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BA-MIDBAR 5783

05/19/2023 04:11:02 PM

May19

Mazal tov to Raya Sukonik, who has become a great grandmother due to the birth of a grandson to her daughter Maya of Scranton, (who used to daven with us when we were on Bourret and Lavoie) and husband Volvi Polatchek. The mother is Etel Perel, who spent the summer with her grandmother in Montreal a few years ago and came to us at Chevra Shaas.

Julie Bacrie Cohen & Marc...Read more...

BEHAR BEHUKOTAI 5783

05/12/2023 01:43:13 PM

May12

Dear mitpallelim

This past week my colleague for many years at Herz, Mme Leibovici, observed yahrzeit for her husband Marcel, who was professor of Semitic languages at U de M.

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Mazal tov to Shulamit Foxman, whose daughter Rivka...Read more...

EMOR 5783

05/05/2023 01:19:58 PM

May5

Dear mitpallelim

Things have been hectic the past couple of weeks, so I had to take a break from my “blog.” First, my granddaughter Shoshana gave birth to a girl, named after my wife. After that, I was admitted to the hospital for kidney surgery, a partial nephrectomy. For the past several days I have been recuperating at home. BH, the healing process is working. My post op...Read more...

PESACH 5783

04/05/2023 11:24:21 AM

Apr5

Alan Zavalkoff observes for his mother Malca on 21 Nisan. May her memory be for a blessing.

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Mazal tov to our Israeli friends, the Gehrs, on the birth of a girl to Arye and Elinor Kaufman in Jerusalem.

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After we were no longer able to conduct daily services in CS Hall,...Read more...

PESACH

03/31/2023 01:30:34 PM

Mar31

Dear mitpallelim,

Well, Pesach is around the corner, and this is no April fool joke. 

As I am not able to arrange for mechirat Hamets this year, make sure to make arrangements ASAP with the shut office.

Today's kiddush is in honor of my dear student, Maia (Rivkah) Darmon, born on Shabbat Ha-gadol; kiddush cosponsored by her parents. Maia definitely would be categorized as the "wise"...Read more...

VA-YIQRA' 5783

03/24/2023 01:46:19 PM

Mar24

The 9th of Nisan is the yahrzeit of our dear friend Herb Schnap. Herbie was very devoted to CS. We send our best wishes to his wife Fran.

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Mazal tov to Simcha and Shulamit Foxman on the wedding in Jerusalem of Simcha’s grandson Moshe Yehuda. And refu’ah sheleimah to Simcha’s daughter Rachel and her husband David Stern, who were injured...Read more...

VAYAQHEL-PEQUDEI 5783

03/17/2023 02:04:27 PM

Mar17

Dear mitpallelim,

The Zilbert brothers David and Marc observe yahrzeit for their father Aharon ben Nisan, on the 27th of Adar.

I observe for my wife Sarah Devorah bat Yehoshua on the 2nd of Nisan.

May their memories be for a blessing.

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I...Read more...

KI TISSA' 5783

03/10/2023 10:41:53 AM

Mar10

Dear congregants,

I trust that you had a happy Purim. I missed not reading the megilla in Chevra Shaas at night, and in Hertz during the day. Nevertheless, I was able to perform a mitsvah, as my son-in-law and I traveled to the Lower East Side of Manhattan where we shared responsibility for reading the megilla for his parents, whose health makes them unable to attend the reading at...Read more...

NAOR

03/03/2023 12:37:17 PM

Mar3

We celebrate this week the bar mitsvah of Naor Dawit. I regret that it is impossible for me to attend.

Naor's father was the first person of the Ethiopian community that met me back in '95, when I first became the Rabbi of Chevra Shaas. He spoke passionately about the Beta Israel community, and the difficulties they were facing. Naor's mother has been a great friend to me and...Read more...

TERUMAH 5783

02/24/2023 02:02:26 PM

Feb24

On the 10th of Adar, Shulamit Foxman observes yahrzeit for her father, Rabbi Mordecai Singer.

Also, on that day, Charles Stein observes for his mother Giza. 

May their memories be for a blessing.

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Parashat Terumah discusses the building of the mishkan, which was the...Read more...

