A number of us watched the funeral services for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on Monday morning. I was so struck by the exactitude of execution of each element of this service, the dignity and grace of the services, and by the sheer magnificence of the honours offered to her. This service truly was unlike anything any of us will see again in our lifetimes.More
What a week – and more to come! Sunday morning we had our first B’nei Mitzvah class of the year with four students in attendance. Welcome Noah, Yardenne, Ariel and Sarahi. I think we are all in for a wonderful year of learning.
We also started a new cycle of learning on Wednesdays at noon – we are looking at the books in our Prophets, our Nevi’im this year. Everyone is welcome of course.
Learning is the foundation of what it means to be a Jew. To engage in daily learning, to apply what we have learned into our everyday lives – this is what is meant when Torah teaches that we said at Sinai; ”We will do and we will understand.” We need to muck in.More
אֶ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ דֹּרֵ֣שׁ אֹתָ֑הּ תָּמִ֗יד עֵינֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ בָּ֔הּ מֵֽרֵשִׁית֙ הַשָּׁנָ֔ה וְעַ֖ד אַחֲרִ֥ית שָׁנָֽה׃ {ס}
We read in Parashat Eikev, a few weeks ago, “It is a land which your God looks after, on which your God always keeps an eye, from year’s beginning to year’s end.”
We think of these words as we welcome Stephen, Carolyn, and Nina into Judaism, and as we and give kavod, honour to Lis and Ariel as they stand, surrounded by beloved family and friends under their chuppah.More
I have had a very special morning today; up at 4:30 to stand with three people who after two years (and more) of learning and practice have joined the holy covenant. After each person met with a Beit Din, this morning they (sequentially) entered the waters of life at very first light for mikvah. They each recited blessings of immersion and new beginnings, and then sang the Sh’ma. It was a sacred moment for us all. Carolyn, Stephen and Nina – welcome to the tribe!More
Hello everyone, my days have been full: the figs are ripe (happy days), we have had a few long-overdue dinners, and we are looking forward to a few days with our son and grandchildren. Plus I have been planning weddings, setting up a Beit Din for three adults and one wee baby, B’nei Mitzvah planning, reminding myself of the nusach for Yomtov, planning venues – even doing a little clearing out at home. These days have been good days.More
What a week of blessing we have had, with more to come. Being in a community like Kolot Mayim is very much like being in that flowing river that Charlotte Marcovitz mentioned in her d’var about her parashah: Balaam sings in a poem to the nation Israel: “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel, stretching out like brooks, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by God, like cedars by water.” All these plants from aloe to cedar reach for mayim, for waters, as our souls reach with thirst for connection with the Divine and with each other.
These “waters” that sustain us can only continue to delight and refresh us with much needed sustenance – if we provide good stewardship. We have had several occasions recently to witness multi-generational love and guidance during a simcha, with grandparents celebrating alongside parents and siblings. A few tears were shed on these occasions!
A few tears do not a river make, but each tear opens a heart, an opening into life. I can remember my mother hauling buckets of water to each tiny cedar sapling as she worked to secure life for her cedar hedge until all roots were well-established. Bucket by bucket by heavy bucket she hauled water to sustain those saplings. And her labour worked; her vision of a strong and healthy hedge was rewarded; soon those roots took a strong hold and were able to reach into the earth for their source of life.
Being in a community can seem like hauling heavy buckets of water some days. And other days we feel refreshed by the waters of love and connection. So many members of Kolot Mayim ensure our buckets are carried, and our saplings are nourished. Thank you all.
This week let’s try to make a blessing on every glass of water we drink to help us remember how fragile and how necessary mayim chayim, these waters of life are to our very existence.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ:
Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam shehakol nihiyah bed’varo.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, by Whose word all things came to be.
This week our Torah portion is called Balak – and yet even as the King of Moab appears to be calling the shots, it is the character of Bilam that is more intriguing. Bilam is a wizard – millennia before Hogwarts – and his reputation is known across the lands. Bilam is commanded by the King of Moab to place a curse on the Israelites; the King is clearly fearful of their might, and he calls on Bilam to curse this people encroaching on his lands.More
July always seems to bring one of those very special weeks. This July brings two conversions completed – a few more to come later in the summer, (Mazal tov to Chasida Shai Fudger and Aidan Doduck); we will celebrate a Bat Mitzvah, (Mazal tov to Charlotte Marcovitz and her entire family); and we also celebrate a wedding (mazal tov to Hannah Zalmanowitz and Stuart Higgs).More
Korach, our Torah parashah this week, seemingly examines what happens to those who complain. The leader of the rebellion, also from the tribe of Levi, a cousin of Moshe, challenges his authority. Korach asks the question – “Isn’t this entire assembly a holy people.” Are we not equal? It is a question that resonates with all of us as we read this section of Torah, perhaps especially today. We remember Miriam’s fateful words to Moshe as she too challenged Moshe, saying, “Didn’t God speak to us as well?”More
My car is the Victoria Jewish bookmobile – as fast as I empty it out (not fast) someone else offers me books. But where oh where has this book ended up? If you have it, the original owner would dearly love to have it back – please be in touch with me, and I will pick it up and return it.
Meanwhile if you are looking for some good Jewish books to read – call me! I will bring my car over, and we can have a schmooze whilst you look for your next good read! Reading, learning, texts of all kinds are in our Jewish DNA. But we are also always encouraged to put what we are learning into practice, into the realms of our experiences. Be it Shabbat dinners, learning to make Jewish recipes from around the globe, learning daf yomi, or lighting candles, we put our learning into our lives. Being Jewish in many ways is the original immersive learning programme, or life-long learning programme. Recently we have been blessed to have congregants participate in leading parts of our Shabbat services. There are many ways we can encourage each other to participate in Jewish life. Coming up soon, we will be holding a workshop on Bikkur Cholim, the mitzvah of visiting the sick. Members of Kolot Mayim participate in the mitzvah of Chevra Kadisha, caring for our dead. Other members help set up for our services, organizing tablecloths, and siddurim, chumashim and moving the Aron haKodesh into place. All and everything matters. To this end, I want to say kol hakavod to our new Board. I look forward to working with all of you over this coming year. Thank you, todah, to all who make Kolot Mayim vibrant and engaged.
Affectionately,Rabbi Lynn
