Rabbi Howard Morrison

The following is a letter I have sent to leadership of the Toronto District School Board before their meeting this coming Wednesday night (during Shavuot):

To the Toronto District School Board,

My name is Rabbi Howard Morrison. I am a certified Conservative Rabbi serving Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda Synagogue in Toronto. I am a member of the Toronto Board of Rabbis and the Rabbinical Assembly of Ontario. It has come to my attention that the school board is proposing to adopt as a standard an anti-Palestinian racism statement which would actually jeopardize free speech and prevent members of the Jewish and Israeli communities from expressing profound truths. The proposed statement as I understand it would prohibit Jews, Israelis, and others from honestly criticizing anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, and anti-Zionist content. For example, anyone I talk to understands the statement , "from the river to the sea" as meaning from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which means the entirety of the State of Israel. Any student of history knows that the history of Israel as the Jewish homeland dates back  four thousand years, and that Jerusalem as the capital city of the Jewish people in Israel dates back  three thousand years.

I am concerned that the proposed policy would be based on false information and would unfairly be prejudicial to historical truths and the continued wave of Jew-hatred, as evidenced in Canada and throughout the world.

My brief statement would be supported by the vast majority of properly certified rabbis throughout Ontario and Canada.

I thank you.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

In a conventional Jewish calendar year, last week's portion of Bhar and this week's portion of Bechukotai are read as a single unified portion. In a leap year, with four additional weeks on the calendar, they are split into separate Shabbat Torah readings. As many of you heard last week from Caren Leinwand, ever since my Bar Mitzvah, with the exception of Covid, I have always chanted Bhar, my Bar Mitzvah portion publicly, until last week. Instead of reading it, I lived it and walked it.

Bhar, Leviticus chapter 25, mentions Israel 20 times. Bechuotai, chapter 26, mentions Israel 23 times. As a unified double parsha, Israel is mentioned 43 times int total, more references than anywhere else in Torah.

Take a few examples from today's reading:

"Vee'Shavtem La'Vetach B'Artzchem - You shall dwell securely in your land (Lev 26:5)." Clearly, this has not happened yet. However, our Sages understand this verse to mean that within the Jewish people, there will be unity. Since the horrors of October 7, there indeed has been more unity within the Jewish people. 21 people from Beth Emeth saw this to be true from May 14-22.

"V'Natati Shalom B'Artzchem - I will grant peace in the Land (Lev. 26:6)." The very next verse - How does it differ from the previous one? Our Sages understand this verse to mean that there will be peace in the land between Jews and her non-Jewish neighbors. Clearly, this is not the case yet. Our Arab Israeli bus driver loves living in Israel. He could not get the same rights anywhere else. He served in the IDF. His two sons are currently serving in Gaza. Yet, we also met a woman from his Moshav who does not get it, even with direct evidence as to the horrors just a 45-minute bus ride away.

My friends - I am not going to retrace our solidarity mission step by step, like a journal or diary. I have done that for us. You can find nine daily blogs with pictures on the shul website. What I will share is how we fulfilled our three goals:

We went to Israel to bear witness, and we did. We saw two safe houses from inside where unspeakable horrors took place. We saw the Nova music festival site, where unspeakable horrors took place. We went to hostage square and saw families and friends who are mourning terrible loss and who want their loved ones taken hostage brought home. A democracy with diverse opinions - We took note that almost every Israeli wants the same - Bring them home now and uproot Hamas. We beared witness to the resolve and resilience from IDF soldiers in their early 20's enjoying a barbecue we made for them. We beared witness from the IDF units we saw at Castel, at Mt. Herzl cemetery and other places.  They are all committed to their mission and purpose.

We went to Israel to learn the truth from impacted families, and we did. We heard live and in person a mother speak about her son who is still a hostage. Is he dead? alive? How can one begin to understand a mother's pain? We heard live and in person two elderly parents whose daughter was murdered while protecting her two young children. How can one begin to understand the pain of these parents and grandparents? We visited a relocated Kibbutz, now temporarily called a vertical Kibbutz in a Tel Aviv skyscraper whose community was attacked on October 7. We met with people who cannot go back home right now. How can one begin to understand the pain of individuals and families who cannot live the pioneer style they were dedicated to in planting a Kibbutz lifestyle? Even in our hotel, we met some individuals for whom the hotel is now their temporary home because they have been evacuated, at least for now.

