an instrument of transformation. Its sound is like a heartbroken cry, and its power is the power of tears.

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I am organizing a “Bikur Holim” (visit the sick) program at the Shul that will commence on Rosh Hashana. Volunteers will be “on call” on a rotation basis, to provide services to community members who are at home ill or at the hospital and need assistance (with grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, meals, visiting to the doctor, etc.) or some company. Those in need, or if you know of someone in need, please contact me and I will contact the volunteer “on call”.

Our Shul is very open and friendly and allows for flexible participation in its services and events. At the same time, members of our community, whom we may think are just taking a break or are Shul “hopping”, may actually be at home ill or at the hospital and in need of our assistance.

While maintaining the Shul’s tradition of flexibility and openness to different levels of observance, it is important to strengthen our community and support its members in their times of need. The “Bikur Holim” initiative will offer the community a much needed resource and provide us with a wonderful opportunity for Mitzvahs.

As organizer of the program, I am now creating a list of volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact me via email.
Your contact information will remain confidential and will not be used for other purposes.

I wish you all a Shana Tova!

Sara Promislow

What a hard time this is for us. This year that statement does not refer to our History, but to our current situation. The events of these weeks have led me to some reflection that I would like to share with you.

Will sacrificing be re-instituted?

Will Korbanot be reintroduced in the Messianic era? Absolutely! And I hope and pray that will be soon. Why? Because making a sacrifice is about demonstrating the will to pay a price. And the price we are willing to pay for something determines the value we attach to it. Korbanot (sacrifices), set the price we are willing to pay for our attachment to G-d. They set the value we associate with the Divine sanctity of the Jewish Nation.

We make sacrifices for our children’s education; because their education is valuable to us. We sacrifice for our families’ economic security; our families are important to us. We sacrificed in the Holocaust – heavily. We demonstrated to G-d as we walked to the gas chambers that we are willing, if necessary, to pay the highest price for that which is of the highest value to us: our divine mission, our attachment to G-d, our survival as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. In the Holocaust we sacrificed our crown Jewels, the gems of our society. We sacrificed precious young men in the various wars and struggles that made Israel a reality. And now again as some of the finest and noblest of our young men are losing their lives Al Kedushat Hashem, Israel is sacrificing its gems for the safety of our land and our people. We are sacrificing all the time. If we had a Beit Mikdash , we could sacrifice our animals, our economic security and wealth. Now without a Beit Mikdash we can only sacrifice our children, our brothers and our sisters. This is what we mourn on Tisha Be’Av.

Tisha Be’Av is the day we remember the martyrs of the Holocaust; it is our Yom HaZikaron. But in the remembrance of that, one of the most catastrophic sacrifices of our history, we have so much for which to be thankful. Often we are accused of having gone “like sheep to the slaughter,” without a struggle, without dignity. But that is not so. We waged a massive battle against the Nazi’s….and we won. Where is Hitler? Where is the Nazi Party? Where is the Third Reich? Where is the Jewish People? We are thriving. Hundreds of thousands of people learning Torah around the world. A vibrant State of Israel. Worldwide economic prosperity. We did win the war against Hitler, but we lost 6 million casualties in that war. We mourn our casualties, but we celebrate our victory.

On Tisha Be’Av we mourn not only the loss of our Temple . We also mourn the loss of every drop of Jewish blood spilled in the service of Hashem and His people. We remember, we recognize and we mourn each of the human sacrifices we have offered up for our own survival.

By Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson

Passover is, by its very definition, a national holiday. Commemorating our birth as a people, Passover celebrates the creation of a new and free nation destined to transform civilization. Following its Exodus from Egypt, the youthful nation could forge its own destiny, crate its own vision, build its own homeland, and make its unique impact on mankind – all the endeavors the Jewish people engaged in following their liberation from Egyptian tyranny on Passover.
 
One would thus expect that the holiday rituals would emphasize the “nation” motif, the idea of our collective and national identity. Perhaps, we would imagine, the Torah would instruct us to assemble on Passover the entire nation (as it instructs at the end of Deuteronomy to gather the whole nation once in eight years, during the Sukkot holiday), or suggest another ritual that would reflect the national dimensions of Jewish life. 
 
Yet, surprisingly, the Torah does exactly the reverse. The way Passover is to be celebrated, the Hebrew Bible informs us, is through individualized seder meals, conducted in the privacy of homes. “Every man must take a lamb for the family, a lamb for each household. If the household is too small for a lamb, then he and a close neighbor can obtain a lamb together, as long as it is for specifically designated individuals. Individuals shall be designated for a lamb according to how much each one will eat (1).”
 