YITRO 5783

02/10/2023 01:00:32 PM

Feb10

Dear mitpallelim,

This Friday is the first yahrzeit for my Aunt Betty Shapiro, Bessie bat Tsvi Hirsh. As you may remember, she passed away in Boston last year, “be-seivah tovah,” at the age of 105. Until about her last year, we would go over the parasha by phone every Thursday night. As she died without children, my brother and I said kaddish during the year.

Read more...

BESHALACH 5783

02/03/2023 10:04:29 AM

Feb3

Dear mitpallelim I am writing from my son’s house in Boca. I miss Chevra Shaas and all my Montreal friends very much, but I can’t say that I miss the snow and cold temperatures. Benai yisrael are finally escaping from Egypt. They get to the yam suf, cross over the sea, and then begin the journey through the desert to erets yisrael. How did they know the direction? How is it possible to travel without Waze?  Well, they had the best gps system ever! For Hashem was leading them with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire.Read more...

BO 5783

01/27/2023 12:41:09 PM

Jan27

Dear mitpallelim:

Reminder: our friend Malcolm Moscovitch is in the Eldercare, Victoria entrance, 4th floor.

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Wow, the land of Egypt really got a beating.

When I read this week’s parasha, the song that my grandchildren sang at the Seder rings in my head “10 Makkot, makkot 10, the Mitsrim were...Read more...

VA-'EIRA' 5783

01/20/2023 01:29:06 PM

Jan20

I observe yahrzeit for my father, Samuel White, Shmuel ben Menachem, this Tuesday, 2 Shevat.

Mariam Mintz and Stanley Goldstein observe for their mother, Chana bat Shalom HaKohen, this Thursday, 4 Shevat.

May their memories be for a blessing

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Wow! Those Egyptians must have...Read more...

SHEMOT 5783

01/13/2023 11:22:21 AM

Jan13

*Our friend Malcolm Moscovitch is in the Jewish Eldercare, Victoria entrance.

* Mariam Mintz and Stanley Goldstein observe yahrzeit for their grandfather, Shalom ben Yerachmiel HaKohen, on Tuesday, 24 Tevet

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GREAT NEWS:

Although not an agudist, I must give great credit to...Read more...

VA-YEHI 5783

01/06/2023 01:09:48 PM

Jan6

Mr. Irwin Miller observes yahrzeit for his mother Bess bat Tvi Hirsh, on Wednesday 18 Tevet.

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Moving to NJ was difficult, as I had to leave behind all of my friends from the synagogue, from my school from my neighborhood, (oops, that’s the American spelling) etc.

There is another kind of friend that I had to...Read more...

VA-YIGGASH 5783

12/30/2022 01:43:03 PM

Dec30

Dear mitpallelim: A thought on tefillah:

Many years ago, when I was in high school, we studied the Book of Mishlei (Proverbs.) Among the many verses that we had to learn by heart was lekh ‘el nemalah `atsel, re’eh drekheha va-hakham, “go to the ant, you lazy guy, see its ways, and become wise.” (6:6)

I never fully understood that verse,...Read more...

12/23/2022 12:34:20 PM

Dec23

Update this content.

MIQQETS 5783

12/23/2022 12:33:55 PM

Dec23

First of all, mazal tov to Simcha Foxman and Shulamit, on the engagement of his son Moshe Yehudah of Jerusalem

Since we are now in the festival of lights, we present a little light humor, that has been going around the internet in Hebew. Here is the translation: It purports to present a conversation between a young boy, and his "litvish," Yeshivish" father. It is funny, but reflects a serious "kulturkampf" in Israel. "Tattie" is...Read more...

VA-YEISHEV 5783

12/16/2022 02:20:41 PM

Dec16

As I wrote last week, my new grandson's name is Akiva Simcha. After whom was he named?

Following a tradition of not revealing the name until the actual berit, the parents of the baby had kept the name a secret. When we heard the name, we felt it was a very nice name, and assumed he was named after someone on "the other side." But the "other side" also did not have anyone by that...Read more...

VAYISHLAH 5783

12/09/2022 01:55:31 PM

Dec9

In honour of the berit this past Tuesday of Akiva Simcha Tzur, son of my granddaughter Rosy and her husband Elchanan, grandson of my son Yehoshua and his wife Racheli, BH.