We went to Israel to simply offer some help and we did. We pruned at a vineyard. We got a farm ready for the growth of tomatoes. We packed and boxed fruits and vegetables. We made a hundred submarine chicken salad sandwiches which were delivered same day for IDF soldiers serving in Gaza. We packed all kinds of beans at Pantry Packers to be shipped to hungry Israelis all over the country.

In Bechukotai, we read: "I will remember my covenant with Jacob . . . with Isaac . . . with Abraham, and I will remember the land (Lev. 26:42)." This is the only verse in the entire Torah where the land itself is personified. We are commanded to treat the actual land of Israel with the same love and respect as we would a fellow human being.

My friends - I felt safer in Israel than I do in parts of Toronto. I felt safer in Israel than I did in parts of New York city, when I visited my son in February. We all know that the situation for Jews all over in the Diaspora world is fraught with danger right now. I was still away when a neighboring girls' Yeshiva was shot up on a Shabbat. I was still away when a Jewish boy was bullied and afraid to attend his Faywood Arts School. However, we need to assume that same resolve and resilience that 21 of us witnessed in Israel. Do not be afraid to be Jewish in public. Careful - Yes! Afraid - No! Walk with Israel a week from tomorrow. Wear your bracelets, your dog tags, your tie, your Kippa, your Tzizit.

We Jews are a small minority. But truth is on our side, and we are not totally alone. Some TV personalities actually get it - Dr.Phil, Bill Maher, Megyn Kelly, Mark Levin, Jerry Seinfeld, Douglas Murray, amongst others.

If we need any inspiration boost, take into your hearts, souls, and minds, the three word postscript when we complete reading a book of the Torah: "Chazak Chazak V'Nitchazek - Be of strength, be of strength, and let us be strengthened together."

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

In contemporary Jewish life, we have a series of sad and happy holidays prefaced by Yom, the day of. . .

Consider Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Ha'Atzmaut. Our Beth Emeth solidarity mission began on Israel's 76th Yom Ha'Atzmaut.

Having just returned from Israel, I will share continued reflections this coming Shabbat, which began with Caren Leinwand's last Shabbat. It is perhaps no accident that the final two portions in Vayikra contain more references to the land of Israel than anywhere else in Torah.

With all this in mind, there is another YOM next Wednesday - Yom Yerushalayim. Jerusalem Day commemorates the unification of Jerualem and the miracle of the six day war in 1967, fifty-seven years ago.

May the miracles of 1948 and 1967 lead to a miraculous end to this terrible war with Hamas.

May all the hostages, dead or alive, be returned. May the world wake up from its anti-Jewishness and see the merit of Israel and the Jewish people.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Our last day of the solidarity mission - We started our morning at Pantry Packers in Jerusalem packing food. This organization is under the auspices of Collel Chabad and provides food to the needy throughout the country. Our group was joined by a Bar Mitzvah group from Brooklyn, NY which simply felt the need to be in Israel at this time.

At Mount Hertzl cemetery, among the many graves we visited, we saw the grave of Michael Levin. He was a lone soldier who died in 2006.

We also visited the grave of Aner Shapira. A few days ago, we entered the safe room he was in protecting others of the Nova Festival before his life was taken.

We also saw the grave of Ilan Moshe Cohen who lost his life just a week ago. 

We visited the grave of Martin Davidovich. A Holocaust survivor, who died in an IDF training mission in 1948 in Czechoslovakia. Recognized as a lone soldier, his body was moved to Mount Hertzl in 2021. 

We concluded our visit with the recitations of Kel Maleh and Kaddish.

At the office of the World Zionist Organization, we met with V.P. Yitzhak Hess. He shared his views on the state of of affairs these days.

Afterward, we had our own private debriefing. Our group talked about the emotional power of giving and receiving hugs of support with Israelis. We marveled at our people's resilience on many levels. While some in Toronto found our mission to be "heartbreaking," we saw our mission as "heartwarming." The giving of letters to different strata of Israeli society elicited smiles and good feeling. Everyone was grateful to come and experience something which could only happen by doing what we did for nine days. We gave and received support in everything we did. All of us felt purpose, fulfillment, and meaning over these last nine days.

