Today is the final day of Hanukkah and this morning was the final Hallel for the holiday.Each morning of the eight days of Hanukkah, we recite Hallel – the Service of Praise - as we do on other joyous occasions including Rosh Hodesh (the beginning of the new month), and on each of the three Pilgrimage Festivals. Hallel is a collection of psalms that recall the celebration of the Festivals...

Beth Tzedec Bulletin - Winter 2023 EditionWe have identified an error which occurred during the latest Bulletin editorial process in which the wrong author was attributed to the article entitled “Microaggressions” on page 35. The article was mistakenly credited to Debbie Rothstein, Immediate Past President. It was actually penned by Corinne Promislow, a Board Director and member of...

Beth Tzedec Bulletin - Winter 2023 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:Patti Rotman's "From the President" article (page...

We gratefully acknowledge the donors who have contributed to the Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl Endowment Fund, supporting the Beth Tzedec Centre for Spiritual Well-Being. The list includes donors from June 2020 through November 2023.To view the list, click here>>

Of the three Biblical patriarchs, we spend the most time with Jacob. We meet Jacob before he is even born and follow his life from beginning to end. In his youth we learn of his sibling rivalry with his older brother Esau. We read of his 20 years with his uncle Lavan, arriving empty-handed as a single young man and departing with two wives, two concubines, 12 children and lots of wealth. We...

In November, we were pleased to launch our Giving Tuesday Campaign, a special opportunity for our Generations Members to make a difference to Beth Tzedec. Whether our members are passionate about volunteering their time or contributing financially, every effort matters. Thanks to the generosity of a caring member, funds will be matched 3-1 up to $10,000, until December 31st. That...

Join members of the Jewish community from across the country on Monday, December 4 at Parliament Hill in Ottawa as we unite and rally in our nation's capital.For the hostages. For the people of Israel. For the safety of Jewish Canadians.UJA has arranged for bus transportation from multiple locations in the GTA. The cost of the bus is $36; reservations are required. To reserve a seat, click...

For the past seven weeks, synagogues around the world have added prayers for the safe return of the hostages. Some are prayers that already appear in our printed siddurim. In times of great stress, some congregations re-introduce the responsive recitation of Psalm 130 every morning as is done between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. (“Out of the depths I call to you, Adonai, hear my cry, head me...

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...