Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan: Honouring Margaret Hart z’l

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan: Honouring Margaret Hart z’l

Cheshvan is the second month of the Jewish calendar counting from Rosh Hashanah (the eighth month from Nisan). This is the only month in the Hebrew calendar that does not have any holidays or special Mitzvot.

The month of Cheshvan is the anticlimax of the previous month of Tishrei where we had so many holidays and spiritual experiences. During this month we are invited to take a ‘spiritual’ vacation. As we enter Cheshvan, we begin to experience real life, reality begins to sink in and we return to the daily and “mundane” grind. We are invited to reflect in all that we gained in the month of Tishrei and integrate it into our lives, learning how to balance the spiritual and the physical elements of our life in unison and harmony and to recharge our souls with positive energy to carry us through the heavy and cold months of winter.

How should one go about the transition from holiday to workday? “In His way,” in G‑d’s way. The eleven remaining months of the year are the majority of one’s life, and they are meant to be utilized for both function and purpose. G‑d’s intention is that we infuse the delight of “vacation” into our daily activities, bringing meaning and holiness to every aspect of our lives כן יהי רצון

Our Woman of Valour for the month of Cheshvan is Margaret Hart z’l, and honouring her memory is Ron Hart and Murray Hart both active members of HBT. We hope you will join us on Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 am for the Service & Celebration. Learn more and join us here: holyblossom.org/event/rosh-chodesh-cheshvan/

Our Mother (Margaret Hart) in 500 Words
By Ron Hart

We would like to thank HBT for bestowing the Woman of Valour Award to our mother.  There are too many stories for only 500 words, but I will try my best.

Margaret didn’t grow up at Holy Blossom, but she did meet our Dad, David at a Holy Blossom singles event. Once married, she made Temple her own.

Her HBT life largely involved four areas: Teaching in Religious School, Sisterhood, Interfaith, and Temple Singers.

My Mother taught grade one for over twenty years.  I remember watching her meticulously prepare her lessons plans. She was known for always having the most creative bulletin board displays. To this day, former students recount fond memories of being in her class. She was a mentor to many teachers and student teachers who remember her as an excellent role model for young teachers and the caring way she dealt with her students.

In 1979, as announced in the Temple Bulletin, her teaching skill and “active and ongoing involvement in and commitment to Holy Blossom Temple and its Religious School” was recognized when she was awarded the Norman Grant Memorial Scholarship. Mom was the third recipient of the award, an award which allowed her to attend the UAHC Educators Ulpan/Institute at the University of Haifa.

She returned from Israel energized and would refer to the experience as one of the most rewarding and meaningful ones of her life.

Upon her retirement as a teacher in 1982, Rabbi Stephen Garten wrote“There is no way a newcomer like myself can adequately express what you have meant to this synagogue. I can express how appreciative I am to have the opportunity to work with and learn from you. I will always remember your Purim costumes, your storytelling, and your obvious concern for children.”  

Our mother was active in HBT Sisterhood for many decades. With her best friend, Clare Denaburg z’l’, she assisted in the planning of many events over the years and participated fully in them. I would describe our mother as a doer. I think she often enjoyed the planning as much as the actual event itself.

Mom sang in the HBT non-professional choirs from Gordon Kushner’s Glee Club in the early ‘60s to Beny Maissner’s Temple Singers.  During the Beny years, she enthusiastically threw herself into choir business. There were seemingly endless phone calls with her fellow choir members. In our house we used to tease her: “There’s no business like choir business.”  

Mom was always popular with singers in her section and was good at making new, often much younger, members felt comfortable in the choir.

Our parents were both involved in three major Temple initiatives: They assisted an extended Vietnamese refugee family settle into life in Toronto, and they were original participants of HBT’s “Out of the Cold” program.  Our mother always had empathy for people less fortunate than herself.

Mom also supported Dad’s interfaith work. Together each year they conducted interfaith demonstration seders with church groups. Mom was tasked not only with preparing her excellent Charoset but more importantly reciting the Hebrew prayers and leading the singing as Dad had limited Hebrew and couldn’t carry a tune. They must have been a good team because every year they received more requests for seders.

In 1985, under the auspices of the Caring Community, she pioneered a program arranging rides to Temple for seniors. Originally a three-month pilot project, it turned into a seven-year commitment. This job involved finding Temple members who lived nearby and encouraging them to do a mitzvah by offering lifts to people who needed them. This was something my mother was good at.  It was hard to say no to her.

In 1990, she received a Caring Community Certificate. Her participation at Temple was always characterized by her passion, attention to detail, and desire to make a positive difference. These qualities can also be seen in her time spent outside of Temple.

She volunteered for years with UJA including serving as General Canvass coordinator of the Women’s Division, United Jewish Appeal, and Israel Emergency Fund Campaign Appeal. United Jewish Appeal of Toronto presented her with a Certificate of Merit for her devoted service.

Though not a gourmet chef, she prepared meals with loving attention to detail and was an excellent cook. Her recipes and advice have long been sought out in many of her social circles. Jill and Murray still make many of her recipes.

I hope these remarks will give you a sense of who our mother was and her passion for Holy Blossom Temple and the Jewish community.