Our last program was a farewell dinner at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. Final reflections and lots of hugs were shared among Beth Emeth and Ramah staff. This was our third tour arranged by Ramah Israel Institute: Our 2015 Poland - Israel tour; Our 2019 Spain-Gibraltar-Portugal tour, and now our Israel solidarity mission.

One of Judaism's supreme Mitzvot is Hakarat Ha'Tov, recognizing the good in others. I am grateful to Beth Emeth, our travel participants, and to Ramah for an experience which transcends words.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

This morning, we made sandwiches for IDF soldiers serving in Gaza, under the auspices of Citrus and Salt in Tel Aviv. The food that we prepared will reach our soldiers later today. One of the organizers is on a birthright internship and originates from Vancouver.

We visited the temporary Tel Aviv site of Kibbutz Reim which had to relocate from the South after October 7. Housed currently in a city skyscraper, these Kibbutznicks have recreated Kibbutz life as much as possible and are optimistic about returning home soon.

The speaker spoke about the three front lines being soldiers, Israeli civilians, and Jews from the Diaspora coming together with unprecedented rises of anti-Semitism.

After members of Kibbutz Reim normalized their situation on October 7-8, they initiated "Project Twenty Four - It's Within us." This project unites Israelis and Israeli communities impacted by October 7 with Diaspora Jews informationally and financially.

At Hostage Square, we viewed the long symbolic Shabbat table with settings for all the hostages. A number of booths were set up including Kibbutzim and the Nova Festival. Some of our group heard the story of an elderly gentleman from Nahal Oz. Another member spoke with the mother of a hostage. We met a birthright group. We concluded by davening Mincha. We were joined by a soldier, Barak, who recited the prayer for the IDF in Hebrew.

We gave support, listened to, and experienced  some of the most meaningful aspects of Tel Aviv in the wake of October 7.

On Friday, erev Shabbat, we learned to tie Tzizit for IDF soldiers. Since October, volunteers and others have made 72,000 sets of Tzizit. Customs vary between Sefardim and Ashkenazim. For those who use Techelet, the blue admixture, customs vary as well. As a sign of unity, many Jews who do not normally wear Tzizit have chosen to do so in wartime.

A bus tour showed us the various geographical and political lines in the areas surrounding Jerusalem. After time in the Shuk for lunch, we reassembled for Shabbat.  Most joined together on the hotel roof for our own Kabbalat Shabbat. A few went to the Kotel. We celebrated Shabbat dinner as a group. We were joined by our guide Moshe, his wife Vered, and their year and a half old twin daughters, Shai and Carmi. Many of the group visited with our Adath Israel friends after dinner to hear the stories of four current lone soldiers.

On Shabbat morning, people went to the shul of their choice. After lunch, Moshe led a walking tour. After dinner, we gathered on the rooftop for Havdalah. On the other side of the roof, some fifty university age students on a mission with the Shalom Hartman Institute made Havdalah as well. Afterwards, most of our group hit the area of Ben Yehuda Street for shopping, dining, and enjoying the Jerusalem night sky.

This morning we said goodbye to  "Israel 365", a Christians for Israel group. From all over the U.S., their motto is "With faith not fear." How moving - we would say "B'Emunah v'lo B'Yirah."

In the morning, we attended the home of all the Israel based Ramah programs. We heard from Rachel Goldberg Polin, whose son Hersh is one of the 132 hostages. Rachel has served on the staff of Ramah Israel. She has spoken out for her son and all the hostages. For as much as we wanted to give her strength, she actually strengthened us.

Among the attendees were high school students from the Gan Academy, a school like CHAT, housed in the Boston area. They were here on a 10 day mission, similar to ours.

Also present were high schoolers from all over North America, here for four months studying in the Jerusalem Ramah high school, known as T.R.Y. My own son and others from Beth Emeth have studied here over the years. Usually 30-40 participate annually. This year, the enrollment is 14 due to the war. We are proud of these students.

At a vineyard outside of Jerusalem, we spent an hour and a half pruning grapevines. Most of their regular Palestinian workers are no longer appearing due to the war. The necessary physical labor depends on visiting volunteers. We learned that every little bit we do counts.

