About an Oud. 

Years ago, while serving in South Dakota, I helped a family grieve the death of their daughter in a car accident, sitting with them through the night as they said farewell. Around a year later, at her celebration of life and unveiling in New York City, her Rabbi led us in a meaningful Havdalah ceremony where he accompanied himself on a strange and beautiful instrument. It looked like a Lute, a medieval guitar, but it sounded like Israel.  

That instrument is called an Oud. Those of you who come to our Friday night Shabbat tefilla when Aaron Lightstone is playing have heard the pluck, twang, and distinct sound of it.  

The combination of that music, and the memory of this young girl whom I had never known in life but who touched my very soul in death, awoke something in me- and I decided to learn to play. 

As luck would have it, the very next summer I was blessed to come here- to Toronto- to serve at Holy Blossom Temple as the Rabbinic Intern. In between shadowing Rabbi Splansky and Cantor Maissner, teaching classes, and exploring this great city, I made my way out to Mississauga where I had found an Oudist who would take students. His name was Mr. Radwan, a Syrian refugee and former member of the Syrian National Symphony, who had come to Canada seeking a better life for himself and his family. He taught me the basics of the Oud, including my special request, the Havdalah melody by Debbie Friedman that had so inspired me.  

Why do I mention this story now?  Because, like everyone else in Toronto, I’m dying for tickets to a show that I can’t go to.  

Next week is the 25th annual Jerusalem Oud Festival. The Jerusalem Oud festival is one of the largest events left which still brings together Mizrachi Jews, Sephardim, Arab-Israelis, Palestinians and musicians from around the world in a celebration of shared musical culture. To quote Effie Benaya, who manages the Oud Festival “I believe in music. I believe in its power to heal the heart – of the individual and of society as a whole. I believe that music carries comfort and hope, especially in bloody and unbearably difficult days like ours.”  

This year the festival will celebrate the life of Tunisian Jewish Diva, Habiba Msika, feature performances of the Psalms from the Israeli hip-hop band Hadag Nachash, and beloved Israeli rock group Nikmat haTraktor will ditch their electric guitars for classic Middle Eastern instruments and lead piyyutim, sacred poetry, late into the night.  

The Oud I purchased from Mr. Radwan has followed me from Toronto, back to Cincinnati, to Atlanta, and now is home in Toronto again. Sadly, I admit it’s been several years now since I took it out of its special case. It needs tuning and new strings, but Aaron Lightstone keeps telling me that he will give me lessons. I know that Mr. Radwan still lives down the tracks on the Go Train, tracking him down would be easy if only I could find the time.  

Perhaps now is the time to find time.  

Here is a taste of the Oud Festival, if it touches your soul- the way it touches mine- don’t hesitate to let me know.  

God speaks to us in all sorts of ways. In signs and wonders, in bug bites and skinned knees, all the little moments of life… like when the shelf in my closet bent in, fell off the wall and broke down the middle because I had too many things hanging from it.  

“You have too many clothes. Give some away.” Said the Almighty.  

Who am I to disagree? Especially now that you broke my shelf.  

It doesn’t need to be the voice of God telling you that it’s time to clean out your closets! You might be saying it yourself right now, as summer is starting to close and you are eyeing the clothes that may not fit, or be fashionable when the pleasant weather returns.  

Holy Blossom Temple and Ve’Ahavta are partnering for the next two months to provide clothing for the homeless and needy of our city. There is a collection bin at the front of the synagogue, shortly after you enter the building, where you can bring gently used, and new, donations. Please check the link here to see a specific list of very desirable items.  

It is also important to remember that our fantastic Out of the Cold program will begin again in November! Members who are new and returning volunteers are the key to making this program a warm, welcoming, and successful space for those in need. Please mark your calendars for the evening of October 30th, when Out of the Cold leadership will host an open house and in person training.  

While November is far off, planning has already begun. Starting next week our Out of the Cold volunteer coordinator will be sending out initial emails to past volunteers to confirm dates, shifts and roles. If you, or someone you know, wants to be involved now is the time to email us at [email protected] to get your name onto that list. Bnai Mitzvah students, accompanied by parents, and teenagers looking for volunteer hours are especially welcome! 

“Open your hand to your brother, to the poor and the needy, who are in your land.”   

תִּפְתַּח אֶת־יָדְךָ לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיֹנְךָ בְּאַרְצֶךָ  

Deuteronomy 15:11  

Perhaps there is no great divine mystery as to why my shelf collapsed, other than to remind me that the call of our Torah can always be heard.  

Let us answer it together! 

 

During my mid-20s, living in Chicago, I hosted Seder for my circle of friends. Almost none of them were Jewish, only one or two had ever been to a seder before. I only had one rule… “Bring a bottle of wine and let me worry about the food.” One of my friends, who had grown up in small-town Illinois and had never met a Jew before me, showed up with an expensive 6 pack of craft beer. The look of bewilderment on his face, when I wouldn’t let the beer into my apartment and tried to explain to him why it would have to wait outside, is still imprinted in my mind.  

This year, your clergy and the Advocacy Committee hope that you’ll invite non-Jewish friends, family, and neighbours to share in your Seder. And be sure to ask these 4 Extra Questions written by your Holy Blossom Clergy.  

With Passover and Seder just a few days away, I want to highlight the Seder Resources that Holy Blossom has compiled to enhance your experience this year. We all know that Passover is not like all the other nights, but “this year is unlike other years” too. The Jewish community faces a new post-October 7th reality both in Israel, here in Canada, and around the world that is challenging many of our long-held assumptions.  