In this week's parasha, we read how Yaakov Avinu returned to his family in the Land of Canaan, after many difficult years of hard labour and deception from his relative Lavan.

But the return trip wasn't easy.  Yakov was afraid that Eisav would kill him...Read more...

VA-YEITSEI 5783

12/02/2022 12:59:19 PM

Dec2

In light of all of the anti-Israel and antisemitic attacks and expressions we have been hearing lately (such as from Pres. Trump's new-found dinner friend! and the attacks at the Jerusalem bus stops), the following observations are pertinent:

Rashi on Genesis:  Most of us are aware of Rashi's first comment on the Torah: really, since the torah is a book of laws, it should have...Read more...

TOLEDOT 5783

11/25/2022 12:56:04 PM

Nov25

Greetings from Teaneck

WHAT? It's already Rosh Hodesh Kislev? That means that Hanukkah is only in a few weeks!

What is the significance of lighting all 8 candles (our minhag is to light all 8 on the last day of Hanukkah, whereas the approach of Bet Shammai, as recorded in the Talmud, was to light all 8 specifically on the first day.)

Read more...

HAYYEI SARAH 5783

11/18/2022 01:17:47 PM

Nov18

Due to a computer glitch (on the part of my computer) my "Blog" for Va-yeira' was not published last week. Since it remains most relevant, especially in light of the recent vote at the UN concerning the Intenational Court of Justice (sic!), it is appropriate to reprint it for this week, with a few changes and an addition:

Two weeks ago, I referred to the sharp divide among Israelis...Read more...

VA-YEIRA 5783

11/14/2022 10:02:59 AM

Nov14

Last week. I referred to the sharp divide among Israelis concerning the Israeli election, and in that context mentioned Rashi's comment as to the purpose of the whole Book of Genesis: to show the connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

This past week, we had the American mid-term elections, and the concern of many Jews was how the outcome could affect America's...Read more...

LEKH LEKHA 5783

11/04/2022 01:15:08 PM

Nov4

So.... Israeli elections were held this past week (again?!). Some were certainly very happy with the outcome, others very worried. We wish the government much hatslacha.

Nachal Oz is a kibbutz located very close to the Gaza border. Back in 1956, there were many infiltrations of Gazans, who came to steal the crops that had been growing in the fields. The kibbutz security officer, a young man named Roi Rotberg, went out, on the day of...Read more...

NOAH 5783

10/28/2022 02:57:47 PM

Oct28

When I was a very young boy, growing up in Boston, I felt bad for boys growing up in New York. For we had the Red Sox, but the New Yorkers had to root for the Yankees. Ugh! 

That was a silly, childish thought. But, maybe not. Can you believe? After all the pride that Aaron Judge brought to NY this past summer, breaking Babe Ruth's 60 home run barrier by 2, and with a .311...Read more...

BEREISHIS 5783

10/21/2022 02:38:15 PM

Oct21

DEAR MITPALLELIM,

I trust that you had a good season of the yamim tovim. For someone like myself who hardly ever drove across the Decarie to Cote St Luc after Covid struck, I had quite a busy week: 

I spent the first days of Sukkot with my son and family in Boca Raton, Florida, then flew with them to Passaic, NJ, for shabbat; and then drove back to my daughter's house in Teaneck for the end of...Read more...

HOL HAMOED 5783

10/14/2022 01:00:18 PM

Oct14

I am writing from Boca Raton, Florida, where I am spending part of the holiday with my son and his family.

I remember my first Sukkot in Montreal, when the sukka was covered with snow. Here it is the opposite: 88 degrees with high humidity! (Brings to mind the gemara at the beginning of tractate AZ, about the people who kicked the sukkah because it was too hot!)

Read more...

HA'AZINU

10/07/2022 02:56:03 PM

Oct7

As the saying might go, you can take the boy out of Quebec, but you can't take Quebec out of the boy. So I have been following Qc news here in Teaneck. And I was thinking: Sukkot is the holiday of joy: The Torah specifically states in Sefer Devarim, parashat re'eh, ve-samahta behagekha. Premier Legault and his cohorts have much to be happy about.  But Sukkot is also the holiday of hospitality: we...Read more...

Fri, June 2 2023 13 Sivan 5783