At the Supreme Court, we learned about the controversies over proposed judicial reforms which were well known before October 7. We also sat in for part of an actual court case and saw the passion of the two lawyers and the judge. The judge himself was an Arab Israeli.

Finally, we visited a Haredi elementary and high school, called Netzach, which is a pioneer in the Ultra Orthodox world integrating students with the broader Israeli society on many levels.

This was a day for witnessing unity within diversity amidst the sorrow and pain from October 7 to the present.

Sincerely, 
Rabbi Howard Morrison

I am writing at 9:30am. I had taken a cab at 3am to Pearson for a 6am flight to JFK in NY. My son Yonah as well as Jonathan and Fran Isaacs are on my flights. Now we are waiting for our 10:30am El Al flight.

I am feeling overwhelmed. Today is Yom Ha'Zikaron, Israel Remembrance Day. In many years, this day is about remembering the past, of soldiers and civilians  who fell in past wars and acts of terror.

This year is vastly different. We are remembering here and now - from October 7th to this very moment. Each week, we lose IDF soldiers. How many hostages have died? Others?

Sitting at JFK, I am surrounded by over a hundred birthright participants. While their numbers are smaller than in previous years, there are still many young men and women, university age,  going to Israel for the first time. How proud we are of them.

At the gate is the usual mix of Jews - Charedim, Modern Orthodox, Chiloni, Israeli, old and young, etc. Our flight is expected to be full.

Today, I am saddened on this Yom Ha'Zikaron, and I am elated with the throngs of Jews awaiting our flight. 

Next blog from Israel.

Rabbi Howard Morrison

The end of this week's Torah portion, Kedoshim, and the Haftarah from the Prophet Amos both make reference to God's establishing the land of Israel as the homeland for the Jewish people. While many non-Jews may not care about our Torah's references, we the Jewish people should care.

It is noteworthy that we will commemorate Yom Ha'Zikaron, Israel's remembrance day, on Monday May 13 and Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's independence day, on Tuesday May 14. It was with these dates in mind that we planned our shul's Israel solidarity mission, which will run from May 14-22. In the spirit of Joshua and Caleb, our twenty-one-person delegation will bear witness to the events of the last seven months, visit some of the most impacted sights, meet with families, soldiers, and dignitaries, and provide physical help and support.

We will share our report and observations with you on the first night of Shavuot, Tuesday June 11, as our Tikun Leil Shavuot program.

Am Yisrael Chai and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

In anticipation of Yom HaShoah tomorrow night, Jews throughout history have been the "other," the scapegoat, the nation that suffers for the sins of the world.

Consider the book of Esther - "Haman said to King Ahashverosh, there is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in the provinces of your kingdom; and their laws are different from those of every people; and they do not keep the king's laws; therefore it is not for the king's profit to tolerate them."

 Jew as the "other" goes back from Amalek to Haman, from the poisoners of the wells in the black death, to the victims of the Inquisition, from the enemy of the Nazis, to the oppressors of today. We Jews are the eternal "other." 

The scapegoating of Jews finds perhaps its most damaging example in the claim by many Christians prior to modern times in that all Jews throughout history are responsible for the death of Jesus. Jews were seen as being capable and guilty of committing deicide.  While most of Christianity has reversed its stance, it fueled the perception of Jew as scapegoat for the last two thousand years. 

The origin of the term scapegoat actually goes back to today's Parsha. We learn the earliest laws of Yom Kippur, including the ancient ritual of the scapegoat. On Yom Kippur, the High Priest rolled lots on two goats. One represented the people of Israel as a holy offering. The other carried away the sins of the people into the wilderness, known as "Seir La'Azazel," literally, the "scapegoat." 

The 20^th century French anthropologist Rene Girard suggests that the ritual represents a fundamental human need. One goat represents our people, our community, the group we are to protect. The other goat represents "the other," the scapegoat, the threat to our community, the people we dislike. It is this "other" who carries on its shoulders the sins of the community. According to Girard, it is natural for a community to have "an other." Throughout history, in community after community, the Jews have been "that other," that scapegoat. Perhaps the most horrendous example of this hatred of Jews was the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis, yimach shmam. 

