Dear friends,  In this week’s parasha, God says to Abram (not yet Abraham), lekh lekha, go for yourself from your native land and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. God continues and says: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And then we read that Abram goes....

OOTC Volunteer Registration is Now OpenThe 24th season of the Beth Sholom/Beth Tzedec Out of the Cold Shelter will operate on Monday nights from January 13 through March 31, 2025. We provide a hot meal, clothing, entertainment, an art program and BINGO for 150 of Toronto’s homeless and needy people in our community. We also offer a bagged lunch and a one time ttc pass each...

I think of the month of Tishrei, the first month of the Jewish year as being in a tayva - ark, or a container of sorts. We spend lots of time in synagogue, starting the ark, engaged in self-focus, and assessing how we live our lives and what needs to change. Of course, we do this as part of a community, standing alongside those who share our destiny as part of the Jewish...

Tomorrow, on Yom Kippur, we will knock on our hearts and admit to ourselves: chamasnu! We have engaged in evil this past year. We have hated. We have acted violently. We have caused harm. What purpose would this admonition of regret, this recognition of harm, serve if not to encourage and move us to take action, to do better? To act with love, with compassion? Every day...

This Shabbat we are pleased to welcome Rabbi Shai Held, one of the founders of Yeshivat Hadar, a traditional egalitarian yeshiva in New York. Rabbi Held has a new book out titled Judaism is About Love. In it he deftly argues that we Jews need to reclaim Judaism’s essential commitment to love. Yes, we are committed to Halakhah, to Jewish Law, but Jewish Law does not negate nor...

Beth Tzedec Congregation is proud to participate in the Simchat Torah Project, a global initiative that unites the Jewish world and honours and remembers all of those we lost on October 7, and the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for Israel. In early September, Rabbi Fryer Bodzin flew to Israel to bring home a Torah mantle, one that is nearly identical to over 1000 Torah mantles that...

וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכׇל־הַטּ֗וֹב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃ And you shall enjoy and rejoice in, together with the [family of the] Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that...

David Matlow’s assembly of Herzl memorabilia and artifacts exhibited at Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker CenterDavid Matlow, Beth Tzedec member and curator of the world's largest collection of Theodor Herzl memorabilia, says that the notion of displaying his collection first occurred at Beth Tzedec. “It was my mother’s idea,” Matlow recalls. “She suggested that I do an exhibit at...

Generations Member “pays it forward” to Beth Tzedec Jonathan (Jonny) Ain For Mitchell Rattner, a lawyer, husband, and father of two young daughters, donating to Beth Tzedec is more than just a way to give back—it’s an  investment in the future of a community that has become an important part of his family’s life. “The Generations Membership Program has opened the...

Congregants often wonder why, if they already pay their regular membership dues, Beth Tzedec requests additional philanthropic contributions through the Annual High Holy Day Appeal. The answer lies in the evolving needs of our community and the limitations of the traditional "dues-based" funding model, which was designed for a much simpler synagogue experience of the 1970s. But today, Beth...

This year's Appeal goal set at $650,000Beth Tzedec is on the verge of something extraordinary. Our Annual High Holy Day Appeal has already seen remarkable generosity from our community, pushing results beyond the $400,00 mark. Thanks to the unwavering support of the Larry and Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation, our lead donors who are matching contributions up to $150,000, we are well...

HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS?Beth Tzedec Congregation is continuing its no-fee membership program for those under 40.Click here>> to confirm your no-fee membership now. Or keep reading below for more details about this breakthrough initiative in Toronto’s Jewish community. What’s the Catch? There isn’t one. Beth Tzedec's mission is to inspire members to live meaningful...

This week’s Torah reading, Ki Teitzei, contains the most Mitzvot (Commandments) of any weekly Torah reading. According to the traditional count of there being 613 Mitzvot in the Torah, 74 of them (12%) appear in this week’s reading. The subjects of these Mitzvot are all over the place, ranging from how to treat captives in war to rules about forbidden mixtures, from property law to...

Beth Tzedec Bulletin - Fall/High Holy Days EditionThe latest edition of the Beth Tzedec Bulletin is available for download. Let's celebrate, learn, pray and connect as a community with the many opportunities offered throughout our quarterly catalogue of programs, events and articles.Don't miss any of the news and excitement, including:Celebrating Selichot with Rabbi Shai Held (page...

This coming Sunday and Monday, September 8 and 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Beth Tzedec invites you to add to your Judaica collection. The remaining pieces of our museum collection will be available for sale including unique artwork and ritual objects. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own a piece of our history. Well, not every remaining piece. Some things are not to be sold. One...