As Canada continues to see a historic spike in antisemitism, the Jewish community is turning again and again to its friends and allies. We are lucky to live in a time when friends have made themselves known and stood by us; this has not always been the story for our people. When asked, non-Jews who stand up against antisemitism overwhelmingly shared that it was their relationship with Jewish friends or family which motivated their convictions.  

Recent data also shared that many of those same allies are only passively aware of what their Jewish friends are going through right now. Others were unaware of how deeply the effects of October 7th, and the rise of Jew-Hatred in its wake, had touched the people in their lives. Passover is the perfect moment to invite these people, whom you already care for, into this conversation about what we are facing.  

You can find the Seder Resources page here! Besides the resource created by the Holy Blossom Temple Clergy, you’ll also find supplements from the Shalom Hartman Institute, the iCenter, Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, and more. Please explore them to find poems, songs, and prayers to address this unique moment in our lives. 

This year we are slaves. But next year, we will be free.  

This year here. Next year… next year we will see Jerusalem.  

Chag Sameach

Rabbi Baruchel and I are moving house.  

The month of Adar, and the story of Purim, is one that asks us to be open to the idea of hidden miracles. Yes, it’s true that God goes unmentioned throughout the Megillah, but the presence of God peeks through. Mordechai is at the right place at the right time to save the life of the king. Esther has that special something that moves a man known for taking out his displeasure on disobedient wives. Even the pur, the lots that Purim draws its name from, fall in an improbably and lucky way. Are all those moments just a nice coincidence?  

The message of Purim is never that ‘God isn’t there.’ No! The message of Purim is always ‘look for a God who is hiding.’ An entire phrase is drawn from it in rabbinic literature- hester panim. The hidden face.  

Which brings me back to moving house.  

Today we went to the empty house to take measurements. Where will we put our couch? Do we need to get rid of our cabinet? Can we bust out our meat dishes again? (The current kitchen is too small for two sets of dishes, so we’ve been vegetarian at home since the move.) Hold this, measure that, should we put this there?  

On inspection, we found out that the house isn’t entirely empty! There are a few things here and there that the landlord has been storing and using as staging, a cabinet in the basement, a bookshelf in the guest room, a little table in the kitchen. “Your choice if you want them or not.” He tells us “I’ll get rid of them if you don’t.” 

And while exploring the basement Rabbi Baruchel looked on top of one of those cabinets and found a book! One of the only things left in this nearly empty house! 

I took a photo.  

Can you believe it?!  

Not only is it a siddur. It’s OUR siddur! Some time ago, maybe the people right before us, maybe before them, who knows… someone from this synagogue lived in this home, and they left it behind.  

In any other month that’s a nice coincidence.  

But in Adar… that’s a sign.  

A sign of what Rabbi? I don’t know yet! I do know that the world can be a frightening place these days, and that uncertainty is everywhere. Moving house is symbolic in many ways, it represents that turbulence as we are readjusting our lives. But for me in that moment, finding that siddur might as well have been a flashing sign that said, ‘This is where you need to be.’ 

Mishe nichnas Adar, marbim b’simcha!  

As the Month of Adar enters, our joy increases!  

God knows this lived up to that, it certainly made me smile.  

Learning from Latkes 

In Chelm, the city of fools, it was an undisputed fact that Rivka made the finest latkes. They were fluffy as a cloud on the inside, perfectly crispy outside, and always came out of the oil golden brown. Everyone always wanted to know how she did it, but Rivka kept it a secret from everyone. One year, her neighbour, Sorela, had enough. She needed to know the secret! She dispatched her faithful husband Herschel to spy on Rivka as the latkes were made.  

Herschel snuck up to Rivka’s window undetected and started to take diligent and accurate notes. Writing down everything she did, how long she did it for, exactly how much of any ingredient she used. He returned to his wife and their kitchen with the recipe for the most perfect latkes!  

Sorela began to cook. “What’s the first step?”  

Herschel read aloud “Take 5 potatoes.”  

Sorela looked up in shock. “5 Potatoes? Are we rich? We’ll use 2 potatoes, that’s a much more reasonable number. What’s next?”  

Herschel consulted his notes. “Take 1 onion and slice it very fine.”  

Sorela grimaced. “Sliced onion? You want me to cry? I’ll chop it like we always do. Next?”  

“Crack open and add in 3 eggs.” 

“Herschel, you know I hate eggs…” and so on and so on. Sorela cooked up the latkes, ‘following’ the stolen recipe at every step along the way. And yet, when she finished, her latkes came out the same way that they always did!  

“You fool!” She cried out. “Oy! She must have known you were watching and tricked you! These taste just like my latkes!”  

 

As a child that was one of my favourite stories about the ‘wise folks’ of Chelm. They were so silly. If you do everything the way you always do, how could you possibly expect a different outcome? Who could possibly be so foolish?  

Oy.  

I’m sure many of you feel like you are stuck in a loop right now. Heartbreaking news coming out of Israel daily, the spike of antisemitism in North America and Canada, and of course the constant buzz of social media amplifying what feels like only the worst voices. It’s easy to feel trapped like we’re getting the same result again and again. What can we do to break this cycle for ourselves?  

We can’t change the war or the terrible loss that comes with it. We can’t battle each antisemitic comment made on the internet. Some of us can’t even unplug, our younger generations know that this isn’t an option!  

What can we do? We have the power to change how we respond. 

You can choose to walk away from conversations which have no value. 

You can choose to engage with people who will lift your spirit and give you hope.    

You can choose to show the world who we really are, by being a light in dark times. 

In a world full of people, wondering why a ‘new recipe’ is giving them the same old results – may we be blessed with the wisdom to make choices that will lead us to better outcomes.   

Chag Urim Sameach!