The Jewish tradition is both universal and particularistic. The popular aspects of Judaism speak of Tikun Olam, repair of the world and Ohr La’Goyim, being a beacon unto the nations. However, less popular in modern secular culture is the fact that Judaism is and must also be particularistic. Otherwise, why bother having a distinctive Jewish way of life? Every Saturday night, Jews conclude the Shabbat by mentioning the boundaries between Shabbat and the other days of the week, between light and dark, and between the people of Israel and the other nations. In a matter of days, when Jews celebrate Passover, we recount the story of the Exodus, based on the words “You shall tell your child,” meaning the Jewish child. Many of the Passover rituals and customs are intended for the Jewish identity formation of the child.  When we open the Book of Leviticus at this time of year, we read about different kinds of boundaries in Jewish life, from the foods we eat, to the people we can marry, etc. The fact of the matter is that much of Judaism is about distinctions, boundaries, and parameters.

It is understood that while all may enter a synagogue, membership is intended for Jewish families based on denominational definitions. It is understood that Jewish parochial schools are for Jewish students. It is understood that Jewish youth groups and Jewish value based Summer camps are likewise intended for Jewish youngsters. The same can be said for houses of worship, parochial schools, and religious youth groups of other faiths. In all of these instances, the target audience is the adherent of the particular faith group.

The Young Judaea camp organization is not defined as a secular  sports camp. It is a Jewish values camp, which addresses issue of Jewish faith, Jewish identity, commitment to  Israel, the Jewish people worldwide, and Jewish pride. With these principles as the goals of the camp, it is easy to understand that the officially registered students of the camp must be Jewish. Such a camp should not be construed in secular terms.  There are many opportunities offered by the Jewish community for multi-faith participation. But when it comes to the inculcation of particularistic values, ideals, and principles, distinctive faith and cultural groups must be respected to work with its adherents.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Senior Rabbi

Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue

USCJ and USY

Dear  Congregational Family,

As many of you may know from this week's CJN and elsewhere, the international body of USY modified its language and standards regarding eligibility to serve as a teenage executive officer. In essence, the old policy said USY leaders should refrain from dating that might be construed as interdating. The new policy says USY leaders should strive to make healthy Jewish dating choices, including the recognition of the importance of dating Jews and treating all people in the image of God. The reaction has been mixed from praise to condemnation to mixed feelings. As one local colleague remarked with diplomacy and nuance, the sensitive issue is where does one draw the delicate balance between building bridges and borders, to which I agree. While  Beth Emeth is no longer affiliated with USCJ and its teenage organization, USY, the undercurrent issues that led to the front page news are relevant to all synagogues, youth groups, and families.      
                                                 
This Shabbat, we begin to read Sefer Shmot, the book of Exodus. We read about the formation of our people. We learn how Moses confronted being born as a Hebrew while being raised in the Egyptian palace. I encourage us to confront the challenges of how we are raising our children. While there are no guarantees, and one day grown children will make their own choices, we are obligated to be role models as parents, leaders, and as a synagogue.                  

Rabbi Howard Morrison

BEBY Yom Kippur Sermon 5775

Creating Memories for Ourselves:

Many years ago, I found myself visiting a very liberal synagogue while on vacation in a remote part of the United States. In the hallway of the synagogue were historic artifacts placed respectfully in glass showcases. In one display was a pair of Tefillin. The tour guide of the synagogue explained that these leather straps and boxes were once used by Jews long ago in ancient times.

I did not laugh, nor was I amused. When Mitzvot are neglected and no longer observed, they will be regarded as relics of the past.

Outside the Orthodox community, Mitzvot are in trouble. It is a fallacy to equate the word orthodox with observant of Mitzvot. The recent language emanating from the leadership of Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism all call for the observance of Mitzvot. How to perform a Mitzvah? and why to observe a Mitzvah? may vary from group to group. But the concept of Mitzvah as commandment or sacred deed, or that which sanctifies our lives is an essential component of living Judaism.

Take for example, contemporary efforts to stimulate observance of basic traditional patterns. An initiative conceived by Jewish communities in South Africa to encourage Jews from around the world who would normally not observe shabbat has inspired over 30 countries and 170 cities around the world to unite in making special efforts to stimulate Shabbat observance on the weekend of October 24-25. At Beth Emeth , we have created the following acronym - S-savor the shabbat, H- hallah to Havdalah, A -attend shul with a friend, B- be a host for Shabbat dinner and/or lunch,  B - be a guest for Shabbat dinner and/or lunch, A - adopt a Shabbat mitzvah, T - technology free/unplug.  Let us know how we can help you enrich your observance of Shabbat.

