On June 12, 2014, Israel was witness to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Fraenkel. After the discovery and burial of the bodies of the three boys a few weeks later, Israeli singer and composer Yonatan Razel paid a shiva call to the family of Naftali Fraenkel. At a subsequent concert Yonatan gave, he shared the following experience from...

Each month, our shinshinit Amit Mizrachi will share an Israeli song to inspire, engage and entertain us as we get ready to usher in Shabbat. December 2022 “Matanot Ktanot - little presents” by the incredibly talented Israel artist Rami Kleinstein is the perfect song for Shabbat,  It describes perfectly the atmosphere of Shabbat in Israel the way I see it and feel it. It...

On Monday, December 5, Rabbi Steven Wernick received an honourary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary in recognition of his achievements over many years of distinguished service. If you would like to make a contribution in honour of Rabbi Steven Wernick, please consider donating to the Rabbi Steven Wernick Discretionary Fund. To send Reb Steve a...

Dear Friends,  My morning gratitude practice is robust. I start immediately by thanking God for my family: my husband who is usually still asleep as I leave for minyan and my daughter who has made her way into our bed sometime during the night hours. As I walk the short distance to shul, I remember to be thankful for my short commute. And even after more than three years, I...

הבוקר התעוררנו לפיגוע כפול בירושלים שהביא לאובדן גדול בו תלמיד ישיבה בן 16 נרצח. ליבנו נשבר מהטרגדיה שגרמה למותו של הנער הצעיר, אריה שצ'ופק זכרונו לברכה. אריה היה תושב ישראלי קנדי. אנו מביעים צער עמוק בשם בית צדק לכלל...

Thursday and Friday of this week are Rosh H̱odesh Kislev. That means there are only 18 more shopping days until H̱anukkah! What shall we get the kids?Advertising has started already. The Globe and Mail had a special holiday gift section recently. And my social media is inundated with personalized suggestions. For many from now until H̱anukkah, it’s shop until you drop, spinning through...

Beth Tzedec is a vibrant, engaging and BUSY community! Keep up-to-date with the events, programs and news by signing up for our weekly enewsletter. To add your name to the list, email Terri at thumphries@beth-tzedec.org.

In the midst of so much rich narrative in this week’s parasha, (the death of Sarah, the generosity of Rivka, the love discovered between Rivka and Yitzchak and the death of Avraham), we find the following pasuk…Genesis 24:63וַיֵּצֵ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק לָשׂ֥וּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לִפְנ֣וֹת עָ֑רֶב וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא...

Despite the tragic end to the Sodom and Gomorrah story (spoiler: all the people die), it is one of my all time favourite biblical stories, and found within Vayeira, a Torah portion that has so many incredible stories. So what is sit that makes this powerful and interesting to Yacov (you might be asking yourself)? Upon hearing the plan to destroy these cities and their...

Each month, our shinshinit Amit Mizrachi will share an Israeli song to inspire, engage and entertain us as we get ready to usher in Shabbat. November 2022The song "Haboker Yaaleh" by the very talented Israeli musician Ishay Ribo is optimistic and calming, "the morning will come and the sun will rise...". I chose this song for our first Shirat HaHodesh because spreading...

It was exactly 25 years ago this Shabbat that I celebrated my Bar Mitzvah. The protagonist of the Torah reading, Abram (later Abraham), is sent out on a journey by God to a place and into a future he does not know at the time of departure. So to, as I reflect on my own life and the changes in the world since 1997, have I – and all of us – been on our life journeys not knowing exactly where we...

The post-diluvian genealogy of Noah and his sons after the flood is a dry listing of begats, save for a digression about Nimrod the son of Cush.“Cush also begot Nimrod, who was the first man of might on earth. He was a mighty hunter by the grace of the Lord; hence the saying ‘Like Nimrod a might hunter by the grace of the Lord.’The mainstays of his kingdom were Babylon, Erekh, Accad...

Perusing through the Bible as a kid, I was excited to find my family surname in English. It was in parashat Vayishlaḥ, which outlined the genealogy of Esau. Ezer is listed as one of the sons of Seir the Horite, the Horites being the original non-semitic settlers of Seir / Edom prior to the arrival of Esau’s clans (Genesis 36:20 ff). As an adult, however, I discovered that in Hebrew the name...

On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, I spoke about Teshuvah, Belovedness, and Pleasure. The night before, after ẖag dinner, my dear colleague Yacov gave me the slightest nudge about the language I use, reminding me to ensure that it should be clear to the people in the room what I mean. For instance, in my Jewish mindfulness circles, words like “belovedness” and “embodiment” are...

Our members-in-good-standing will fall into one of two categories below:Scenario 1: I have tickets alreadyFor members who have received their tickets, simply show them at the entry to our security guard to gain access to the shul. Scenario 2: I am a member-in-good-standing but I did not receive my tickets!For those who renewed/joined prior to September...