PASSOVER 5775

Beth Torah Congregation

Celebrating SpringAviv

2015

Aviv

Passover

FIRST EVERBETHTORAH’S

PASSOVERSEDER

INTERPRETATION OF THE AGE OLD PASSOVER TRADITIONSH

ARE

IN T

HE JOURNEY FEATURIN

G

STORYTELLING... SONGS... FOOD

and FAMILY

When

FRIDAYAPRIL 3, 2015

Where

BETH TORAHCONGREGATION

47 Glenbrook Ave.

TheJourney Begins

AT6:00 pmCost

ALL INCLUSIVE PRICE PER PERSON

$90 for Adults$45 for Children

under 12

SPECIAL15% Discountfor full tablebookings(minimum 10)

rsvp@bethtorah.ca or call 416.782.4495 ext 27

FOR A MAGICAL AND UNFORGETTABLEPASSOVER EXPERIENCE!

COME JOIN RABBI YOSSI SAPIRMAN FOR A UNIQUE

SOLD OUT

2

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3Passover

Beth Torah Congregation

Yossi SapirmanSenior Rabbi

Eli CouranteAssociate Rabbi

David YoungCantor

Samuel Frankel ob”m

Cantor Emeritus

Ephraim FikselPresident

Candace Vogel1st Vice President

Michael Goldberg2nd Vice President

Andrew WeisbergTreasurer

Mitchell AbbeySecretary

Mark KrantzbergGabbai

Irving MuellerGabbai Emeritus

Allen GerskupImmediate Past President

Board of TrusteesJeremy AlterDeborah AnschellPeter FarkasHaley FieldGillian GlazerStephen KleinDavid LewisToni SilbermanJean SutkiewiczJordan TurkMarvyn TurkMark Tytel

Pre-Passover Shabbat DinnerPresident’s Message

Rabbi’s MessageCantor’s Message

Passover Primer Passover Schedule

Sale of Chametz Form 5775Cookbook flyer

Delectable Dishes for PassoverThank You Sponsors & Donors

Thank You Memory Fund DonorsThank You Yarhzeit Fund Contributors

Thank You Prayer Book Donors Thank You Simcha Fund

Sunday Minyan Siyyum for the Fast of the First Born

Director’s of Education MessageHebrews’ Cool

Past Beth Torah Events Upcoming Beth Torah and Community

Magnificent Minds adKeystone Security Systems ad

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What’s inside!

Photography courtesy of Rabbi Yossi Sapirman

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Passover4

President’s MessageWe are in the process of turning our back on a very harsh winter; extraordinarily cold and

seemingly long. Our community expends a lot of energy to herald in spring, both in their

homes and in their attitudes. As North America sets its clock ahead an hour, we notice

suddenly the days are longer, giving us more time and energy for shaking off winter.

Passover is a holiday that helps us greet the new season; a season that promises renewal

and rewards.

Looking at the Seder plate, we can see the promises laid out very carefully, with both

tradition and charm. The plate contains vestiges of renewal by virtue of the Karpis or

root vegetable and the Chazeret or bitter herb. The root vegetable and the green herb or

lettuce bring spring right out of the garden and on to our table; both the earthy colour

of the beds, hoed and ready to grow our vegetables, and the green of the first sprigs of

growth from the once dormant ground. Even the Maror usually horseradish root, reminds

us of the history of our enslavement and our ability to endure, a symbol of the promise

of a future. These symbols of renewal are eaten eagerly with the accompaniment of salt

water, its own potent symbol.

The Seder plate hosts many other items. The Beitzah, a hard-boiled egg reminds us of the festival offering which was brought to the Holy

Temple on Passover. Nevertheless, one would be denying the more overt symbol of renewal in this facet of the Seder plate.

Passover means an end to all the darkness and cold of winter and that spring is upon us, as family and friends gather to share our stories,

explore our history and plan for the warmer days ahead. All the preparations for Passover, a form of Spring-cleaning, have readied our

homes for new things of all kinds. The reward of the hard work is seeing our homes take on a new freshness and makes us see our lives

with new eyes. Despite the difficulties and hard work of readying our home for Passover, the rewards have obviously helped sustain this

tradition for a very long time.

The last item on the Seder plate is the Zeroah, a roasted bone, a reminder of the tenth plague in Egypt when all the firstborn Egyptians

were killed. The whole story of the Exodus is replete with the themes of loss and renewal, struggle and reward. The final plague made

possible the actual Exodus, leaving behind a sad but a long inured way of life and the turning to the uncertainty of reestablishing life

elsewhere. It is the retelling of the story of the Exodus that defines struggles, not just in the harshness of enslavement but the struggle to

restart life in a new place; a story that Jews know all too well. The tradition of reading through all the elements of the Haggadah during

the service of our Seders can be considered a bit of a struggle as the delicious aromas of our favourite holiday fare lures our thoughts away

from the Exodus. However, with our elders’ encouragement and the excitement of a delicious meal, the issues of renewal, as depicted on

the Seder plate, along with the reward of comforted and sated appetites make the Seder a event that merits its celebrating.; a splendid

way to welcome spring.

Here at Beth Torah we are beginning a new tradition by holding the first Seder at our synagogue. I am thrilled to be a president for the

inaugural dinner. With Rabbi Yossi, along with his young family, being the evening’s leader of the Seder, I look forward to beginning a new

tradition with my family and I will be happy to see that Penny can really enjoy a Seder along side me instead of heading up all the kitchen

activities. I wish all of you a healthy and happy Pesach and a mazel tov to new traditions at Beth Torah.

Ephraim Fiksel

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5Passover

Rabbi’s MessageIt’s hard to believe that I am writing this two weeks before Passover and it is still winter

with no sign of Spring.

I often feel that winter is fair analogy to enslavement, we are at the mercy of the weather

and only when spring truly arrives do we experience the exodus to the freedom weather.

Many of our community have the opportunity to travel away for the winter, often to

places that are warm and far from the frigid cold of Toronto. We welcome their return

as a sure sign of Pesach even if not Spring! Despite the annual evidence we are always

skeptical about the “good” weather.

I am so pleased that this year we will be having a Seder at the synagogue, for the very

first time in recent memory, we will celebrate as a community and as family.

The first Seder in Egypt was also a communal event, the Torah teaches that the Israelites

were to invite their friends and neighbors to a Seder at which they were to celebrate the

impending Exodus despite their understandable skepticism.

One of my favourite moments as Beth Torah’s Rabbi is also an annual event, and its

inevitably both a sad and uplifting time.

I am referring to the delivery of Passover boxes to indigent families that we do as part of our YLJ program. Significantly, the Year of Living

Jewishly program for Bnai Mitzvah at Beth Torah is now in its 15th year! The YLJ seeks to engage our Bnai Mitzvah in an applied values

based year of living with Jewish ideas as their first year of adult Jewish education, not the last year of their childhood learning.

This year 30 of our students in a big yellow school bus and a cargo van pulled up to a huge building in North Toronto and unloaded 90

boxes and 90 chickens which we then delivered to 90 families to ensure they would have Passover food for their Seder.

The lesson of the day was relevant not only to young men and women about to become young adults, but to each and everyone of us.

The opening statement of the Haggadah is bold and bombastic, “This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt,

let all who are hungry come and eat”.

Really? And how will we make it happen, now that the Seder has already started, our tables are set and all the guests are in place, at this

late hour how will be fulfill the magnanimous statement with which we open the ancient story?

On a long yellow school bus, a most amazing group of young people participated in the answer, they were exhausted and weary from

schlepping boxes up and down the stairs and elevators, greeting strangers with “Happy Passover!” and rushing back to the cargo van for

more boxes. Along with their team leaders they moved throughout the 14 storey building like the angels of mercy, undoing a little bit of

the hardship and brokenness that plague so many families in our community. The YLJ students were living their commitment to make sure

that “all who are hungry let them come and eat”, except we weren’t waiting, we were bringing our values to those who may not be able

to ask.

I hope for all of us that this is the year we commit ourselves to emulate the inspiration of our young people, and take their values and

beliefs to the streets, so to speak, and make a difference in our larger community and in the world.

When the Seder actually arrives, and we say those seemingly out of place words, let us all be certain that we have done our part to make

sure that no one in our community goes hungry on this most important of nights, the night in which we remember the first communal

Seder from which none were left out as we prepared for the unknown future that was waiting for us as we left the ghetto of Egypt to the

freedom of our dreams.