Take for example our annual participation in a North American initiative called Shabbat across North America, an effort to stimulate the celebration of Shabbat at the dinner or lunch table.

Take for example  the World Wide Wrap, a program designed by the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, an initiative held on Super Bowl Sunday to take the tefilin out of the showcase and to stimulate the almost daily observance of donning tefilin.

Observing Jewish holidays is important. Observing lifecycle moments is important. Observing seasonal and occasional times is important. But today, it is the day to day Mitzvot which I wish to discuss with you. Today, I am conducting an appeal, not with a Terumah or Israel Bond card. I am making a Mitzvah appeal. There are 613 Mitzvot. Many require not to do something, like not committing murder. I am not talking about these Mitzvot. Many Mitzvot require us to help humanity, like clothing the naked and feeding the poor. I am not talking about these Mitzvot.

A traditional community like ours needs to define itself beyond conducting a traditional liturgy on Sabbaths and Holy Days. I reach out to you today to reclaim the traditional ritual oriented Mitzvot of Judaism. Why - you may ask? Because God actually commanded them? Because they have been with us for thousands of years? Because in some way they refine us and make us better people? Because they unite us with Jews through history and around the world? Take your pick!

When God revealed Torah at Mount Sinai, our people responded, "Naase V'Nishma - We will do and then from doing, we will come to understand." The famous Nike commercial says it more succinctly, "Just do it."

I want to tell you something about my father, of blessed memory. He grew up in a poor foster home in the Bronx with minimal Jewish education. He grew up doing Mitzvot but without a proper understanding of the Mitzvah and without a grasp of the Hebrew language. When he became a father to his four children, he pledged to provide us with a maximum Jewish education so that we could observe and understand Mitzvot with pride and confidence. What parent does not want to provide more for his/her children?

Many of us sitting in the sanctuary are comparable to my father. Here in Canada, many of us have provided our children with more than we received. We provided them with formal Jewish educations that we did not receive. Perhaps, some of us were running to stay alive during the horrific years of the shoah. Perhaps, some of us grew up in isolated Jewish areas in order to survive economically. I do not know anyone who does not want to plant memories for the next generation.

Today, however, I speak to you, the adults of our shul. For the most part, our children are having memories planted for them. Most of our children receive some type of formal Jewish education and learn the essential mitzvot of Judaism.

What about our Judaism? For us? What Jewish memories do we wish to create for ourselves. I have no doubt that we are good in remembering the past. That explains why so many of us attend yizkor. I have no doubt that we are good in providing future memories for our children. That is what an older generation does for the next generation. I implore to participate in my Mitzvah appeal campaign today. There is no tab card to fold. I ask you to make a personal commitment to add a traditional mitzvah to  your lifestyle. You might even like it.

Mitzvah observance is not an all or nothing proposition. Every little bit counts. More is better than less. Mitzvah observance is like climbing a ladder. You do it one step at a time. Each step you take is an act of holiness. In the beginning of a poem written by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, he writes:

"God is the steps that ascend to a place that no longer exists, or that doesn't yet exist; yet the steps are my faith; the steps are my disappointment.

Jacob our father knew this in his dream.

The angels only decorated the steps of the staircase.

A song of the steps is a song of praise to God who is the steps."

Be encouraged to take on a new Mitzvah in your life, or part of a Mitzvah. Be daring. Be bold. Take a step toward a Mitzvah you have never done or even considered before. You may be surprised how doing a mitzvah, even a little step of a mitzvah, will enrich your life.

I have watched mourners attend daily minyan to recite kaddish in memory of a loved one. That is a great mitzvah. I have watched some of these mourners who had never donned Tallit and Tefilin before. Now, many of them continue to do so even after their term for saying kaddish is over. I have watched mourners attend daily minyan who knew to don Tallit and Tefilin but who could barely read Hebrew, let alone, lead a weekday service. Many learned to lead during their term of kaddish and continue to do so even after their term for kaddish is over.

Imagine the kind of role model we would be in terms of Jewish continuity if we gathered our children and grandchildren not only for shabbat dinner, but brought them to shul regularly on shabbat morning. Imagine if after we returned home from shul that we paused from our regular daily pursuits to observe the rest of shabbat as well?

In classical Jewish thought, the positive mitzvot of shabbat are based on the words "Zachor- Remember the Sabbath Day," and the negative Mitzvot of Shabbat are based on the words, "Shamor - Safeguard the Sabbath Day."