Some old manifestations of Jew as scapegoat include: Blaming Jews for the death of Jesus. Blaming Jews of being responsible for the Bubonic plague. Alleging that Jews poisoned wells in an attempt to kill Christians. Alleging that Jews used the blood of missing children for Passover Matzah.

Some newer manifestations of Jew as scapegoat include: Blaming Jews for the pandemic. Blaming Jews for 9/11. Blaming Jews for economic depressions. Blaming Israel and only Israel, and by extension Jews and only Jews, for conflict and violence in the Middle East.

Can we not see these vile Chamas protests on campuses in North America as the most contemporary forms of scapegoating. I have not heard of one person from any campus protest even acknowledge the murders of October 7 or the taking of hostages. But I have heard Israel as being blamed and accused of genocide.

While the following Mitzvah in the Torah seems far off; after the Exodus from Egypt, we are commanded not merely not to hate, but to learn to love the stranger, the other - "Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deut. 10:19).

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

While the opening chapters of Exodus, introduce us to Moses and Aaron, the Biblical text is replete with the accomplishments of women:

Shifra and Puah, the midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's edicts.

Miriam, who accompanied baby Moses floating down the Nile, ensuring his viability. Later on, she lead the women in song and dance after crossing the Reed sea.

The daughter of Pharaoh, who received and raised Moses.

Yocheved, the biological mother of Moses, who weaned and nurtured him.

Tziporah, the wife of Moses, who was the one to circumcise their sons.

And more!

The Talmudic Sages teach us - On account of righteous women were the Israelites redeemed from Egypt.

Fast forward to the Talmud and the early compilations of Jewish law - Men and women are commanded to observe all of the 365 "thou shalt not" commandments of Judaism. Men and women are commanded to equally observe most of the 248 "thou shalt" commandments of Judaism. Now comes the rub, on which essays and books have been written from all kinds of viewpoints.

"Women are exempt from the obligation of observing positive time bound commandments." If there was an original reason, it is lost. Lots of conjecture emerge: Women are homemakers and should not come into conflict between time bound prayer, for example, and child rearing. Or, women do not need to have positive time bound commandments because their inherent nature and sexuality differ from the needs of men. Now comes another rub, over the generations, there have been many exceptions to the rule. So, while, hearing the shofar and dwelling in the Sukkah are timebound, women are customarily expected to observe these Mitzvot.

Fast forward to the 1950's and 1960's - Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda was founded as a Traditional Conservative shul. At the time, almost every Conservative shul accepted the halakhic legitimacy of family or mixed seating. The idea of separating the sexes in shul was seen as a custom not a law, one that developed in the Middle Ages, as in Churches as well. The original precedent for separating the sexes took place as a one-time segregation in the Holy Temple during Sukkot because of frivolity, but was not intended for all time. That there was a designated area in the Holy Temple called a "women's section" was in name only. Many activities centering around men took place in the "women's section (Ezrat Nashim)."

Jewish tradition distinguishes between law and custom. Laws are binding and are interpreted by a community's elected rabbi. Customs are discussed with the rabbi but are ultimately decided by the congregation's leadership after rabbinic validation. 

Traditional Judaism is not static or monolithic. It evolves organically and carefully. Consider the twenty-three plus years I have served as your rabbi. Prior to 2004, women officers were not allowed to sit on the Bimah. Back then, I suggested that there was no religious distinction between the pews on the floor and the seating on the Bimah. Since then, women officers have sat on the Bimah. This was a change in custom, not law.

After a two-year period of study, the board ratified that women could chant the Haftarah on Shabbat and Yom Tov. I taught that the recitation of the Haftarah was a matter of custom which originated when Jews were forbidden from reading Torah by non-Jewish censors. Since 2004, women have been welcome to chant Haftarot.

When I came to Beth Emeth, children 12 and under were not welcome into the main sanctuary until 12 noon. It took eight years for this policy custom to be changed so that all Jews could pick their service of choice and so that multi-generational families could sit together in the main sanctuary on the High Holy Days. 

In the early 2000's, women were permitted to hold Torah scrolls during Simchat Torah Hakafot and to conduct their own women's Minyan, performing the entire service without modification.

All of these changes, or modifications, were about matters of custom, and not reinterpreting actual law, which is a more challenging endeavor.