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Parshat Tzav and Pesach 5767

© Rabbi David Lapin, 2007

The Sale of Chameitz is not a sham, it is a very deep spiritual practice

Selling your chameitz[1] (unleaven bread etc. forbidden to eat or possess on Pesach) when you know very well that after Pesach you will receive it all back untouched! Running around the house with a candle and feather looking for ten pieces of chameitz that you or your children have just hidden away! Who are we deluding?

Every Mitzvah, every Halacha, is an artistic expression of mounds of wisdom and knowledge that we call “the Torah of that Mitzvah”. Think of a Mitzvah as the tip of a massive iceberg that lies hidden beneath the surface. So little of the size and shape of the iceberg can be appreciated from seeing only its tip. The same applies to a Mitzvah, it is only the tip of so much wisdom. The wisdom is contained in the Torah of that Mitzvah. Sometimes, the artistic expression – the Ma’aseh haMitzvah (the act of the Mitzvah) – without the understanding of its relevant Torah, can appear irrational and even absurd. This is so in the case of selling chameitz, searching for it and burning it.

Each Mitzvah has its Torah

Our Parsha opens with a statement “Vezot torat ha’olah” (This, is the Torah of the Olah offering). What we are about to be given is not merely a description of the activity, but insight into the Torah that underpins the Ma’aseh HaKorban (the act of the offering), its artistic expression. Chazal learn from this phrase that “Ha’oseik beTorat haOlah, ke’ilu hikriv Olah” (one who reflects deeply on the Torah of the Olah offering is considered as if he had actually brought that offering).

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Please join us for Shacharit services on Rosh Chodesh Nissan – Tuesday, March 20 @ 7.30 am.

The Month of Nissan According to Sefer Yetzirah (courtesy of inner.org)

According to Sefer Yetzirah, each month of the Jewish year has a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a zodiac sign, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, a sense, and a controlling limb of the body that correspond to it.

Nissan is the first of the twelve months of the Jewish calendar.

The first commandment given to the newly born nation of Israel before the Exodus from Egypt was: “This month [the month of Nissan] shall be for you the first of the months” (Exodus 12:2).

The month of Nissan begins, in particular, the “period” (tekufah) of the spring. The three months of this tekufah–Nissan, Iyar, Sivan–correspond to the three tribes of the camp of Judah–Judah, Issachar, Zebulun–who were situated to the east). In the Torah, Nissan is referred to as “the month of the spring” (chodesh ha’aviv).

In addition, Nissan begins the six summer months, which correspond to six levels of “straight light” (in Divine service–”arousal from above”). This is alluded to in the name aviv which begins with the two letters alef beit, in the “direct” or “straight” order of the alef-beit.

Nissan is referred to as “the month of the redemption.” According to the accepted opinion of our sages: “In Nissan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt and in Nissan we will be redeemed” (Tractate Rosh HaShana 11a).

Nissan is a month of miracles (nissim). The fact that the name Nissan possesses two nuns implies, according to our sages, nissei nissim–”miracles of miracles.” Of the redemption of the future it is said: “As the days of your exodus from Egypt, I shall reveal to him wonders.” In Chassidut this verse is explained to mean that the wonders of the redemption of the future will be wondrous and miraculous relative to the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt–”miracles of miracles.”

• Letter: hei.

The letter hei is the phonetic origin of all the 22 letters of the alef-beit.

Our sages teach us that “with the letter hei G-d created this world,” as is said at the beginning of the second account of Creation (which corresponds to the Jewish calender, beginning from Nissan): “b’hibaram–b’hei bera’am.” Thus, the month of Nissan signifies the annual renewal of the creation of this world.

• Mazal: taleh (Aries–lamb).

The taleh symbolizes the Pesach sacrifice, the first sacrifice of the Jewish people to G-d upon their redemption. The Jewish people itself is symbolized as a lamb (amongst seventy wolves). Of all of G-d’s creations, the lamb possesses the innate ability to arouse mercy by its voice (the origin of the sense of speech of the month of Nissan).

• Tribe: Judah.

Judah is the king (the “first”) of the tribes of Israel. His name means to give thanks, in speech (the sense of Nissan). The king rules his people by the power of his speech, as is said “for the word of the king is his rule.” The month of Nissan is “the new year for kings” (Mishnah Rosh HaShana 1:1).

