As we think about Naso, our Torah portion this week, we cannot help but be utterly grateful for the courage, endurance and stamina of the IDF forces who were able to rescue, redeem and bring home four hostages. Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and 40-year-old Shlomi Ziv were all kidnapped at the Nova music festival, and were all rescued from a camp in central Gaza.More
This coming Shabbat is the first of June, and our Torah reading, Bechukotai, seems to reflect the optimism I feel when I say the word June.
We read in the opening of this parashah a section of blessings that hold deep reassurance for us, particularly in what may feel like such perilous times. We spoke at services last week about holding hope, about holding a sense of family with our people in Israel, and surely this hope is also found throughout our Torah.
This coming Sunday, Ohad Rafeli and his bride Katja Chorna will be married. May their joy increase our own, may their joy increase our own joy. Here is a clip of such hope and blessing from David Zelller,z”l, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZoGKitZDA
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
This week we come close to completing our reading of Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus. Because we are in a leap year we read Behar separately from B’chukotai, where we read sequences of blessings and curses. Such is life in many ways. Separately and together.
I had the privilege this week to sit bedside with the mother of one of our members. She has been hospitalized and will hopefully recover enough to leave her present premises. As we spoke, she told me of her marriage to her second husband, now deceased, and she described herself in that marriage as completely content. I was so struck by the depths she found in all of love’s simplicity within that one word. Her life was not without sadness, not without grief, but her overall emotion was that of contentment. What a blessing.
We spoke in shul last week about endurance. Again, endurance is a quality we may not think of often, but in endurance we are able to look at that big picture, be it our marriage, our difficulties, or our lifetime. B’har and B’chukotai is about both contentment and endurance. Harvesting and fallow years. The blessing of rest, of Shabbat. But these parashiot are also about finding in both the blessings and admonitions of our lives the blessing of God’s light, that we may know, “I will establish my covenant with you.”
That covenant, that relationship may be difficult to find at times, but as we gather together, as we see each other, as we step up to learn, we find that endurance requires contentment, and contentment requires endurance. May we all be so blessed.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
Summer has arrived! Peonies, magnolia, azaleas -all in glorious full colour, even as the bluebells have faded. Such is life. What a blessing it is to live where there are so many gardens, hummingbirds, eagles soaring – life winging all around us. Many of you will have seen or attempted to see the glory of the Northern Lights last Friday evening. A blessing every day.
Emor teaches us about the counting of the Omer, the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuot. We do a lot of counting of days in our tradition. Days before, days of, days after. Counting towards Shabbat. Days of Shiva. When is the Brit Milah? There is an element of precision in this accounting/counting that we may take for granted but the counting is core to who we are.
As this season of weddings approaches, I imagine the brides, the grooms counting down the days before they will stand under the chuppah. The singing of the Sheva Berachot – 7 Blessings filled with such joy, and love, and obligation. Because every blessing is an acknowledgement of our responsibility to each other and of gratitude to God. May we all be blessed to see the miracles around us every day – be it the Northern Lights or a sliver of a silvery moon.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
A very brief note this morning as I prepare for a few very full days. The Yom ha Shoah commemorations on Sunday and Monday mornings and the Rally for Israel Sunday afternoon, offer us all serious opportunities to reflect on our place as Jews in Victoria and throughout the world historically and in these present days.
I recently watched a video of a Reform Rabbi speaking about how too many of our people have become so enamoured of tikkun olam they have forgotten about Ahavat Yisroel – love of Israel, of who we are as Jews. Yet, as Jews we are tied irrevocably to the existence of the land and people Israel.More
I hope everyone had meaningful and joyous Sedarim – we all enjoyed our Seder here at the JCC. Many thanks again to everyone who helped. My kitchen will be back to usual on Wednesday – I always miss the bright green tablecloth that says Pesach to me every year when I unpack it from its box.
This year putting boxes in the attic was a little easier for two reasons. I had some help from a younger member, and we were also able to pass on several carpets that we had inherited from a dear friend who died years ago. Pets have precluded their use in our home, and recently two dear and much younger friends bought a new home – and hence with acquired more space for some of our treasures~
Letting go and acquiring treasured paintings, furniture and dishes may seem materialistic – but those treasure are full of memories. How meaningful to pass on those memories and stories to the next generation. So too, our Torah is full of memories and stories, our Haggadah commanding us to tell our story to our children and children’s children. Our stories come in many shapes, many sizes. We make these stories our own Torah to add to those of our ancestors.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
I am writing this on the day of our Seder, anticipating gathering with so many this evening. We are full to overflowing, and I know we will have a very freilich, joyous, and meaningful evening together.
Thank you to the many volunteers who helped with setting up (and cleaning up), with bringing tasty charoset for us to share, for bringing flowers for our tables, and mostly for coming and sharing this precious time of Seder together.
I am also so very aware of how challenging it can be to celebrate in the face of absence, be that absence personal or the larger absence of the hostages. And yet our tradition mandates we celebrate – we remember, and we look forward at the same time. In one of our readings from Torah through the days of Pesach we go back to Ki Tissa in Exodus. We read near the very end how radiant Moses’ face became after his encounter with God. May each of us experience the shared radiance of renewing relationships with friends and with family over these coming days.
With love, Chag Pesach sameach,
Rabbi Lynn
We had a very casual Friday night last week. Rabbi Lynn and Aaron Devor purchased and have donated a beautiful hand written Megillat Esther to Kolot Mayim. We unrolled much of it and then entered into a lively discussion about all things scribal. May this Megillah be read for years to come.
Then we had a conversation about preparations for Pesach – the whys and wherefores of preparing for this very special time. Finally, we recited Kaddish, in memory of the souls that have departed us, some far too suddenly and others in their time. At these times of years their loss seems especially difficult. Wishing love to all who are struggling with grief and loss. Please be in touch with me as you may need.
Chag Pesach sameach everyone.
Wishing everyone much happiness and strength as we prepare ourselves for Pesach.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn
B’ha’alotecha
June 17, 2024 by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough • From the Rabbi's Desk
This Friday evening we will be holding our final Kabbalat Shabbat service until August. I will be on holiday during the month of July. I will be in town, mostly, and am certainly available in case of emergencies. Hopefully all will be well.
This week in our parasha, B’ha’alotecha, we read about the lighting of the Menorah. As the light from the seven lamps cast light so too are we commanded to cast our light. This morning (Monday) I opened my texts to read a message from a dear friend in England. Avielah told me that a Chevrah Kadisha colleague had died. Melvyn Hartog headed up the United Synagogues Chevra Kadisha for many years – we met at a CK conference. He was a haimishe man, very warm and utterly committed to the work we both loved. Melvyn truly brought light into his work. Apparently, he frequently gave talks entitled, “Talking About Death Won’t Kill You.” May his memory be a blessing.
These days can appear very disheartening, as we read about more and more occasions when Jewish presence is being erased – from Pride parades to faculty associations, from University academic journals to concert settings. Kol hakavod to two of our members, Anita and Sari who have written letters to our local paper highlighting this ongoing and worsening situation. May we all be lights unto our nation, and may we each hold the presence of one other with love and with light.
With love,
Rabbi Lynn