Yom Kippur 5783 Study Sessions
Wednesday, October 5, 1:30-2:30/3:00 pm
CONTEMPLATIVE WALK
With Wendy Melvin (outdoor only)
Meet on the green grass just outside the Ava Road entrance
Following morning services on Yom Kippur, our Holy Blossom Walking Club will be hosting a special Contemplative Walk through Cedarvale Park. The pace of our walk will be slow and mindful as we engage in rich conversation and inspirations taken from the Rabbi’s sermon, personal gratitudes and commitments for a blessed year ahead. Please join us for an hour of fresh air, light exercise and uplifting conversation with fellow congregants. This is an all ages event.
Led by congregant Wendy Melvin, a Masters 100 Metre competitive sprinter, our walking group has been meeting twice weekly after morning prayer since September 14, 2021. The experience has been uplifting and has given participating congregants a chance to meet new friends and partake in safe exercise through some of the hardest hit months of Covid.
ATONEMENT BY IAN MCEWAN – A JEWISH INTERPRETATION
With Cynthia Good & Gillian Helfield (Max Enkin Boardroom inside the Bloomberg Leadership Centre. This session will be anchored in-person but available to join via Zoom)
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83980093353?pwd=Sk9lQ0pQSnQ1K29kYjhPaC9zeEU4dz09
Meeting ID: 839 8009 3353
Passcode: 361578
Considered one of McEwan’s greatest novels, Atonement (2001) is the story of a young girl’s terrible mistake and the shadow it cast over her adulthood. A harrowing tale of moral ambiguity, doubt and guilt, this novel is also a masterpiece of narration. The novel was translated to the screen in 2007, adapted by Christopher Hampton. What can we say about this literary look at the subject of atonement? Are the literary techniques and surprises reflected in the film? Are they justified within a moral framework? Can a book of such interiority be successfully captured on the film screen? And most important to us on this Day of Atonement, how Jewish is the penance?
Cynthia Good is the host of Good Books, our bi-weekly book discussion group, and film professor Dr. Gillian Helfield is host of our series, What I’m Watching and Why, highlighting the latest film and television that’s capturing our attention.
EASTERN, ANCIENT AND UN-BOURGEOIS: HOW THE TALMUD THINKS AND CHARMS
With Rabbi John Moscowitz (Watch online with others from the Lantern Board Room on the 3rd floor or from home)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84369037845?pwd=K04rMW9LUXR1UytHem5DMU1uT1h0dz09
Meeting ID: 843 6903 7845
Passcode: 683750
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcAQ6Dqb4x
Arguably, more than the Bible, the Talmud shaped Judaism and Jews. Among others, we’ll learn from the great modern Talmudist, Saul Lieberman, a bridge between the old and new.
ON NATIONAL TESHUVAH
with Elder Catherine Brooks in conversation with Steven Bookman, (Room 209)
Our Sages assigned these words of the Prophet Isaiah as the Haftarah Reading for Yom Kippur: “Raise a full-throated cry without restraint. Raise your voice like a shofar! Declare to My people their transgression…. Like a nation that does what is right, that has not abandoned the laws of God, they ask Me for the right way.”
The first step in the process of Teshuvah (Repentance) is truth-telling. In anticipation of National Truth and Reconciliation Day, what truths must we more deeply understand about the history and present realities of Indigenous Canadians? How can we as individual citizens and as a congregation committed to justice and righteousness do our part in the sacred task of national teshuvah?
Catherine Brooks, Peduhbun Migizi Kwe, (Early Morning Eagle Woman) is Anishnawbe Kwe, a member of Nipissing First Nation, Dodem Bine/Bird Clan, Keke/ Red-tail Hawk, a member of the Bear Medicine Society, sitting with Turtle Clan in the Long-House at Oneida Settlement. She believes in the power of Indigenous culture and community action for achieving self-determination to restore well-being for individuals and communities. An Elder, counsellor, educator, consultant and community worker, she has worked in private practice, in the non-profit sector, government and private sectors. She is the Traditional Youth Counsellor at Anishnawbe Health Toronto and currently Elder-in-Residence at St. Matthew’s United Church.
Steven Bookman is a lawyer, who publishes in the areas of family and estate law. He mentors young lawyers and law students. As a volunteer, he is committed to interfaith dialogue, bridge-building, and social justice. He has served on the Board of Holy Blossom Temple, on the Interfaith Committee, and was once Youth Group President.
GRIEVING TO GRIEVANCE: HOW PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE LOSS CAN LEAD TO CYNICISM AND HOPE
With Evan Solomon (Mishkan & Online)
To join us online, please go to our holyblossom.org/hhd site or on our Livestream page!
A sense of loss can lead to the widespread cynical worldview we see today. It can also lead to hope. Our world is divided by an anger that is tearing down the very institutions which once provided stability. Where can hope be found when people fear losing their place in a changing world?
Evan Solomon is a Canadian columnist, political journalist, television and radio host. He is the host of CTV’s national political news programs Power Play and Question Period. He hosts a national radio program, The Evan Solomon Show, on CFRB, and is a writer for Maclean’s magazine.
Evan dedicates this Yom Kippur study to the memory of his late father and long-time member of Holy Blossom Temple, Carl Solomon z”l.
BOUNDLESS RACHAMIM: A STUDY-MEDITATION ON THE MITZVAH OF SELF CARE
with Cheryl Sylvester (online only)
Through guided and silent meditation we will explore how God’s attribute of compassion is received and manifested through self-care.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83435267704?pwd=MzhQd3NPenNZMXVHYy9kNUVsUUhaZz09
Meeting ID: 834 3526 7704
Passcode: 250379
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kerlDf4jaC
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AND PRIVATE PRAYER AT THE ARK
In the Main Sanctuary (1st floor and 2nd-floor balconies through the Garson/Baskin Family Gallery)
One after another, congregants are welcome to ascend to the upper bimah and stand before the open Ark for private prayer. The only sound filling the Sanctuary will be a single cello, providing a backdrop for each person to find a place for private reflection. A collection of High Holyday-themed readings will be provided for those who wish. The Plaut Torah Commentaries and the compilation of Jewish wisdom at the front of the Machzor (High Holyday Prayerbook) are also available for your personal study.
Beth Silver (M.Mus) is admired for expressive, compelling playing and her abilities to paint in many colours through her instrument and capture character and spontaneity in music – especially amidst interactive chamber settings. A lover of many genres, Beth is equally at home in a traditional classical ensemble as she is in a band exploring new voices for cello.
Performances with various chamber projects have brought her to festivals around the world, including Salzburg’s Kammermusik Festival, Ottawa Chamber Festival, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Glatt und Verkehrt Festival in Austria, Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival, Festival Napa Valley, Ashkenaz Fest, Tirgan Festival, and KlezKanada. She has been presented across Canada by Jeunesses Musicales, Prairie Debut, and Debut Atlantic as part of the Ladom Ensemble.
Beth is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council and her awards include the 2014 Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award recognizing musical achievement in the Canadian Jewish community.
The instrument Beth plays today is a survivor of the Shoah.
CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE STUDY
In The Max Enkin Library (1st floor, next to Holy Grounds Cafe)
The café is closed, of course, but the bookshelves are well-stocked. Temple librarian, Caroline Ingvaldsen, will be on-hand to help you find materials. Additional collections are available. A collection of High Holyday-themed readings will also be provided.
