Good morning dear friends. This week we are now under tighter Covid restrictions, in an effort to reduce and flatten the rising numbers of infections here on the Island and across BC. As a result I am changing all my visits to Zoom for the meanwhile. But please let me know if you would like to chat, offer suggestions, ask questions – anything at all.More
Dear friends,
This week we are in Toldot – a word we use for generations – and we learn about the struggles between Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac and Rivka. Again, we read of the intimate details of this Abrahamic family; Rivka’s struggle to become pregnant, her difficulties when finally becoming pregnant, the struggles between her two sons and the jealousy and deception that informs decisions made and action taken. All such struggles resonate with many of us.
Dear friends,
In memory of: Pnina Benyamini, Ruth Lewis Bloomfield, Sharon Guralnick and Dina Wolfe, all of whom died over this past week. Our condolences to their families.
This week we enter into Chaye Sarah – technically we read these words as the life of Sarah, but we quickly realize it is her life as remembered by Abraham, as he eulogizes her. Sarah has died and after Abraham eulogizes her, he ensures she is buried. He purchases – for the asking price – the Cave of Machpelah. There should never be any question of ownership.
Dear friends,
This week, Vayera, we continue to follow Avraham and Sarah as they welcome Yitzhak (“he will laugh”) into their family – their long awaited son. So much happens in this reading, but near the end we read of probably the most inexplicable command in Torah – God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah (in now-Jerusalem). How could this be that the same God who gave delight and hope to Sarah and Avraham, would now demand that their precious son become an offering, draped over an altar of branches.
Dear friends,
The weeks are flying by, are they not? This week we are following the journey of Avram and Sarai as they leave their homeland to a place “that God will show” them. As someone who grew up here, and still lives here, this story always astounds my heart. I am not sure if I would have the courageous trust and faith, that is demonstrated in this leave-taking. Many people in Kolot Mayim have arrived in Victoria from away, many of you have moved here after several moves – moves that have taken you from family members, parents and close friends. Such uprootings are perhaps more commonplace these days, more the norm than staying put. And, we also know there are many ways we move. Some of us move spiritually, not geographically.More
Dear friends,
As I am composing my thoughts, I am listening to the rain, drip, drip, drip. We are so blessed to have rainfall, even as we may need to rearrange ourselves as we try to have outdoor visits. We know that without adequate rain, much vegetation around us will suffer. What is the geshem, the rainfall, that we our souls need to thrive, to not wither? For many, if not most of us, we need the steady drip of human connection, of everything from hugs with our dear friends, to dinner parties, to hosting parties for our children. We have had to reinvent ways to stay connected. Zoom is one platform but there are others to explore. Building bubbles may feel tenuous, but bubbles also have tensile strength. Here is a fun experiment. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-best-bubbles/
Dear friends,
What a month plus of celebrations we have had. We have Zoomed around the world and into each other’s homes and hearts. As the wind knocked over the willows from our sukkah on Shabbat, we are reminded that the seasons have shifted. We now change the wording in the Amidah from Moreed ha’tal, a blessing for dew, to Masheev ha ruach oo’moreed ha geshem, for the wind to blow and the rain to fall.More
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
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.
Vayishlach
November 29, 2020 by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough • From the Rabbi's Desk Tags: vayishlach •
Dear friends
This week we continue the Ya’akov saga in our Torah, and we encounter the passage where Ya’akov wrestles all night with a mysterious stranger – finally at daybreak Yaakov receives another name – Israel. When is he called Israel and when Ya’akov? Why does he need a new name? What does it mean when we change our name or add to our names – as we do when we receive our Jewish names, wither by our parents or by our choice? When do we use those names?
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