Fast forward to now - About two years ago, our shul began a strategic plan on all sorts of topics. A survey was sent to the entire congregation. On ritual matters, the sizeable majority of respondents wrote to keep the shul Traditional (whatever that meant to the respondents) AND to incrementally expand the role of women's participation in services.

What is a rabbi to do? In the past year and a half with the participation of our ritual committee, executive, and board of directors, I have sought to expand those areas which are based on CUSTOM and not LAW. In discussing a number of possibilities, the following was approved at the April 16 meeting of the board of directors. Please understand the role of rabbi and shul leadership when it comes to custom. The rabbi determines what is PERMISSIBLE. Then, the board determines if the PERMISSIBILTY is communally ACCEPTABLE.

After my presentation just a couple of weeks ago, the board voted unanimously in favor to allow the following:

1. Women may open and close the Ark at all services in the same manner that men currently do.
2. Women may be invited to do Gelilah, the wrapping and dressing of the Torah scroll after it has been lifted, in the same manner that men currently do.
3. Women may receive the Maftir Aliyah at all services when a Haftarah is chanted. On this point, please understand that there is a halakhic/legal difference between the Maftir Aliyah and the preceding Aliyot. All other Aliyot are based on a number of different halakhic criteria which does make distinctions between men and women. None of this applies to the Maftir Aliyah, which is meant solely to honor the person who will chant the Haftarah. This is the case whether or not we read from one or more Torah scrolls in any given service. The permission of women receiving the Maftir Aliyah is an extension on the custom of women chanting Haftarot, which was allowed at Beth Emeth in 2004. Also please understand that the Maftir Aliyah includes reciting the prescribed Berachot and/or chanting the Maftir Torah text.

I gave my rabbinic approval for these three items as being permissible customs for Beth Emeth, and the Board ratified these as meaningful and acceptable practices for our shul.

I will conduct an explanatory evening on this topic Thursday May 9 at 7:30PM.

The implementation date of the new customs will take effect on Shavuot Wednesday and Thursday June 12-13.

During the Pesach holiday which honors the tradition of righteous women in Jewish tradition, now is an appropriate time to have deliberated, studied, and decided on incremental roles for women's participation within the ethos of Beth Emeth continuing to be regarded as a Traditional Conservative synagogue.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

On the second night of Pesach, we began to count the 49 days of the Omer. This seven week daily counting unites Pesach and Shavuot. The planting of the Spring harvest becomes connected with the ripening of the first fruits. The Festival of freedom becomes connected with the giving of the Torah.

Originally, a time of great joy, sadness entered this season with the tragedies of the Bar Kochba revolt, medieval episodes of Jew-hatred, the Shoah, and more. Thus, many Jews refrain from weddings and even haircuts for much of this season.

In our time, the tragic events of October 7th and the acts of hatred targeted against Jews world-wide intensify the semi-mourning of the Omer period.

As we count each day, may we make each day count in terms of celebrating joy, grieving over loss, and refining ourselves spiritually and morally at this time of year.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

From the River to the Sea:

It split once for Moses and once for Joshua.

The water ran away from them

Like the fox in my backyard who

Runs away from my dog.

The fear is different.

But the result is the same. One runs and hides,

And the other crosses without worry.

I listen to the chants

for the water to split again

And then drown the people

Who purify water and cure illnesses.

The ones who yell are like the fox

Who thinks he is winning by killing my chickens,

Tearing up my garden and

Multiplying faster than I can see.

It seems they have all taken a toxic bath

Of hate and do not realize

That the waters are not going to split again,

And my dog, who loves, life, will soon end the hatred.

"Hayav Adam Lirot et Atzmo K'Ilu Hoo Yatza Mi'Mitzrayim - One must see oneself as one who came out of Egypt:"

One must see oneself as one who came out of Be'eri. Out of Kfar Aza. Out of Sderot. Out of Ofakim. Remember and do not forget until the final day. Not to seed more fear, but to ready our hope. Elderly will again sit on the lawns of Be'eri. The streets of Sderot will be filled with children playing. Torched houses will be painted over. Plowed fields will be furrowed, and tomatoes will be picked. The existential threat will be removed. This is not a prophecy of consolation. This is our next agenda.

Speak Out:

First, they came for the Zionists, and I did not speak out - because being anti-Zionist is not anti-Semitic.

