Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
The month of Kislev is the 3rd month counting from Tishrei (fall) and the 9th month counting from Nissan (spring). Kislev is a two-part word כס (Kas) which means ‘lid’ and it is interpreted as “to cover or conceal” and לו “Lo” which in the Gematria, both letters lamed (30)-vav (6) add to 36. These are the total number of Chanukah candles (not counting the Shamash).
Did you know? That Kislev is associated with the letter samech? ס which means “support”. The letter samech,ס is similar to a circle, which has no end and it is infinite, a circle of continuity. Therefore, during the month of Kislev, we are uplifted as the circle also implies giving support to those who have fallen or sick either physically or spiritually.
The attribute of the month is “Sleep”. Why? Because through our sleep we are able to connect with the source of all energy and soul (Ain Sof) the infinite light of G/d is represented with the letter Samech סand our soul is revived through our sleep. The tribe of the month is Benjamin and the limb is the womb. The permutation is from Bereshit (50-11):
וַיַּ֡רְא יוֹשֵׁב֩ הָאָ֨רֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֜י
And when the Canaanites saw.
Rashi asks; what did the Canaanites see?
The Midrash says, the crown of Joseph on Yakov’s coffin
In Kislev we celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, beginning on the evening preceding 25 Kislev (December 7) and ends 8 days later, which means Kislev departs as the Chanukah lights spread their ever-increasing brightness in the winter dusk. Did you know? there is a relationship between women to the story of Chanukah through the story of Judith as she is the reason why women are permitted to light the Chanukah candles. Judith was the heroine who saved the Jewish people by killing Holofernes, the mighty Syrian-Greek General.
May Kislev help us all to remove the Kas and become more enlightened, courageous and united amid our current adversity.
On behalf of Women of Holy Blossom and myself, I wish you peace, joy and health this coming holiday season. כן יהי רצון
Teresa Quiroz
Shacharit Service: Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 7:30 am ET, in-person or via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/93902401402?pwd=dGlOR2dEcGs1RVc0OVFwdkFtOVo5UT09
Password: 667580
For other upcoming dates and why Rosh Chodesh is special for women see https://holyblossom.org/rosh-chodesh/
One of Dorot’s mandates is community engagement between the wisdom generation and all generations, members coming together. As Chairperson, I have implemented, outing excursions where we can convene at various venues outside of Temple socially, with also an educational component.
The Dorot group had an outing to the McMichael on October 29th for a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon filled with art, engagement, learning, and community. We had a good turnout of 21 members, a success. Rabbi McCarroll and all of us on the Dorot Committee are all so glad the members enjoyed themselves. It was a great community-building event with quite a few new participants, some of us met prior at the “Cabin” restaurant for a delicious lunch. Our guide for the private tour, Josie, of the newly installed Tom Thompson exhibit was lovely, knowledgeable, related well with the members, answered our questions and importantly imparted interesting anecdotes, history, and highlights of the artist (Tom Thompson) and his spectrum of work including also the history of the McMichael collection and land the collection sits on. Everyone was engaged and with each other meeting fellow congregants. As the McMichael is situated on acres of beautiful land the participants took in nature as well afterwards. The exhibit is open till January 14th, 2024, if anyone would like to view it.
This past week we met at the Koffler Gallery and viewed the important Babyn Yar exhibit for Holocaust Education week, toured by the wonderful Geri Durbin, who engaged us with the comprehensive history was such a memorable experience. The Babyn Yar exhibit was incredible on so many levels, despite the horror the exhibit is curated with such sensitivity. Inclusive for all and so essential especially in these times and Holocaust Education Week. It’s enlightening and empowering, informative setting up a strong narrative for all of a chapter in our joint horrific history. We thank Geri Durbin and our guide Josie at The McMichael for adding to our memories and jointly creating these meaningful excursions and experiences for the Dorot Group. Stay tuned for new future Dorot excursions to come!
Barbara Glaser, Dorot Chairperson Dorot Committee
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Saturday, November 4, 2023
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Founded in 1856, Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue with a rich history of tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression.