Yom Kippur 5785 Study Sessions
Various Locations, Saturday, October 12, 1:00-2:15 pm
How the Light Gets In: Reflections on the Last Year
With Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations
Location: Sanctuary
Livestream: holyblossom.org/hhd/
Real Life Repentance: Taking a Page from the Advice Column
With Lisi Tesher and Ellie Tesher
Location: Max E. Enkin Boardroom
Click here for the Zoom link
Teshuva (Repentance) and Justice – The Communal Response to Reconciliation
With Rabbi Shalom Schachter
Location: Lantern Board Room
Click here for the Zoom link
Confession and reconciliation are key elements of Teshuva in our High Holy Day journey. How do we communally fulfill this mitzvah? Our liturgy demonstrates the collective element of confession “Ashamnu, Bagadnu – WE have been guilty, We have dealt treacherously” and “Al Chet SheChatanu – for the sin that WE have committed.” Together, let’s explore how WE can address the communal element of reconciliation in the context of our liturgy and scriptures!
How Jews Remember
Eric Beck Rubin
Location: Roher Library
Jews have survived because they have remembered – but how we’ve done so has changed over time. In the midst of one of the most consequential years in our history, what are we going to keep with us, and what might we lose? In this short session, we review novels and scholarly research on this subject to look at what we’ve done, from our recent past to our very beginning, to try to understand what is meaningful to us today.
Instrumental Music and Private Prayer
With Wendy Solomon (in person only)
Location: Mishkan
Against the backdrop of the single voice of the cello, choose your favourite seat in the inspiring Mishkan for private meditation. Congregants are welcome to ascend to the open Ark to offer private prayers for the new year. A collection of High Holy Day-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.
“Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Study”
Location: Max Enkin Library (1st floor, next to Holy Grounds Cafe)
Holy Grounds Café is closed, of course, but the bookshelves of our Max Enkin Library are well-stocked. Temple Library Committee Member, Sheryl Johnston, will be on-hand to help you find materials of interest. A collection of High Holyday-themed readings will also be provided for private study.
“Contemplative Walk”
With Wendy Melvin, Board Member and Competitive Sprinter
Weather permitting, meet at the Eisen/Zucker Central Seating Area in the Atrium
Holy Blossom Walking Club will host 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 Rabbis’ sermons, personal gratitudes and commitments for a blessed year ahead. Please join us for fresh air, light exercise, and uplifting conversations with fellow congregants. This is an all-ages event.
Working with a Blank Canvas
With Sharoni Sibony (in person only)
Location: Room 308/309
A great rabbi once compared the start of the New Year to a blank canvas: full of untapped, unformed possibilities. How can we tap into our own inner voice of intuition and intention for the new year? In the hours before the gates close, take some quiet time for spiritual deepening and integration of the words of prayer and your own experience of Yom Kippur. Exploring white materials — fabric, stone, paper, paint, and more — we’ll have a chance to assemble and disassemble our own compositions, and then we’ll have some time to write about what surfaces for us in this creative process.
What Does It Mean to be an Ally?
With Justin Chow (in person only)
For teens and University students
Location: Room 209
Join Allied Voices for Israel’s Justin Chow for this engaging one-hour workshop, where he shares his journey as a non-Jewish student who became a passionate advocate for the Jewish community. Through education, open dialogue, and raising awareness, Justin has dedicated himself to combating hatred in all its forms. This workshop will provide you with practical tools to recognize bias, challenge misinformation, and take an active stand against antisemitism. A Q&A session will follow, offering an opportunity to ask questions and deepen your understanding of what it means to be a true ally.
Charles Pachter Selected Works
(in person only)
Location: Lower Level Gallery
Congregants are welcome to wander down to the Lower Level Gallery to be immersed in its fabulous exhibition, “Charles Pachter Selected Works.” Enjoy the solitude and creativity of the artwork as we celebrate this Canadian-Jewish legend. The exhibition is on display until December 7.
