I sit at my computer looking out the window at the falling rain, which poetically seems to me to be a reminder from G-d that I pause and shed tears today. A reminder to take a moment to think about the infinite amount of tears that have been shed for the 23,544 fallen soldiers and […]

Passover has many powerful messages that are critical for strengthening one’s identity and values. Many of these transformative lessons can be learned from the main characters of the Passover story, such as Moses; his sister Miriam; his brother Aaron; and many other individuals. The one person from whom we would not expect to learn anything […]

Let’s be honest, Jews and complaining go hand in hand. In fact, our people have a uniquely profound way of complaining – and we do it so often that we even created our own word, “kvetch,” to properly convey how integral it is to our nature. And what a great word it is! Along comes […]

Lighting a flame is only important when its dark. There’s no need for a candle to burn bright when it’s light outside! In “light” of that, Chanukah truly does come at an extremely relevant time. Who would have ever thought that, as we prepare to light candles reminiscent of those we miraculously lit in the […]

Anyone can get high! …Okay, not that kind of “high.” I’m obviously referring to an emotional feeling of elation. You might’ve experienced it these past holidays, after extended time of self-reflection in Synagogue, or in the joy of being with family and friends. The challenge is not so much connecting to such high points; it’s […]

Rosh Hashanah: the beginning of a new year, new calendar. Many stores up and down Bathurst Street are eagerly handing out their new crisp (marketing) calendars — and what a wonderful tool a calendar is to have! Not only does it help us organize our lives, keep track of our appointments, schedule our theatre tickets, […]

The Questions of Passover: It’s not about finding your answers.  It’s about finding yourself! While there are many important aspects to the Pesach Seder, one could argue that the most important part of the night is the effort we expend asking questions. We script four questions, we do strange things to evoke questions, we even […]

Purim is a time when we acknowledge that what we see is often far from the reality of what’s happening behind the scenes — be it the masks that are worn, drinking “a little” to bring out one’s inner thoughts, or simply the story of Purim, which is an enigma in itself.  It describes a […]

Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of the Jewish month of “Shvat”) is always one of those holidays that, on the outside, is quite deceiving.  No one right now is looking out the window and thinking to themselves, “This is the perfect time to celebrate trees.”  Why not wait until March or April (when the showers come), […]

Kol Nidrei had just ended, the High Holidays were truly the highest, and everyone felt uplifted and on fire. While walking out of shul, a certain chassid approached his Rebbe and confidently asked, “Wasn’t your Yom Kippur amazing?!” The Rebbe paused for a second and responded, “How should I know? Ask me at Chanukah time […]