• Sense: Speech.

The sense of speech implies ones ability to express his deepest feelings and insights to an other. All forms of expression are referred to generically as “speech.”

“This world” (created by the letter hei of Nissan) is one that is founded upon (verbal) communication. Personifying the sefirah of malchut (kingdom), it is often referred to as “the world of speech” (or “the revealed world”).

The very root for “speech” means as well “to lead.” Thus the sense of speech is in essence the sense of leadership.

The central mitzvah of the month of Nissan, on the seder night, is the telling of the story of the Exodus–”the more one tells of the Exodus from Egypt, the more is he praiseworthy.” This is the foremost mitzvah of speech of the entire year. Of the 15 stages of the seder (15 = the sum of all numbers from 1 to 5), magid–the telling of the story of the Exodus–is the 5th stage. 5 = hei. The stage of magid begins with the word “hei” (hei lachma anya, “this is the poor-mans bread”).

The redemption from Egypt (the existential state of “confinement,” the inability to truly express oneself–”all exiles are referred to as Egypt”) symbolizes the “freedom of speech.”

• Controller: right foot.

Just as “speaking” means “to lead,” so does one’s walking (with one’s right foot, the foot of trust and confidence) direct and control one’s sense of speech, as is said: “walkers on the way, speak” (Song of Deborah, Judges 5:10). Speaking words of Torah while walking on the way inspires new insights into the secrets of the Torah. And so do we find that many of the secrets of the holy Zohar were revealed in the context of “walking on the way.”

from the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

As Passover approaches, our thoughts often turn to friends and loved ones, as well as the fortunes of worldwide Jewry. For many, the time-honoured tradition of Maot Chittin – providing assistance to Jews in need to meet the holiday’s special requirements – remains an integral part of the Pesach tradition.

This year is no exception. Continuing the relationship started in 1961 by Ontario’s Jewish communities, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, in partnership with Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee – Ontario, is sending Kosher-for-Passover food and wine to Cuba’s Jewish community. But we need your help.

By supporting our efforts, you can help nurture Jewish life for Cuba’s 540 remaining Jewish families, representing 1,500 community members, who have no access to Passover food.

Please click here to make a donation and receive an instant tax receipt, or call 416-631-5705. Your generosity is essential to help sustain Jewish identity in Cuba.

by Yosef Y. Jacobson

One of the great Talmudic sages related the following episode:

Once, while on a ship, we came to what we assumed was a large island, since we saw on it sand and growing grass. We disembarked the ship, went on to the island, built a fire, and cooked our meal. Yet what we assumed to be an island was really a fish. When the fish felt the heat, he rolled over and we were plunged into the water. Had the ship not been nearby, we would have drowned.

– Talmud Bava Basra 73b.

What is the meaning behind this absurd Talmudic tale, related by one of its great sages Rabba Bar Bar Chana?

According to some of the great Talmudic commentators, this tale captures – in intriguing metaphor – one of the most essential truths about Jewish history, particularly one relating to the holiday of Purim.

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Copyright Meaningful Life Center.

… Before Haman was cast a pur—that is, the lottery—from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, the month of Adar

Esther 3:7

Purim is the plural of pur, which is Persian for “lottery.” Purim, the festival, is so called in reference to the several lotteries Haman had thrown to determine the date of his planned massacre of the Jewish people, G-d forbid.

Altogether, Haman consulted three lotteries. The first lottery was to choose the day of the week (the results of which were inconclusive), the second to select a month (which indicated the month of Adar as an auspicious time for Haman’s plans), and the third to determine the day of the month (the lot fell on the 13th).[1] The first lottery, however, seems superfluous: if the month and the day of the month are chosen, the day of the week is already known. Perhaps Haman wanted to test his luck by seeing whether his lotteries would corroborate. Yet the fact that the day-of-the-week lottery was the first one that Haman consulted indicates that the placement of his chosen day within the weekly cycle was of primary importance to him.
The Clocks of Nature

A cursory look at our calendar shows that we measure time in what seems an awkward and inconvenient way. To distinguish a certain date, we refer both to the seven-day weekly cycle as well as to the 29.5 day lunar cycle (which gives us alternating 29- and 30-day months)—two time systems which bear no relation to each other. Hence, if a given day of a given month falls on Shabbat one year, it may occur on a Monday on the next; a month might have four Fridays one year and five Fridays the next. Why not employ a system that places our days in a singular, uniform context?

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