Happy Spring, Chag Kasher v’Sameach,

Rabbi Yossi

Rabbi Yossi Sapirman

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Cantor’s MessagePassover and Purim – What’s the Connection?The holiday of Passover begins with the first Seder on the eve of the 14th of Nissan -

“And this day shall become a memorial for you, and you shall observe it as a festival for

the L-RD, for your generations, as an eternal decree shall you observe it. For seven days

you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from

your homes ... you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take

you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal

decree. - Exodus 12:14-17”

At the time of writing my piece for this year’s Passover bulletin, there are hints of spring

around us. The daylight hours are getting longer, the snow is beginning to melt, and of

course, we are pre-occupied with the arrival of Passover only a short few weeks away

following a most joyous and fun-filled Purim.

Achashverosh is described as a stupid man: “His stupidity made him the laughing stock of

the world” (Esther Rabbah 4:12). But how could a stupid man control an empire that

spanned 127 provinces? Some sages interpret the term who reigned (1:1) “as a slur,

because it implies that he was not really fit to be king, but that he paid a great deal of

money, and thereby rose to power” (Megillah 11b). (see www.jewishtreats.org)

Achashverosh was also been as a foolish man, best described: “He was arbitrary. He put his wife to death because of his friend and put his

friend to death because of his wife.” The subtle understanding that one gets of Achashverosh from the text is that he believed that every

suggestion made to him was a good one. A good ruler however, listens to his advisors, assesses their opinions and makes a decision based

on logic and fact. Achashverosh on the other hand, immediately acted upon advice without considering the consequences

(www.jewishtreats.org).

Haman seeks to exterminate the Jews – it is a simple matter of making this request to the King who grants him permission. Yet we see that

by the end of the Megillah everything is reversed. Esther holds a banquet. Haman is revealed as villain. Mordechai takes Haman’s place as

Prime Minister. The evil decree against the Jews is averted as easily as it was first begun. From mourning to joy, from danger to safety, from

death’s door to a better life.

As we switch to Passover, we find that Pharaoh is a far more serious figure than Achashverosh. He doesn’t act on a whim, as Achashverosh

does. When he is first challenged by Moses, Pharaoh does not give in but rather demands that the Hebrew slaves gather their own straw in

addition to making bricks. Pharaoh is absolutely in control, and it takes all of Moses’ determination and G-d’s intervention to finally free the

Hebrews from slavery.

The unlikely turn of events takes place as it did in the Megillah. Pharaoh and his entire army are destroyed in the Red Sea. The once mighty

Pharaoh falls in ruins, where Moses stands tall in freedom. The Haggadah says, “We have traveled from slavery to freedom, from

degradation to celebration, from the rule of evil to the rule of G-d.”

Elie Wiesel wrote in his first novel, Night, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my G-d and my soul and turned my dreams

to dust.” In so many instances in our history, Purim and Passover included, we Jews reversed the trend. We did the exact opposite - we

turned dust into dreams!

At the Seder, we eat vegetables dipped in salt water and marror to remember the tears of agony and despair, and the bitterness of slavery.

Yet we also eat sweet charoset , drink wine, and sing next year in Jerusalem.

Cantor David Young

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7Passover

At weddings, the groom breaks the glass under the chupah as a reminder of the sadness in the destruction of the temples. Yet right after-

wards, we sing in joyous celebration.

For all of this, we learn that we must be patient for what we wish for. In time, our lives can turn around for a better future. It is our belief in

G-d, and our belief in ourselves with our heart, with our soul, and with our might that helps us through this journey.

May we all be blessed as we celebrate Passover that tears of sadness turn into tears of joy; that bitterness turns into sweetness; that we as

a Jewish people and Jewish community continue on a path to ultimate peace, freedom, and joy.

Chag Kasher V’sameach.

Teen ChoirIf your mother thinks you have the voice of an angel,

and your Bubbie thinks you should be on the stage,BETH TORAH WANTS YOU!

Join the Beth Torah Teen ChoirLearn to sing. Meet weekly for lessons.

Sing at services and special occasions.Contact YLJ@bethtorah.ca

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A Passover PrimerTen facts about Passover.

Last year, we included in the bulletin some general information about

the holiday. This time, we will try to offer you less known facts and

trivia; things you may have never heard, or long since forgotten.

