From the Rabbi’s Desk

As I work in my office I often eavesdrop on conversations at the front desk: people new to Victoria being welcomed (Hi, Sharon), old friends whose voices I may recognize, all manner of welcomes that make our home at the JCC feel so right.

Latke Madness begins in December so just a heads up – eau de latke will be in the air as we meet for services! Order your latkes soon – the Deli, per se, is closed over these coming weeks, as everyone cooks and cooks and cooks latkes for all! Lots of Hannukah tchotchkes for sale at the JCC – if you drop by check and see if I am in my office!

This week we begin our week Monday morning with Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the new moon indicating the beginning of the Jewish month of Kislev. Hannukah falls on the 24^th of Kislev – this year in conjunction with Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. Here is a link that explains a little more about Kislev and Hannukah –

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kislev-hanukkah/

So let there be much light with this conjunction of celebration and hope.

Rosh Chodesh holds its own special Torah reading, the singing of Hallel. I am so pleased we can now meet on a weekday and mark some of these particular observances. Please spread the word so we can ensure a minyan every week.

With love,
Rabbi Lynn

We are in a month of celebrations – this past week Asher Russell was called to Torah on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah and this coming Shabbat, Milo Mateer will be called to Torah as Bat Mitzvah. Not only do our young people lead us in prayer, and read from Torah, they give us a thoughtful, d’var, words of Torah. Come and join us – and think about what learning you would like to do over these coming months.

We had three long tables of members and friends joining us for our once/monthly Shabbat potluck dinner. A fun way to get to know each other and share delicious food. Our December dinner will be December 27^th, when we also will be celebrating Hannukah. Mark your calendars!

Wishing you all well as the days seem long and dark. We need to find many ways to bring light into our homes and communities. What are some of your ideas about how we can bring light and hope from Kolot Mayim into our larger community and at the same time bring that light home, into Kolot Mayim?

With love,
Rabbi Lynn

As we look forward to celebrating a Bar and a Bat Mitzvah over the coming weeks, we again are reminded of our obligation to be a community of learners. It takes such courage for our young people to learn and sing in front of us. But I have come to appreciate that their fear is nothing compared to that of’ grown-ups’ – now that fear is monumental. So kol hakavod to everyone who is facing into the challenge of learning new prayers, reading Torah – and then sharing your learning with us.

Learning can be fascinating. I remember being at a Taharah and one of the women present remarked how she had not been able to come for a while and she couldn’t remember how to tie the knots. And then she said, “But my hands will remember.” And they did. So much of what we do as Jews builds wisdom and learning into our hands, our bodies. And we have to learn to trust that learning.

My favourite prayer in the weekday Amidah is as follows: In the blessing known as Ata Chonen we recite: “You grace humans with wisdom and teach humanity perception. Bestow upon us Your knowledge, insight and understanding. Blessed are you the grantor of wisdom.”

In our hands, and in our souls, may we know all these blessings, of wisdom and perception, and share our own wisdom gently.

With love,

Rabbi Lynn

Thank you to everyone who sent messages to me over this past week – it has been a while since I was laid quite so flat!

This week we open up the book of Vayeira with the teachings of hachnasat orchim – welcoming hospitality. We read of Avraham and Sarah welcoming three strangers with food, and drink. And we read that these three strangers were paying a visit of comfort to Avraham, Bikur cholim, as he was sitting in discomfort from his circumcision.

Two mitzvot, primary to who we are: One asking us to reach with our hands and welcome in and one asking us to extend ourselves beyond our own hands, and hold a hand in comfort. What a beautiful reminder to us all.

Kol ha kavod to all,
Rabbi Lynn

Lech Lecha is that section of Torah where we are all invited to stop for a breath, pause, and look within ourselves: where are we headed this year? Where is that place, that makom, where God wants me to be this year? What am I meant to be learning, and what am I meant to be giving?

This year we began our morning Monday minyan in the week of Lech Lecha. May our minyanim be many, may we provide consolation and comfort to those in need, and may our presence build connection amongst Jews in Victoria.  

Kol ha kavod to all,
Rabbi Lynn

This coming Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Heshvan – the month of Heshvan is sometimes called Mar Heshvan, sad or bitter Heshvan, as there are no holidays that month. Whew!!

When Rosh Chodesh, the new month, coincides with Shabbat there are a few special prayers recited to honour that conjunction. There are also special additions to the Amidah now that we are past Shmini Atzeret, the 8^th day of Sukkot. It is taught that the Great Flood (think Noach) both began and ended during the month of Heshvan. Certainly, as we have already seen, the rains are falling and winds blowing – “Mashiv HaRuach U’Morid HaGeshem” we now pray during the Amidah.

We are very pleased to be starting a weekday morning minyan, 9 am every Monday morning, to allow mourners another opportunity to say Kaddish, and to offer another weekday opportunity for prayer and Torah. Monday and Thursday are traditional mornings when Torah is read. Please think about joining us and helping with the mitzvah of building a minyan. All these changes are also part of our growth as a kehillah.

