Words From Rabbi White

This week’s haftarah, taken from the Book of Shoftim (Judges) is one of the most perplexing chapters in the Bible. Let me explain:

The people of Ammon were a tough, mean bunch.  They resided on the eastern side of the Jordan River, their name reflected in the modern city of Amman, Jordan. In the time of the prophet Samuel, they demanded that, to avoid being conquered, the...Read more...

Wow! From what I said in shul last week, I think I have a better understanding of a couple of Rashi’s comments in this week’s parasha.

Dictionary definition of “groupthink:” a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.

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Shavuot is the holiday associated with Torah. I hope that we all have given thought to increasing our study of Torah: whether through books; through following such sites as YUTorah, the OU sites, and/or various Chabad sites; or through the various programs provided by our synagogue.

The Ashkenazim recite every year, before the reading of the Torah on the first day of Shavuot, the...Read more...

This Sunday, 29 May (American Memorial Day) is the 28th of iyyar.  The number 28 in Hebrew stands for “strength.” This day has become known as Yom Yerushalayim, commemorating that miraculous time, back in ‘67, when the strength of the Israeli army, with the help of HaShem, defeated the three neighbouring armies that had been determined to wipe out the country, God forbid. Many synagogues say Hallel on...Read more...

If you follow my weekly column, today's essay might seem familiar, as it is based on a midrash that I brought down last year. Besides the fact that it is one of my favourite midrashim, it seems most contemporary, in light of the carnage being orchestrated in Ukraine by the ruler of Russia.

By way of introduction: last week's parasha was replete with inspiring practical mitzvot....Read more...

First of all, in the name of Chevra Shaas, we send our condolences to Ron Mashaal on the loss of his father; and to Rev. Hazzan Benlolo, on the loss of his sister.  May their memories be for a blessing. min ha-shamayim tenuhamu!

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This past Thursday, 27 Nisan according to the Jewish calendar, was Yom Ha-Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day....Read more...

Several years ago, I had a knee operation shortly after Pesach. To keep me occupied during my recuperation period, my friend (and gabbai!) Michael Rubin gave me a book about the Seder, entitled The Night that Unites. I said about it ‘ilu natan lanu sha`ar, velo natan dappim, dayyenu, i.e., if that book had only a title page, and didn’t have any content, dayyenu. How much more so that it had both title page and content!

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This week we read from 3 Torah scrolls: the regular parasha Tazria, the portion for the new Month of Nisan, and “parashat ha-hodesh” from Shemot, chapter 12.

The reading from the 2nd and 3rd Torahs is a wakeup call to all of us: Pesach is fast approaching. In the selection we read from the 3rd sefer (Shemot/Exodus chapter 12), Moshe is telling the people to prepare themselves...Read more...

Since we are approaching Purim, and since we need something light to offset the terrible news we keep hearing on the media, let’s do something different.  Here is my favourite all time joke.  I like it because, besides being “clean,” it deals with language skills.

I first heard this story many years ago, when I was living in NY, on the now defunct WEVD, the Jewish...Read more...

This past week, there has been quite a bit of news to reflect (and worry?) upon: did the PM respond too harshly with the Emergency Act, or is he guilty of having responded too slowly; what will happen in Ukraine; is the impending removal of masking in schools a good idea, or will it lead to increased infections?

All of that, and be careful of walking outside on the ice!

Nevertheless, I was bothered by an article I happened to read today, written by a former president of the National Council of Young Israel. It seems that in January, there was a program at the Boca Raton Synagogue. This is an orthodox shul, led by an extremely hard working and talented rabbi. The synagogue has become one of the largest in North America.Read more...

The Ba`al HaTurim points out that this is the only parasha in the Torah, beginning with parashat Shemot, which told of the birth of Moses, through the end of Sefer BaMidbar, where the name of Moses does not appear.

Now, the Ba`al HaTurim lived in the 13th and 14th centuries. None of the great classical commentaries that preceded him, such as Rashi, Rashbam, Nahmanides, or ibn...Read more...

At the end of last week, my Aunt Betty Shapiro, sister of my late mother, passed away in Boston, at the age of 105 and 1/2. Since I have the “podium” here, I would like to devote this column to her memory.

[I had hoped to be able to travel to Boston for the funeral this past Monday, and, indeed, it had always been assumed that when the time, came, I would conduct it....Read more...

My first full time job was many years ago, before I had moved to Montreal, when I was teaching at the State University of New York. In my first year, a student came into my office with a complaint about her mark for the first semester. She felt it was too low!!

I tried to explain how I marked fairly, and I had given the mark she deserved.  She was furious with me, and said she...Read more...

Our parasha begins with the 5 verbs of redemption, describing how HaShem will bring the people into the Land of Israel. Actually, I had been hoping to write these lines from a house in Jerusalem, as my son and I had plans to be spending this week in the holy city. Indeed, doesn’t it say in Psalm 87:2, that Hashem loves the gates of Zion (‘ohev HaShem sha`arei tsion) more than any other place where the Jews might...Read more...

Wow! That story of Joseph and his brothers is a cliff-hanger! When we left the synagogue last week, we were wondering: what’s going to happen to Benjamin? Why did Joseph plant fake evidence in Benjamin’s bag? Is Benjamin going to be Joseph’s slave for ever?

As this week’s parasha begins, the brother Judah approaches Joseph very meekly: “Please my master, may I please say...Read more...