SB Right – 3 Column

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

As Pesach approaches one of the more than 4 questions we must wrestle with is how are we cleaning our inner chometz (otherwise known as shmutz) as well as cleaning the chometz from our homes? Washing down baseboards, and vacuuming out the stove drawer provides ample opportunity to think about what I have left undone, […]

Today I read a notice announcing Pesach and Seder was three weeks away. How can this be, I thought, there is so much to do to get ready!! As always, we find ourselves catching up with our calendar, our Jewish calendars and our secular calendars sometimes colliding with differing demands. I started to rearrange and […]

I have had the honour of officiating at a number of funerals in these past weeks. In town, up-Island, on Salt Spring Island, the need has been unusual in number. But the emotional need is always present. I am always so grateful for our tradition that consistently provides a bulwark of support through ritual and presence to […]

The first day of Spring is approaching this week. However, in our Jewish calendar we don’t switch from the winter prayer inclusion in the Amidah to the summer inclusion, until the first day of Pesach. There are all manner of inclusions and exclusions found in the fine print in our siddurim. As in life it […]

Last week we read Vayakhel – whose title holds the framework for who we are as Jews, choosing to assemble as Jews – we build a kehal, a kehillah, a community. We don’t just assemble, we take care of each other; we provide comfort and we share joys. Eilu devarim, one of our opening prayers during […]