Then they killed civilians and took hostages, and I did not speak out - because Israelis are colonialists.

Then they raped Jewish women, and I did not speak out because I did not believe the victims or the bodycams.

Then they came for the Jews in traditional attire, and I did not speak out - because they chose to set themselves apart.

Then they came for the Jews who dress like me, and I did not speak out - because they are white and are excluded from our DEI policy.

Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.

The West is next.

AND . . . 

We prayed for peace and the fulfillment of dreams. And we awoke to a nightmare. A nightmare so unreal that we didn't believe it and still can't comprehend the truth. It happened! The unimaginable. . . . 

Now we are left with the aftermath. . . And shock, And questions, And responsibilities, And burdens, And fears, And disbeliefs, And, And, And. . .. . 

Please God, as we enter this season of liberation and renewal, we ask that you watch over us and our Israeli brothers and sisters . . .

That you bring the hostages safely home from the narrow spaces

That you help heal the wounded.

That you offer comfort to the bereaved.

That you offer healing to shattered souls.

That all innocents are protected.

That there are changes in hearts and minds. 

That there be love . . . 

That there be peace . . . 

That there be goodness in all of its iterations . . . 

And, And, And . . . 

Amen!

Chag Kasher V'Sameach
Rabbi Howard Morrison

Parshat Tazria is not linked necessarily to the upcoming festival of Pesach. It is isolated from the special Sabbaths which have led up to Pesach in preceding weeks, such as Shabbat Parah and Shabbat Ha'Chodesh. The Shabbat following Tazria, the one immediately preceding Pesach, is called Shabbat Ha'Gadol.

While Parshat Tazria is a stand-alone parsha, I would share the following comparison and contrast with Pesach. In the Parsha, one who is diagnosed as having a contagious disease is mandated to exclude himself/herself for periods of seven days at a time. The Pshat (plain meaning) is a physical condition. The Drash (rabbinically interpreted meaning) extends the physical condition to a foundation of moral illness, stemming from gossip, falsehoods, slander, and the like. One's exclusion, however, is temporary. Once the contagious disease has been completely removed, such an individual is reintegrated into the community of Israel.

Consider Pesach - This is the ultimate inclusionary holiday. For example, at the outset of the Seder, we proclaim, "All who are hungry come and eat." Later on, the four kinds of children symbolize all kinds of demographics, backgrounds, ideologies, beliefs, and practices. All are included to sit around the Seder table. Our major concern is the proverbial fifth child, who has chosen not to attend or has been made to feel that he/she cannot attend.

Tazria and Pesach contain elements of exclusion and inclusion. Ultimately, regarding both, the goal is for inclusion of the highest order.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison

This week's Torah portion begins with the joy and marvel of birth. We read of Torah laws regarding a woman who has given birth. The Mitzvah of Brit Milah on a boy's eighth day is reiterated after having been originally revealed to Abraham regarding his son Isaac.

Early in the Parsha, we learn of a skin affliction called "Nega Tzaraat." Such a person is examined by the Kohen, sent out of the camp for seven days at a time, until the person is completely healed and re-entered into the camp of Israel.

Our Sages understood this plague as originating from a moral illness. They note that the word for one who has a skin disease, "Metzora," can also be read as "Motzi (shem) Ra," literally, "one who has spread falsehood and gossip about another person."

A hint toward this rabbinic understanding can be found in a narrative when Miriam gossiped and spread falsehood about Moses to their brother Aaron. She was stricken with a skin affliction and banned from the camp, until she was completely healed. One may surmise that her physical illness started with her committing the sin of slander.

Often, acts of evil and horror originate with how one speaks and regards another. This can be evidenced in families, social relationships, communities, and nations. 

While Israel was co-existing with her neighbors on October 6, those who deny Israel's right to exist attacked our people in an unprovoked manner on October 7. Already going back many years, these attackers and those who inspired them had gossiped, slandered, and spread malicious lies about Israel and the Jewish people. Since October 7, further lies, slander, and gossip have spread around the world, often culminating with acts of violence perpetrated against our people.

Less than two weeks before Pesach, may we work to repair broken relationships in our families and in our local communities. May we see the day when the vision of the Prophets comes true, "Nation shall not lift sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore."

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison