Women of Holy Blossom invites you to our Rosh Chodesh Service to welcome the month of Nissan next Thursday, March 23rd, 2023 at 7:30 am. The service continues to be online and the link can be found below.

Please join us for breakfast after the service and stay to reconnect, after a long time of confinement it is actually refreshing to see friends again in person. I personally find it stimulating and rewarding. I hope you can join in.

Here is some information about the month of Nissan:

Zodiac sign: Aries, Attribute of the month: Speech, Letter: ה

The month of Nissan is referred to as Chodesh ha-aviv (month of spring). It is considered the first month of the Jewish calendar, and the spiritual Roshashana, (Tishrei, is considered the first month of the physical world). It is in spring when nature and every living soul wake up from hibernation, a month of renewal and hope. It is the month of double miracles as Nisan has two Nuns ( נ for Nes) and these are the miracles that G/d did to redeem us from slavery in Egypt. The limb of the month is the “right foot” because we have to make a quantum leap with the right foot, to start a transformation for 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot.

The spiritual birthday of the world is in Nissan, Head of the Months, [ניסן]/Nissan in the Gematria equals two times [פה]/mouth [(50+10+60+50)=170 = Nissan; 80+5=  [פה] Peh ([פה] x 2 = 85×2 =170)

The connection to the letter is to “speech”, as we are to re-tell the story of the exodus from Egypt through the Haggadah. We celebrate the eight-day holiday from the 15 to the 22nd of Nissan (April 5-13) and following the rituals we experience true spiritual freedom when after 210 years of being slaves G/d took us out of Egypt and we became superhuman and appreciated the power of nature reaching the zenith in the spring.

It is through Pesach that we became a nation of priests (Am-Kohanim) and we became subjects of our King, G/d. Yehuda is the tribe of the month of Nissan as he is the King of the 12 tribes. The permutation of this month is the four letters of G/d in the proper position יהוה  because it is the first month of the year and this permutation can be found in the book Psalms 96:11 “יִשְׂמְחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ,” “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.”

This verse reveals the energy of the month that brings joy and happiness in heaven and on earth. In the interest of Rosh Chodesh, each month is a new beginning, each month brings new energy and we are revitalized. Chodesh in Gematria equals 312 and the word G/d יהוה equals (10+5+6+5) 26 if we multiply 26 by 12 months of the year it equals 312.

During the month of Nissan, we must rejoice together, Heaven and Earth, the spiritual from G/d and the physical from Man and it reflects it in our wishes for each other “chag Pesach kasher vesame’ach” Kosher for the sake of heaven, and sameach for our sake.

We must step into this month with the ‘Right’ foot, some believe, we should be positive and act with Chessed during the first 12 days of the month and beyond as we then ‘plant’ positive roots for the entire year and renewal of
our lives. Ken Yehi Ratzon!

I wish you all a Chag Pesach Kasher V’Sameach.

Teresa Quiroz, on behalf of Women of Holy Blossom

Weekday Morning Shacharit Service:
https://zoom.us/j/93902401402?pwd=dGlOR2dEcGs1RVc0OVFwdkFtOVo5UT09
Password: 667580

Lady Justice: and a Conversation about Women’s Fight for Democracy and the Work of Tikkun Olam

By Shelley Birenbaum

On Wednesday, January 18, the Women’s Advocacy Group was honoured to welcome Dahlia Lithwick, in conversation with Rabbi Yael Splansky and the Honourable Justice Rosalie Abella. The Mishkan was full and the event was livestreamed to more than one hundred others.

Dahlia Lithwick, a Canadian-American lawyer, award-winning journalist, author, and podcast host, discussed her 2022 New York Times bestseller, Lady Justice – Women, The Law, and the Battle to Save America.  Lady Justice celebrates the tireless efforts, legal ingenuity, and indefatigable spirit of women lawyers fighting injustices across the US and seeking social justice.

In the wake of a barrage of assaults on the fundamental tenets of democracy in the United States, from the ban on immigrants from Muslim countries to the reversal of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights for women to interfering with the voting rights of U.S. citizens, Dahlia highlighted the depth of commitment and courage of women lawyers to protect equality and democratic rights for all.  Dahlia highlighted the work of Sally Yates, the acting attorney general of the United States, who refused to sign off on the Muslim travel ban, Roberta Kaplan, who sued the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville and Stacey Abrams, whose efforts protected the voting rights of millions of Georgians.  Her message was clear – it is up to each of us to ensure that democratic rights are protected – we cannot rely on the other – it is an obligation that each of us carries, to repair the world. She believes that women have a special approach that fosters the protections of the law.

The Honourable Justice Rosalie Abella, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004 and recently retired in 2021, reminded the audience of some of the key differences between Canada and the US legal systems, including the independence of the judiciary in Canada as opposed to the election of judges in the United States. She spoke to the need for an ethos of democracy.  For example, what Hitler did was permissible at law (he changed the law to permit discrimination against Jews and other groups). It is not a question of merely respecting the rule of law, but rather ensuring that the law continues to reflect and protect democratic principles and the progress made to date in recognizing and respecting the equality, autonomy, and diversity of all people.

Rabbi Yael Splansky hosted the conversation with insightful questions, and her teaching and words from Rabbi Joshua Heschel encouraged the panel and audience to think about the balance of justice with love, and love with justice.  The panellists noted that law is both the cause of and potential solution to, many problems.  The law must reflect a commitment to democracy, moral behaviour and respect for the autonomy and diversity of all individuals.  Each of us must do what we can to protect the rights and freedoms of others – to participate in tikkun olam.

This event was generously sponsored by The Women of Holy Blossom. If you would like to view the event, the recording can be found here.

by Gillian Rosenberg, Communications Coordinator, Women of Holy Blossom

Androgynous is in some ways like men, and in some ways like women, and some ways like both men and women and in some ways neither like men nor women.

(Mishnah Bikkurim 4, sourced from keshetonline.org )

About 3 years ago, Women of Holy Blossom (WHB) embarked on a renewal journey that entailed new branding around the value of inclusion. In living up to that branding, however, we struggled with gender diversity. Particularly this: How do we, as a female group, welcome, embrace and celebrate those who identify as gender fluid, transgender, agender, and non-binary? While our challenge was initially intended to benefit individuals who have been, for the most part, marginalized from synagogue life, we soon recognized that WHB would be strengthened by such diversity, that we needed this community as much as they might need us.

So, we contacted Keshet. If you don’t know Keshet (meaning rainbow in Hebrew) and the exceptional work they do, you really should visit their website. In a nutshell, they advance the full and equal participation of LGBTQ+ Jews and their families in Jewish life, through education, advocacy, allyship, and leadership – primarily in the United States. At the end of November, WHB’s Leadership Council; our programming partner, Women’s Advocacy Group; and the Holy Blossom staff and clergy who support our work, met online with Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael, Keshet’s Director of Education and Training, for an enlightening, inspiring, and validating learning session.

The outcome? We now have a conceptual framework for gender diversity in a female context, known as affinity spaces. We understand WHB to be an affinity space for those who seek female experiences and are comfortable centering female voices and needs. Yet, within every affinity space, there is diversity regarding the many ways in which we identify, including gender. Whatever gender identity one brings to the WHB affinity space is an asset to WHB.

Additionally, we are more confident using the language of gender diversity; recognizing microaggressions against gender-expansive, genderqueer, and gender-nonconforming people; and engaging in difficult and uncomfortable discussion on where we fall short and how we can (and must) do better in supporting the needs of this community. We are primed for allyship, advocacy, and seeking justice at Holy Blossom Temple and in local and global Jewish communities.

Sisterhood was created at Holy Blossom Temple to provide opportunities for women to engage in and contribute to the synagogue community because women were generally marginalized from doing so at the organizational level. One hundred years later, Women of Holy Blossom is continuing this legacy by bringing another marginalized group into the fold. Our journey is just beginning and there is much still to learn and do. But we are driven forward by our obligation as Jews. Our sacred texts recognize multiple gender identities, and they instruct us, in various ways, to lift up the vulnerable. Taken together, these messages light a pathway to gender diversity in a female space. WHB is rolling up sleeves and digging in. Follow us on social media to see how.

It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.

(Pirkei Avot 2:16, sourced from Sefaria.org)

The Judaica & Art Shop is excited to introduce Rosh Hashanah Shortbread Sugar Cookie Decorating Kits, by UBake Box.  A fun and creative activity for kids of all ages and a perfect gift.

The kits are beautifully packaged and include shelf-stable, pre-baked cookies, decorations, piping bags, and an instruction card.

• Small kits, for $19.99+TAX, contain cookies shaped in the “shana tova” letters and 6 Jewish stars.
• Large kits, for $29.99+TAX, contain cookies shaped as an apple (x4), Jewish star (x5), beehive (x1), honey pot (x1), and shofar (x1).
• If you don’t want to fuss, order a box of cookies professionally decorated for $65+TAX. The box contains the “shana tova” letters, Jewish stars (x4), apples (x2), honey pots (x2), and shofars (x2). It also makes a wonderful gift.

The ingredients contain no nuts, but UBake Box is NOT a nut-free facility.

Email [email protected] for the ingredients list.

Pick up at Holy Blossom’s Judaica & Art Shop on Sundays, 10:30 – 12:30, beginning Sept. 11. The boxes will be held at the security desk after these hours. For an additional $7+TAX, the order can be delivered to your preferred address, within the boundary of Finch to Bloor and Dufferin to Don Mills.

To have your kits by Erev Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 25), please place your order and arrange for payment no later than Sept. 19. Orders after Sept. 19 will be processed as soon as possible.

Start salivating!

ORDER HERE