Rabbi Lynn Greenhough

About Rabbi Lynn Greenhough

Posts by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough:

Behar–Bechukotai

May 11, 2020 by • Tags: , •

Dear friends,

Shavua tov, a good week to all of you. This week we are in yet another double portion: the books of Behar – the shortest parashah in Torah and Bechukotai.

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Emor

May 5, 2020 by • Tags: •

Shavua tov, dear friends.

We are in the middle of the middle as I said on Friday night – not the middle of the muddle, as COVID may make us feel. We are in the very centre of Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus, and in the central readings of that book. This week we are reading Emor – speaking about some of the Biblical rituals that pertained whilst the Temple stood, but don’t apply today. Why do we still learn about these rituals? Why haven’t we issued a new and revised Torah? (Actually, apparently the Danish Lutheran Church has just done so, eliminating all mention of “Israel” from their revised New Testament).

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On Blessings

April 27, 2020 by • Tags: , •

Dear friends,

Shavua tov, a good week to all of you. This cool’ish spring is allowing many of our spring flowers to linger in our gardens – our bluebells are giving us several weeks of delight. I have been picking and serving some wild “weeds” from our garden areas over these past weeks – weeds I have previously ignored. With an interest to limit trips to the market, I have been adding miner’s lettuce to our salads and soups, purple dead nettle and dandelion to pesto sauces and using lemon balm with parsley and miner’s lettuce in all manner of meals. This isn’t just a lesson in making do (although that was certainly the initial intention), but a lesson in gratitude and a lesson in paying attention – to not overlook the bounty that surrounds us. Here is a website if you would like to learn more about what is growing around us. http://edibleplants.b-king.ca/#harvestingMore

Yizkor, Shiva, Yom HaShoah

April 20, 2020 by • Tags: , , •

Good morning dear friends. Every day we are finding new opportunities and new challenges. On Thursday evening we held a Yizkor service (which we do four times a year – Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot and Yom Kippur).  Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we were able to gather in a shiva minyan (of 52) to provide comfort and consolation to Marilyn Wolovick and her family members who had just buried their beloved mother Sarah. Our friend Rabbi Allan Finkel conducted the funeral which was live streamed, albeit over the wind, and then he joined us here in Victoria for shiva. Jewish geography meets technological advances! We will continue to meet on-line for classes and services. 

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Pirkei Avot

April 14, 2020 by • Tags: , •

Shavua tov, dear friends,

This week we are going to begin a new cycle of studies. It is customary to learn from the book Pirkei Avot during the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot. These texts are extraordinary teachings. See this teaching from My Jewish Learning for an explanation of these texts: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/pirkei-avot-ethics-of-our-fathers/

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Passover

April 7, 2020 by • Tags: , , •

Shavua tov dear friends,

We are just days before First Night Seder and when we begin to sing, Mah nishtana ha Laila ha zeh, we will have a very different answer on our tongues than the usual responses! Most of us are used to sitting with family and friends, new and old, and enjoying favourite Seder foods with the often raucous commentary. This year we will each be at home – but together at the same time. If you would like to join our community Seder, please let us know by sending Kolot Mayim an email (kolotmayim@gmail.com). We will put you on our list and send you a Zoom invitation to join us. We ae having to be careful with our protocols on Zoom, hence the added security measures. But do consider joining us:  I will be leading the Seder and Gary Cohen and Amber Woods will be joining us with songs throughout our Seder. 

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Tzav

March 31, 2020 by • Tags: •

Shavua tov dear friends,

Neomi Summers sent me this lovely prayer and it gave me a thought: what if each of us were to hang a prayer on a virtual prayer tree. If you are inspired to pen a thought, send it in, so we can share your prayers amongst all of us.

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Purim, Pesach, Covid-19

March 10, 2020 by • Tags: , , •

Dear friends,

We had a lovely Purim celebration on Sunday evening. Jessica Pratezina organized a crafts table for the children; crowns were decorated, hamantaschen eaten and groggers were grogged!!More

Tetzaveh

March 2, 2020 by • Tags: •

This week our Torah reading is Tetzaveh. We read about the garments that will be worn by the Kohanim, the priests during Temple services. Last year I wrote about how we bring an iteration of these garments forward in our burial practices, where members of the Chevra Kadisha dress our metim, the dead, in traditional shrouds or tachrichim.

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Terumah

February 24, 2020 by • Tags: •

Even as we move through the cycle of readings in Torah, I am struck by how often these ancient words have relevance to our lives today. As Ben Bag-Bag advised, “Turn it and turn it again, for everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old and grey with it. Don’t turn from it, for nothing is better than it.” 

This week we are reading Parashat Terumah; we are building the Mishkan, the Sanctuary, that will be the house for the Aseret HaDibrot, the Tablets with the Utterances given at Sinai. 

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