Zachor, remember, is more than an abstract cognitive thing. Zachor means action and doing, like lighting the candles and reciting kiddush.

At last year's night of learning on the first night of Shavuot, Rabbi Weitzman taught that the two Biblical watchwords of Zachor and Shamor also had a contemporary meaning. Zachor, remember, means the shoah. Shamor, safeguard, means the State of Israel.

For many years, many Canadian Jews have created a memory of action for our children in regard to remembering the shoah. As parents and grandparents, many of us have enabled our children and grandchildren to visit various communities and sites in Eastern Europe under proper supervision. However, many of us who have sent our children on such programs have not ourselves ever witnessed these sites for the sake of our own memories.

Take me for example. I enabled one of my sons to visit Poland with the March of the Living, and my other son through Ramah-Israel. I am not alone in having not gone myself.

I invite you - A year from this November in 2015, we the adult community of our synagogue will have the opportunity create our own memories. Zachor - We will be in Poland for a week overlapping with the anniversary of Kristallnacht. Shamor - We will then spend a week celebrating Jewish life in Israel. On our journey as a group, we will observe shabbat, keep kashrut as a traditional community. You can bring your tallit and tefilin as well.

I started my remarks today by telling you about a pair of tefilin found in a synagogue showcase as a relic of our past. I conclude with a counter-story. Many years ago, the noted Israeli archaeologist, Yigal Yadin, was excavating sites on Masada. There, he discovered a pair of tefilin some 2000 years old. He remarked how wonderful it is to see the continuity of Mitzvot, noting that Jews continue to don tefilin some 2000 years later.

I dedicate my sermon today to the survivors of the shoah in our shul. You have shown the way. You didn't give up. You came to a new country and started from fresh. You nurtured a family. You pioneered a synagogue. You showed a commitment to rebuilding Jewish life. Through you and those born after you, may the continuing generations remember, safeguard, observe, learn and appreciate the wondrous mitzvot of the Jewish heritage.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Senior Clergy

Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue

BEBY Rosh Hashana Sermon Day One 5775

Day 1 Rosh Hashanah - Cheers to sixty years and beyond:

This year, our community celebrates sixty years of life, achievement, commemorating joy, sadness, educating our young and our old, providing spirituality and meaning to the sacred moments of birth, bnai mitzvah, marriage and death. We have enriched our community with experiences of daily prayer, Torah study, mitzvah observance, and tikun olam - the repair of the world.

"Sixty years" is a great milestone. Many synagogues in North America do not make it to sixty. The reasons may include demographic change or even disinterest. Let it not be said that our shul should live till "hunderet un tzvansik, ad meah v'esrim, till a hundred and twenty." May we envision a legacy that lasts much longer.

As we have already seen in synagogue literature, the number "60" is a great number by which to celebrate and evaluate this transition point in the life of our synagogue. The Hebrew letter "Samech" means support. Each day, in the Amidah and in Ashrei, we recite our praise of God who "supports the fallen." As Jews, we are taught "imitatio deo," to imitate or emulate the attributes of God. We are command to do our part in the task of "Somech Noflim - supporting the fallen." At some point, we all fall and need someone to raise us up. The fall may be a a spiritual fall, a crisis in faith. The fall may be a more tangible one coming from loss of job, confronting illness, mourning a death, dealing with divorce, losing our children to a different value system.

As individuals and as a community, "Somech Noflim - Do we measure up to the task of supporting those who fall? In my own rabbinate, I publically expressed my own vulnerability at times I lost my parents, and five years ago when I confronted a personal change in my life. Thank God, so many people who knew me as their rabbi also recognized that I was a person and supported me, raised me up when I was falling down.

The Talmud asks, what does the Torah mean when it says, "aharei hashem telechu? - you shall follow after God?" The answer given by the Sages is to emulate the middot - the attributes of God. "As God clothes the naked, we must clothe the naked. As God visits the sick, we must visit the sick. As God buries the dead, we must bury the dead." All of these are examples of "Somech Noflim - raising up those who are falling." God clothed Adam and Eve, making God the original "Lord and Taylor." God visited Abraham after the elderly patriarch performed his own Brit Milah. God buried Moses in a place that no person has ever identified.

All of us would prefer to be the one lifting up the other, but the fact is no one is exempt from falling. All of us will fall in one way or another. There is no way around it. 

I believe that one of the litmus tests for a synagogue is to assess how well we can identify the fallen without embarrassing or humiliating them. How well do we accord each person around us with respect, honor, and dignity? How well do we lift up each other's body, heart, spirit, and soul?

