Jacob and Esau could not be more different in terms of their demeanors and physical make-up. Esau was hairy, Jacob smooth; Jacob was a tent dweller and Esau a hunter. Jacob was quiet and cunning while Esau was loud and boorish. There was, however, one similarity between them. Both brothers had name changes. In two weeks, we will read parshat Vayishlaḥ which recounts Jacob’s fierce battle with...

Yesterday was the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, The Night of the Broken Glass. Kristallnacht was a Pogrom, orchestrated by Hitler’s Nazi government, in which Jews across Germany were beaten and arrested, many sent to concentration camps, Jewish-owned stores and synagogues were defaced or burned. Of course, violence usually doesn’t come from out of nowhere; it is often the outcome of...

When planning our oldest daughter Ziva’s Bat Mitzvah, she made it clear that she wanted Parashat Vayera as her parashah. Why? Because it contained a Shalshelet, a rare Torah cantillation trop and she very much wanted to read it.In the parashah, two of the Angels who had visited Abraham now come to Lot to inform him of the pending doom of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. But Lot delays,...

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ יהוה said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”This week’s parasha...

UJA ShinShinim are young Israeli leaders who have just finished high school and who come to the GTA for one year to volunteer in our community. They are hosted by local Toronto families and engage more than 12,000 Jewish community members each year with cutting-edge programs focusing on contemporary Israel.As you all already know, the situation in Israel is tough. ‏I want to share with you...

UJA ShinShinim are young Israeli leaders who have just finished high school and who come to the GTA for one year to volunteer in our community. They are hosted by local Toronto families and engage more than 12,000 Jewish community members each year with cutting-edge programs focusing on contemporary Israel.I honestly don’t know where to start, so I'll just start from the beginning.I’m 18...

Ensuring Our Security, Safeguarding Our CommunityOur community is increasingly under threat, given the uptick in antisemitism and anti-Israelism that is being experienced worldwide and here in Toronto.In our ongoing commitment to your safety, we want to update you on the enhanced measures we are taking here at Beth Tzedec.(CLICK HERE to donate to the Emergency Security Fund).Current Security...

On Sunday morning, while trying to capture a sense of joy on Simẖat Torah, we were simultaneously becoming aware of the terror, murder and slaughter in Israel, in real time, as it was unfolding. At that same time, we completed the annual Torah reading. Once again, the happy ending didn’t happen. Moshe Rabbeinu died, and he was not able to enter the Promised Land.And as I do every year, I...

While there is no evidence of any related threats to Beth Tzedec or in the GTA, we will be amending our Security protocols for the safety of our members, guests, staff and RHA students.  Key highlights include:Entry to and exit from the synagogue will continue to be exclusively through the rear entry doors off the parking lot.Our security staff will be augmented and...

Dear Beth Tzedec community, Libi B'mizrach Ani B'sof Hama'aravMy heart is in the East, I am in the West. We’ve all been watching the horror unfolding in Israel following Hamas’ unconscionable terror attack. Our hearts are broken as we stand in solidarity with Israel. As the death, injured, and kidnapped toll mounts, inevitably, many of us who have family and friends in Israel...

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you about Stacy Friedman’s Bat Mitzvah.If you do not understand the Hebrew, or you were not paying close attention, you missed the message of the movie. Stacy is chanting the maftir of Ki Tissa (Exodus 34:33-35). It is not translated. There is no commentary. [Movie blooper fans: the maftir is referred to as her haftorah.]When Moses had finished...

What is a Sukkah? Leviticus 23:42-43, part of the Torah reading for the festival, contains the commandment to dwell in Sukkot as a reminder for all generations of how God made the Israelites live in Sukkot when God took them out of Egypt. The Talmud refers to Sukkot (Booths) as the Clouds of Glory which surrounded and protected the Israelites during their forty years in the desert. To further...

TORONTO, September 26, 2023 – Beth Tzedec Congregation is pleased to announce a new home for the Cecil Roth Judaica collection—one of the most significant collections of its kind. This extensive collection of Jewish historical objects curated by historian Dr. Cecil Roth has been acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), marking an important step in bolstering ROM’s already substantial...

Beth Tzedec is committed to the continuation of morning and evening Zoom minyanim for our members and the broader community. To provide you with the most welcoming and secure online experience, we are making changes to our Zoom protocols which include:Access will only be granted to those who display their name in the Zoom waiting room.If you use a phone number or a name like...

Dear Friends,  The following is a condensed version of my first day Rosh Hashanah sermon that was delivered in the Mezzanine Service.  When I studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute in the summer, Yehuda Kurtzer, described the difference between baggage and luggage.  He said that our baggage is the items that go under the plane and drag us down. They hold us back...