We had a truly wonderful series of holiday celebrations – with many highlights. I am happy to welcome our new members to Kolot Mayim and continue to welcome our many members who have been dedicated to providing a voice for Reform in Victoria.

Kol ha kavod to all,
Rabbi Lynn

Please come on Friday evening this week – as we celebrate Simchat Torah and celebrate two individuals who have contributed greatly to Kolot Mayim over their years with us: Morris Bleviss and Neomi Summers.

Simchat Torah is an occasion when we honour a kallah (a bride) and a chatan (a groom) with a special Aliyah. We will also be calling all members to have special aliyot on this occasion. Standing under a chuppah (a beautiful red and gold tallit woven in Sefat) we bring honour and gratitude to all who wish to honour the gift of Torah. I will read for our kallah, from the end of Devarim (Deuteronomy) to honour Neomi Summers. Lorne Mitchell will be reading from the beginning, from Bereshit to honour our chatan, Morris Bleviss.

We will also be circling our bimah as we make hoshanot (circles) holding the Sifre Torahs and lulav and etrog. Come and join us – there will be cake!

Much love, moadim l’simcha,
Rabbi Lynn

What a wonderful Yom Kippur we had – beautiful singing, Pamela and Yariv playing extraordinary music to open Kol Nidre, Anabel chanting the Kol Nidre for over 90 people in the room, and more on Zoom. So much gratitude for all who came and participated.

I have put a special request in for some sunny days as of Sunday so that we can put up our Sukkah! I may get my wish. Hopefully, we will have a full sukkah on October 20^th, when you are invited to come to our house/sukkah, make a b’racha on the sukkah, shake the lulav, hold the etrog, and enjoy a shmooze. There are a number of special days in our calendar including Hoshanah Rabba and Shmini Atzeret. We will be celebrating Sukkot and Simchat Torah at Kolot Mayim. Hoshanah Rabba is a particular favourite – come and join me at Hyacinth Park at 9 am, and we will circle and sing under the willow trees.

The following Friday is Simchat Torah. We need to sing and dance and celebrate our joy. One of my favourite holidays – I have so many wonderful memories of dancing with our Torah. Please come and join us. What a time of year this is – joy, gratitude, connection, inspiration. And always, hope. Doing hope. Every day.

Much love,
Rabbi Lynn

When I first spoke last October 10^th, I opened with ein milim – no words, there are no words. Of course, words followed, many words, then thousands more have followed since that evening.

This evening, I want to highlight just two words: Courage and Hope.

What does the concept of courage mean to us? I think of our ancestors who bravely set out on unknown journeys towards new beginnings. Goldie’s mother Hinda leaving her Russian home and travelling on a boat to Canada, alone at 13.  I think of Lindy’s father Lionel shooting down enemy planes during the ‘48 war. I think of the anusim, the conversos who trudged their way from Spain north, south, east in 1492. So much courage. Lech Lecha. In every generation.

Courage is one of our words. How do we speak up? What do we say? When do we act?  What can I do? Courage. The willingness to stand ground, speak up, not hide our faces, not hide our names. You don’t have to like me or agree with me – but you know who I am, unlike those imposters who rage against Jews, covering their face and hiding their name.

One of our challenges over this year has been watching the far too rapid isolation of Israel. We are in danger of Israel becoming a new Pale of Settlement. We must have the courage to not allow Israel to be made a new Pale, a new version of intellectual, creative, artistic, scientific isolation, confinement. We cannot allow academe to limit access for Israelis to publish in academic journals, or to meet with colleagues, we cannot allow artists and theatres, and feckless journalists force Israelis into this Pale.  Isolation is emerging far too pervasively, and Israel needs our collective courage. We must speak up, stand up.

And every day we are seeing more and more courage. Family members have woken up to the presence of hatred in their communities; they have found their courage. Everyone here is showing up tonight with courage.

And, as Sarah Mali taught us, we must do the work of hope. In every way we can, every day, we must do hope. Every day the creative chutzpah of our Israeli cousins are doing hope – be it developing pagers for Hezbollah customers or developing David’s Sling, holding weddings on the border of Lebanon or picking tomatoes in the south. Every day we too must do hope. With our words. With our actions. Courage. And Hope. Courage needs hope, and hope demands Courage.

G’mar Chatimah tova.

This is such an intense time of year, and this year we are also marking the first anniversary of October 7^th. I will see many of you at the Gorge Pavilion, where the commemoration is taking place on Monday evening. It is a heart-breaking time as we know 101 hostages are still deeply hidden in Gaza, in dank and dark, airless tunnels. It is also a time to honour the courage of so many Israelis. The hostages who are holding hope of freedom; the IDF soldiers who are seeking that freedom for the hostages; the soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon who are finding tunnels full of weapons; the brilliant minds who collaborated on building the weapons systems that are keeping Israel as safe as can be – the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow systems.

It can be challenging to hold hope when so many seem to have turned against us, but we need to acknowledge and remember all those who stand with us – and there are many.

I look forward to seeing you for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur. Come, meet our new and old members. Let’s stand together, in hope.

Shana tova, g’mar chatima tova, may you each be inscribed in the Book of Life,

Much love,
Rabbi Lynn