As we take these few moments to acknowledge our shul's sixtieth year, I ponder over the specific letters which comprise the letter "Samech." They are "samech, mem, and chaf," which numerically are 60, 40, and 20. Each number represents a particular demographic found in this sanctuary right now - the 20 plus, the 40 plus, and the 60 plus. When you joined Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda - Hebrew Men of England, how old were you? Why did you join this shul? What did you bring to the shul? and what did the shul bring to you?

As you sit here today,ask the same questions in the present tense. How old are you now? Why do you currently belong to this shul? What do you bring to the shul? and what does the shul bring to you? 

As you ponder the future, who will join our shul moving forward? 20 plus year olds? 40 plus year olds? 60 plus year olds? What will they bring to the shul? and what will the shul bring to them?

Many people in North America are concerned about the present and future of synagogue life. Will there be a synagogue tomorrow? Has the synagogue lost its relevance? As a new generation of Jews defines its quest for spirituality and Jewishness in a different way, how will we study this question? How will we respond?

A synagogue, like an organism, is an evolving thing. On a daily basis, a person looks the same. If you take a snapshot of the same person over separate periods of time, you will notice how that person has changed.

So too, a synagogue - on a day to day basis, synagogue life looks the same. If, however, one took a snapshot of our shul in action in the 1960's, the 1970's, the 1980's, the 1990's, the early 2000's, and now, one will notice how our shul has evolved. 

How do we preserve and grow a synagogue in a way that will retain the message and purpose which attracted you when you joined at 20 plus, 40 plus, and sixty plus; and at the same time, encourage a new generation of 20 plus, 40 plus, and 60 plus year olds to come under our wing?

A sixtieth year is a fine time to a conduct a "Heshbon nefesh kehilati - a communal self analysis." During these next ten days, each of us as individuals is tasked to perform his or her own "heshbon nefesh - spiritual self analysis. So too, from time to time, the synagogue must also be tasked to perform its own "cheshbon nefesh." As we do so, we miight decide that our values are timeless and what needs to change might be the methodology in how to transmit these values in a relevant and enriching way. We may find that certain values have had their day and need to be replaced by different values. We may find that it is difficult to distinguish between values and methods.

As our shul celebrates its sixtieth year, I personally celebrate my fifteenth year as rabbi of our shul. I have witnessed a congregation committed to the highest standards of liturgical music, but I have also seen an evolution in the methods of how we convey those standards. 

I have witnessed a shul committed to daily prayer, but I have seen changes in how the experience of daily prayer is conveyed, from multiple minyanim on shabbat morning to allowing shabbat morning bat mitzvah in the main sanctuary, to only recently allowing young children into the sanctuary on the High Holy Days, to allowing a private service in which one can ask for separate seating or a mix-gendered torah reading without impacting on the ritual style of congregational services. 

I have witnessed a shul which has always been Zionistic and which enables young people to study in Israel on scholarships. Our shul brings first timers and seasoned visitors to Israel. Only last year, we began the new tradition of bringing in shinshinim, Israeli teenage emissaries, to enrich our commitment to Israel.

I have witnessed a shul which fifteen years ago did nothing about the GTA's hungry and homeless. Now our shul operates one of the best Out of the Cold programs in the area. 

A snapshot taken in my first year here fifteen years ago to the present day shows some interesting evolutionary changes in our values and/or our methodology in transmitting values.

Sixty years ago, the North American Jewish community shared certain assumptions. Emerging from the Eastern European experience, every neighborhood established at least one synagogue. Everybody affiliated with a shul. Everybody actively supported their shul. Synagogues were largely identified as Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox. The same denominational shul in different locations looked largely the same in its ritual style and how it reflected Jewish values. Sixty years ago, we needed the synagogue as a safe haven, a community centre in its own right, and the place to educate our young.

Fast forward - Take a snapshot sixty years later. Less Jews are affiliating with synagogues. Fewer people actively support their shuls. Two synagogues calling themselves the same denomination can look and feel very different from each other. In years past, we may have asked - "Do you belong to a Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox synagogue?" Nowadays, we are inclined to ask - "Do you belong to any kind of synagogue?" 

I have learned recently myself to change some age-old assumptions and rhetoric. 

Building programs is less important than building relationships.

Denominational labels are less important than sharing ideas.

Judaism needs to be less educational and more transformational.

Allow me to explain these three points: I personally define my Judaism by belonging to relational Judaism, ideational Judaism, and transformational Judaism. 

