From Rosh Hashanah through Simchat Torah we have the blessing of so many days of celebration – a blessing that can feel never ending some days! We have days of great joy and anticipation – eating favourite foods, dancing, shaking the lulav – and we gather for more somber days, where, for example, on Yizkor we remember our loved ones with pain in our hearts to this day.
Dear friends,
One can learn from the smallest of details. As I was preparing this message, I attempted to diminish the photo of myself (above). If I diminished the photo too much, it flipped and showed upside down. What occurred to me in that moment was a lesson in being careful to not diminish ourselves too much. That even in this season where we are so conscious of our past failings, we need to hold ourselves upright with the dignity of good intentions, our sense of integrity and the balance that comes from standing with and beside each other. If we don’t hold ourselves upright in the fullness of our being the world may suddenly appear upside down.More
Hello dear Kolot Mayim friends,
We will be Zooming all Rosh Hashanah services – please join us to see all the wonderful faces of our Kolot Mayim membership. The really wonderful part of Zoom is we see each other face-on, and not just the back of many heads.
Hello dear Kolot Mayim friends,
The days are getting shorter, the time to prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is getting shorter. Rosh Hashanah is approaching so very quickly. I am rehearsing and planning, charting and listening and trying to make our services feel haimisch even as they will feel very different this year.
Hello dear Kolot Mayim friends,
Another week draws us closer to Rosh Hashanah. This week we explore Ki Tavo – when you come near. Torah is speaking to us about k’lal Yisroel, the Israelite peoples entering the Land, but for us, today, Ki Tavo also carries the extra meaning of approaching our new year. What is coming ahead for us and what are we leaving behind? And what do we want to build?
Hello dear members and friends of Kolot Mayim,
This is such a busy time of year – and even busier this year, I think. We are doing our best to keep connected, and as we look into fall and winter we will be trying to make sure those connections stay strong. Please be in touch with me; you don’t need to be sick or sad to call me, (though please call me if you are). I am happy to have a cup of coffee and visit.
Moving towards Elul – Friday evening we are brought into Elul. Shoftim refers to our judges. What are the qualities that we look for in our judges? Judges must not have their judgment perverted by bribery because “a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and make just words crooked.” And then we read, “Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof.” Righteousness, righteousness, shall you pursue. All of us.More
Dear friends,
Last Friday night we gathered to celebrate Shabbat at Gyro Park – but our plans were somewhat derailed by the generosity of nature – a mist became a shpritz became a sprinkle… A few hardy souls turned out – 27 I think in total, and we had a lovely opportunity to schmooze for a while, welcome Mary Casselman into the tribe, and generally enjoy being together amongst the shpritzing under a canopy of trees! “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” is an old Yiddish adage meaning, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.” We will try again on the 21st – same location. Come and join us. Details to be posted next week.
This week in our sequence of Torah readings, we read the command Re’eh: SEE! I have always loved this parashah. From the moment we awaken we can choose to see with an ayin tova – a good eye, or not.
August has arrived –blackberries, blueberries and figs are abundant right now; preserving and jam-making is one of August’s tasks for many of us. We want to preserve the abundance of the moment, uncertain of our own supply chain, in light of the Covid pandemic which is still informing our decisions about how and where we meet. Sadly, physical distancing requirements whilst meeting indoors still precludes our gathering together for Shabbat services. However, we have had most enthusiastic response from you about wanting to gather together this week at Gyro Park – we are all missing that elemental Jewish ingredient – face-to-face contact!
One of the most mysterious and moving verses in Torah is when Moses finally catches a glimpse (albeit, an exceedingly peripheral glimpse) of God. Moses asks God “Show me your glory.” God cannot be seen by any human being, but God tells Moshe, “Stand in the cleft of the rock” and “you will see My back, but My face must not be seen” (Exodus 33: 17-23).
Even in Danger, We Sang
October 5, 2020 by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough • From the Rabbi's Desk Tags: chazzanut, nusach, rabbi nachman, yomtov •
Dear friends,
The announcement page looks very bare after the fullness of this past month with so many announcements about our Yomtov preparations and services!
I have heard back from many of you and am so pleased that you enjoyed the array of videos and singing that we included in our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. There is so much musical talent in the Jewish world, and we have new voices emerging all the time.More