Shalom from Jerusalem! I’m lucky enough to be studying here at the Hartman Institute for two weeks. I’ll have more to say about this four-year Rabbinic Fellowship when I graduate next week, but today I want to call attention to Moreinu HaRav, our Rabbi and Teacher, Rabbi Dow Marmur, of blessed memory. Today, the 18th Day of Tammuz brings us full circle to complete a year since he was lovingly laid to rest in the hills of Jerusalem.
I visited with three generations of Marmurs yesterday in Fredzia’s apartment. She continues to be simultaneously strong and gentle, as she always has been. Tomorrow I’ll go for Shabbat Morning services at Kol HaNeshamah, where Rabbi-Professor Michael Marmur will give the sermon in his father’s memory and the Kiddush-lunch will be for congregants to remember Dow together.
Rabbi Marmur was a proud Reform Jew, who devoted himself to the entirety of the Jewish People. Rabbi Marmur was a proud Zionist, who could make a home for himself just about anywhere. (If you’d like a gift copy of his fascinating memoir, Six Lives, which reflects on his life in six countries, just call the Temple office.) He could teach a single verse of text in light of its greater context. He could observe a single event in light of all of Jewish history. He called our attention to the forest and the individual trees.
De-mo-crat-ia!
When I attended a spontaneous demonstration in Jerusalem this week, I couldn’t help but wonder what Rabbi Marmur would have to say about what I witnessed there. How would he interpret the array of t-shirt slogans and flags? Would he see the scene as glorious evidence of Israel’s strength? Or as worrisome evidence of Israel’s vulnerability?
Every Saturday evening for six months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been demonstrating for Israel’s democracy. But this was Wednesday evening. Why? The Chief of Police of Tel Aviv was forced to resign because he was not being tough enough on the demonstrators.
That night began the 17th of Tammuz when we commemorate how the walls of Jerusalem were breached two thousand years ago. No one referenced it through the chants over the megaphones, but it was in the air. This day is a delicate day, as it has been throughout Jewish time. According to the Mishnah (Taanit 4:6), the 17th of Tammuz marks a series of calamities, of breakages, and ruptures in Jewish history — the burning of a Torah scroll in public by Apostemos, the placement of an idol in the Temple, the banning of the daily sacrifice by the Roman authorities, and the shattering of the two stone tablets by Moses.
Two Stones
With effort, stones can be broken. With effort, stones can also mend what has been broken.
I picked up these two stones from the new National Library of Israel, a place Rabbi Marmur would have loved, and asked one of my classmates, who is also a sofer (a scribe) to write “Pirchei Kodesh” on them. One of the stones will come home with me. One of them will be set at Rabbi Marmur’s grave by his family, so they can feel the presence of all of us, the congregation he served and led so well for so many years.
May Rabbi Marmur’s memory continue to be a blessing for all who learned from him and for all who were cared for by him. To revisit the extraordinary study and remembrances we enjoyed last Selichot in Rabbi Marmur’s honour, click here.
Shabbat Shalom from Yerushalayim, City of Peace.
Dear Holy Blossom Families,
We can’t wait to welcome your children back to Holy Blossom Temple. We have a wonderful year of growth and discovery ahead of us.
As you prepare to return to school, we want you to know we are thinking of you and wishing you well. We share this prayer with you to mark the milestone in the life of your family.
A Back-to-School Prayer
Our God and God of our Ancestors:
Protect, guide, and uplift our children as they return to their schools.
May they know good health and the joy of discovery.
May they know the warmth of good friends, the laughter of unstructured play,
the strength of teammates, and the comfort of community.
May they witness the inspiration of dedicated teachers,
the influence of thoughtful role models,
and the vision of how to create a better world for their generation
and the generations to come.
May they know that they are loved and supported.
May they know the blessings of their people, the safety of their land,
and the strength of their faith.
May they know peace and also resilience, hope and also hard work,
dreams and also practical skills.
May they grow in mind, body, and spirit.
May they know kindness and compassion — receiving it and offering it –
each and every day.
And let us say, Amen!
We wish you and those you love a L’Shanah Tovah!
| Rabbi Yael Splansky | Cantor David Rosen |
| Rabbi Samuel Kaye | Cantorial Soloist Lindi Rivers |
| Rabbi Eliza McCarroll |
How to Elevate your High Holy Day Experience
The current month of Ellul is a gift to help us prepare more deeply, so we can greet the New Year with curiosity, courage, and compassion.
Asking the BIG Questions
This is the time to hold up the mirror and see our life, our character, our dreams more clearly. The pandemic has forced us to ask small questions. It’s time to turn to the bigger questions once again. Let’s find the confidence to do so by turning towards God, who is the Source of All Life.
Shabbat Shalom and L’Shanah Tovah!
Dear Holy Blossom Family,
This will be the first Shabbat since Rabbi Marmur was laid to rest in the hills of Jerusalem. My condolences to those of you whose lives were directly shaped by his teaching, his leadership, his partnership, and his friendship. My condolences to those of you who did not know him personally, but know of his shem tov, his good name. His influence is still very much a part of who we are as a congregation. The entire Reform Movement is mourning this loss, and the Holy Blossom community is mourning uniquely.
I knew I’d be lucky to spend a few weeks studying in at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, but I did not know how fortunate the timing was. I was able to visit with Rabbi Marmur when he was well, to visit with Fredzia during the long days after his fall, to visit at Rabbi Marmur’s bedside in the hospital, and then to offer words of honour and comfort at his very beautiful funeral, and to visit with his family during shiva. With each step, I was there with my own heavy heart, my own love and concern, but also keenly aware that I was there as your representative.
