375 Aberdeen Ave., Hamilton, ON L8P 2R7 | 905-522-1351 | office@bethjacobsynagogue.ca
375 Aberdeen Ave., Hamilton, ON L8P 2R7 | 905-522-1351 | office@bethjacobsynagogue.ca
(Sermon delivered on Yom Kippur day, 5779, Sept 19, 2018) The Talmud recounts a story about a debate between two sages in the second century CE: Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer. They argued over a question of purity or impurity. The Talmud says that God actually weighed in on the debate, taking Continue Reading »
(Sermon delivered on Yom Kippur evening 5779, Sept 18, 2018) Tick, tick, tick. 24 hours until we can eat or drink again. 24 hours on the clock until the final verdict is rendered in the heavenly courts. We have 24 hours left to make a difference, to seek atonement for past mistakes paving Continue Reading »
(Sermon delivered on Second Day of Rosh Hashana 5779, Sept 11, 2018) On Sunday, as I was driving my family and our cantor to synagogue for the morning service, we passed a church with a billboard that said, “Nobody can make or save themselves. Only God can make you, only God can save you.” Continue Reading »
(Sermon delivered on First Day of Rosh Hashana 5779, Sept 10, 2018) These days of awe, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, are truly the most exciting days of the year for me. Everything seems magical. We’re in a different prayer space; everything is covered in white; the melodies are familiar, comforting and haunting. More Continue Reading »
Each of my children has a very different personality. You all know Hisda, but most of you haven’t yet met my other three. Merhavyah, my 16-year-old daughter constantly discovers and develops new skills. She taught herself sewing and photography, plays guitar and piano, and studied music production. Yeshayahu, my 15-year-old, is fascinated by innovative ways Continue Reading »
After reading the Ten Commandments, numerous other commandments, and the first paragraph of the Shema in this week’s Torah portion, we read a verse (Deut 6:18), “Do that which is right and good in the eyes of God…” The famous Ramban (Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman a.k.a Nachmanides, 1194-1270) explains in his commentary Continue Reading »
This Shabbat is the 9th of Av, Tish B’Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples, the destructions of Jerusalem, and exiles of our ancestors. Our first temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and our second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Tisha B’Av is our Continue Reading »
When the Children of Israel had reached the Eastern bank of the Jordan river and were preparing to cross over and conquer the land, two and a half of the twelve tribes asked to stay behind on the Eastern side. Reuven, Gad, and half of the tribe of Menashe wanted their portion of land to Continue Reading »
Moses’ Leadership While Moshe is instructing the Israelites about their allotted portions of land, the daughters of Tzelofhad approach him and ask for clarification of their status, being a family of 5 sisters. Moshe hadn’t yet dealt with an all-female sibling set and wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. But he recognized their claim as legitimate, Continue Reading »
We read this week of Bilaam’s interaction with his trusty donkey. God “opens the mouth of the donkey” and it speaks to Bilaam, asking him why he mistreated it when it’s been so faithful to him over the years. Bilaam then realizes that the donkey was able to see something hidden from him – an Continue Reading »
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