Relational Judaism is a way of life established on building and maintaining relationships based on mutual trust, care, and respect. I believe that moving forward, one is more inclined to join a shul and be active because he/she feels connected to the people who attend. The fostering of healthy relationships between individuals, couples, and families with children will preserve and grow the synagogue of the future. A first step right now is do you know the names of the people sitting next to you. Take a moment. Introduce yourself to someone outside your family unit, and wish him/her a shanah tovah. How can we connect with that higher power if we cannot connect with those sitting around us?  Thus begins relational Judaism.

Ideational Judaism is a way of life established on sharing ideas. The ideas may be old, current, new, provocative. If ideas are "L'shem shamayim - for the sake of heaven," meaning they are sincerely intended for the betterment of our community, then they should be considered without be prejudged or labelled. In the past, I have witnessed ideas being quickly dismissed. The person offering the idea is criticized. The comment is labelled as being too left or right, too reform or orthodox. Let's throw away the labels. A heatlhy vibrant Judaism welcomes all ideas which are intended to improve or refine our community. Thus begins ideational Judaism.

Like the movie, Transformers, transformational Judaism means that in any Jewish context, be it attending and participating in a service, a class, an Israeli dance, a lecture, performing a deed of kindness, we must emerge from that experience feeling enriched, changed, and transformed in some way from the moment we first entered that particular experience. Whereas education impacts only on the mind, transformation impacts our whole sense of being: the mind, the heart, the hand, and the soul. When you leave this service feeling different from the way you entered, you will have begun to experience transformational Judaism.

One of my favorite expressions comes from Pirkei Avot, The teachings of the Sages:

'"Da Ma'Ayin Baata;

u'L'an Atta Holech;

V'Lifnei Mi Atta Atid Litain din V'Cheshbon."

"Know from whence you have come;

Chart in what direction you are going;

and before whom you must give an ultimate account."

This prescriptive advice is timely for our congregation. The value of being a member of our synagogue lies not in its final destination, for no one makes it fully to the finish line one envisions. Rather, the value is experiencing the journey we are on right now. This year, we celebrate the journey of sixty years thus far. Let us celebrate the sixty years that was and build the foundation for the sixty years and beyond that is to be. May we journey together in the year 5775 with health, happiness, prosperity, and meaning.

I wish to express my gratitude to each and everyone of you for joining our shul, growing with our shul, and continuing into the next sixty years with our shul, from strength to strength.

I dedicate this Rosh Hashanah sermon to the memory of my mother, Helen Morrison, of blessed memory. Her journey in this world ended on this date fifteen years ago, but her legacy will endure forever.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

Senior Clergy

Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue

Home from Israel

Dear Congregational Family,

This past Shabbat was my first back after having been away for a few weeks. I delivered a retrospective of my time in Israel from earlier this Summer. It is hard to believe that when I arrived in Israel on June 27 for the purpose of study the concern of the Jewish world was the fate of three teenagers who had been abducted. Sadly, while I was in Israel, we learned that they had been murdered. A few days before I returned from Israel, the week of July 10, the full scale war with Hamas had already begun. I wish to make a few points clear. We as the Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda community stand firmly with Israel. This war was thrust on Israel by a terrorist organization, which was launching thousands of rockets at civilian communities. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said so eloquently – “Israel protects its civilians with missiles, and Hamas protects its missiles with civilians.” The death and destruction suffered in Gaza are terrible things, but the sole source of responsibility is Hamas. Our brothers and sisters did more than any country in history by providing warnings in various forms of impending assault at Hamas targets, as well as providing humanitarian assistance throughout.

My friends, there is no moral ambiguity, only moral clarity. This Summer’s war has been right against wrong. A democracy against a terrorist group. A society that celebrates life and mourns death versus a society that celebrates death and is indifferent to life. The media propaganda about proportionality is simply ridiculous. If Israel did not have the iron dome defense system, then Israel would have suffered thousands of deaths. The fact is Israel did its best to save lives because of the Jewish value in the sanctity of life.

As a Jew, as a rabbi, as a Zionist, as a representative of Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda, I am so proud of my spiritual home, Israel. I am so proud of the men and women who serve in the Israel Defense Forces and other security forces. On Tisha B’Av evening, during the recitation of the Book of Lamentations, we read out loud all the names of Israeli military personnel and civilians who have died this Summer due to the war imposed on Israel by terror. May their memories be a source of blessing, and may peace soon come to Israel . “Oseh Shalom Bimromav Hu Yaase Shalom Aleinu V’al Kol YIsrael – May the One who ordains peace above ordain peace for us and for all of Israel.” Amen

Rabbi Howard Morrison