You may read the eulogy I offered here or watch the recording of the entire funeral service here. You may wish to send condolences to the Marmur family here or make a donation in his memory here. You will hear Rabbi Marmur’s name included before Kaddish each day at Holy Blossom Temple. I encourage you to pick up gift copies of his book, On Being a Jew and his memoir, Six Lives, so you can benefit from his insights once again. These volumes are ready and waiting for you in the Schwartz/Reisman Atrium.
Zichono livrachah. May Rabbi Dow Marmur’s memory continue to be a blessing for our congregation, which he served and led, admired and loved.
Shabbat Shalom,
Yael
Shalom, Holy Blossom! Greetings from the Holy City of Jerusalem!
Arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport
I am so fortunate to be able to continue my studies with the Shalom Hartman Institute. From early morning to late at night, I am on-campus learning with dear friends and colleagues from leading teachers and thinkers from Israel and North America.
We can all be proud of Karen Kollins, our congregant, longtime Holy Blossom teacher, and former Camp George Associate Director. Karen has completed one year in a new position, Director of Canada for the Shalom Hartman Institute. She has already elevated the profile of Hartman in Canada. Ten Canadian Rabbis from across the country and across the denominational streams are studying together this week in Jerusalem. Rabbi Kaye, Rabbi McCarroll, and I look forward to sharing some “Hartman Torah” with you throughout the year ahead as we draw from the faculty’s excellent curriculum, “Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism.”
Two extraordinary Holy Blossom-ites left for Israel this week – Racquel Mansoor and Hayden Taylor. They will be representing Canada in the Maccabia Games, the “Jewish Olympics.” Israel is hosting ten thousand athletes from more than thirty countries to compete in more than one hundred events. Racquel will be competing in figure skating and Hayden in baseball. I believe there are as many skating rinks in Israel as there are baseball diamonds – two of each. I will be cheering for Racquel and Hayden at the opening ceremonies of The Maccabia Games. We are already proud of them, of their commitment to their sport, of their commitment to Israel and to the spirit of global Jewry meeting in Jerusalem as one. Go Team Canada!
Dow and Fredzia Marmur sixty-six years ago
I visited with Rabbi Dow and Fredzia Marmur my second night here. For many weeks you have heard Fredzia’s name included in our prayers for healing. I am pleased to say that she is recovering well from her stroke. However, I am heavy-hearted to share with you that since my visit with them just days ago, Rabbi Marmur had a fall that required brain surgery. He is now receiving the finest care in Shaare Zedek Hospital’s ICU. Please keep Rabbi Marmur in your prayers. When we were together, he delighted in hearing about you and how the Holy Blossom Temple community rose to meet the many challenges of the pandemic. Despite the years since his retirement and the geographical distance, he is our rabbi and we are his congregation. To send a message to the Marmur Family in Jerusalem and England, please write in the Comments Section below.
The pomegranate tree in my neighbourhood.
The broad theme of this week’s study is: “Why Israel?” The question is being addressed through the many lenses of history and politics, sociology and psychology, theology and human rights, sacred and contemporary texts. Stepping back from the details and debates, I believe the question we are really pursuing, is not “Why Israel?” but “How Israel?” Part of the answer is found in young people like Hayden and Racquel, who feel a magnetic pull to this land they are just now beginning to discover. Part of the answer is found in Rabbi and Fredzia Marmur, who have lived in many countries over the remarkable course of their lives and found a true home here in Jerusalem, in the Land of the Living. Part of the answer is found in the prayers offered up from Holy Blossom this and every Shabbat: “Avinu Shebashamayim, God in heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first flowering of our redemption.” It is that striving, that hope, that potential for fulfillment, that makes this place like no other.
From the eternal city, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
Dear Holy Blossom Temple Community,
The year 5781 is coming to conclusion. Baruch HaShem!
Soon we can close the doors to a year of challenge and fear, uncertainty and loss.
Soon we can turn the page on a year of discovery and lessons learned the hard way. We open the Book of Life to a new page, a new chapter, which we will fill with deeds of courage and deeds of love.
As we prepare ourselves and our homes to greet the new year, take a moment to acknowledge all we have endured and to acknowledge all we have received.
Before you rise to light your Rosh HaShannah candles, you may wish to offer your own words of reflection to name the moment when one year gives way to the next. You may wish to offer up this prayer-poem, from “Wildly Unimaginable Blessings” by Alden Solovy.
Let us dream
Wildly unimaginable blessings …
Blessings so unexpected,
Blessings so beyond our hopes for this world,
Blessings so unbelievable in this era,
That their very existence
Uplifts our vision of creation,
Our relationships with one other,
And our yearning for life itself.
Let us dream
Wildly unimaginable blessings …
For a complete healing of mind, body, and spirit,
For a complete healing for all,
For the end of suffering and strife,
For the end of plague and disease,
When kindness flows from a river of love,
When goodness flows from a river of grace,
When God’s light,
Is seen by everyone.
Let us pray —
With all our hearts —
For wildly unimaginable blessings,
So that God will hear the call of the shofar, open the Gates of the Garden,
and see that we haven’t waited,
That we’ve already begun to repair the world.
Let this be our testimony of faith in life,
Of faith in one another,
Of faith in the Holy One,
Blessed be God’s Name.
L’Shanah Tovah.
May it be a year of good health and restoration for us all.
Rabbi Yael Splansky
1950 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, M5P 3K9
(416) 789-3291
[email protected]
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Cell: 416-565-7561
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.