1 Passover, which celebrates the Israelites’ freedom from slavery in

Egypt, begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Jewish

months are based on the lunar cycle, Passover always starts on the

full moon.

2 The Hebrew word Seder means ‘order’. It is directly related to the

word we use for our prayerbooks, Sidur. The Seder is celebrated in

very much the same way by the Jews all around the world, following

the same steps in a prescribed order. (Hint: the festive meal is only

one of the 15 steps – or 14, as some prefer to count steps 7 and 8

as one.)

3 In Israel, Passover is celebrated for seven days. Everywhere else, it

lasts for 8 days. The reason for that goes back to the times preceding

a set Jewish calendar. When the length of a month varied between

29 and 30 days, the new month was defined by the sightings of the

moon and proclaimed by the Sanhedrin (the supreme body of Rab-

bis). Since Sanhedrin found no reliable way of informing the Jews

abroad of the correct date in time for the festival, they would cel-

ebrate both days in the middle of Nissan, “just in case” either would

turn out later to be the 15th. For the same reason, the Israeli Jews

have only one Seder. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews usually do

not follow the tradition of keeping the extra day.

4 The biblical prohibition of eating or even owing Chametz – leaven

– on Passover only applies to the products of wheat, rye, barley, spelt,

or oats prepared in prolonged (over 18 minutes) combination with

water. However, multiple additional strictures have been, and still are

being introduced by the rabbis, especially those of Ashkenazi persua-

sion.

5 On the night before Passover, a traditional “search” for leaven is

customarily performed in Jewish homes, with a candle to throw light

in dark corners and a symbolic feather for sweeping the crumbs.

6 There is an obligation to drink four cups of wine or grape juice

during the Seder. Rabbinic authors have compared the four cups to

four worlds, four expressions of Divine deliverance in the Torah, four

redemptions of the Jewish people, and even the four matriarchs (ac-

cording to that last opinion, the 3 matzos represent the three patri-

archs).

7 An additional symbolic cup is filled “for the prophet Elijah” (Eli-

yahu). In the Talmudic teachings, Eliyahu is said to come at the end

of the days with explanation and answers to all the Jewish questions

that the Rabbis could not resolve on their own. The cup is filled as a

celebration of future redemption, and traditionally not used for any

other purpose. During the Seder, the door of the house is opened,

and Eliyahu is invited in.

8 The word Haggadah means ‘tale’ or ‘telling’. It is the text that sets

the entire order of the Passover Seder. Telling the story of Exodus is

fulfillment of the Torah commandment to “tell your son” of the Jew-

ish liberation from slavery in Egypt.

9 The days between the first and last festive days of Passover are

known as “Chol ha-Mo’ed”, lit. ‘the non-holy part of the celebra-

tion’. These days (second through sixth day of Passover in Israel, and

third through sixth in the Diaspora) combine features of the week-

days (Chol) and festivals (Mo’ed).

10 In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, the focal point of Passover

celebrations was the sacrificial paschal lamb, also know as Passover

(Pesach). It is commemorated at the Seder table today by a roasted

shank bone (or another bone). Traditionally, no other roasted meat is

served on the Seder night, to emphasise that the Jews can no longer

bring sacrificial offerings.

by Rabbi Eli Courante

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9Passover

Passover Schedule – Nissan 5775Thursday, April 2 Last opportunity to sell Chametz form www.bethtorah.ca 5:00 p.m.

Friday, April 3 Fast of the First Born Services 7:30 a.m. Chapel End Eating Chametz Before 11:00 a.m. Remove Chametz Before 12:00 p.m.

Erev Pesach Evening Services 5:30-6:00 p.m. Sanctuary Lastest Candle Lighting 7:29 p.m. First Seder at Beth Torah 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 4 Morning Services 8:45 a.m. SanctuaryPesach I Candle Lighting 8:30 p.m. Second Seder

Sunday, April 5 Morning Services 8:45 a.m SanctuaryPesach II Observance Ends 8:35 p.m.

Monday, April 6 Chol Hamoed I (Pesach III)

Tuesday, April 7 Chol Hamoed II (Pesach IV)

Wednesday, April 8 Chol Hamoed III (Pesach V)

Thursday, April 9 Erev Yom Tov Chol Hamoed (Pesach VI) Candle Lighting 7:36 p.m.

Friday, April 10 Pesach VII Morning Services 8:45 a.m. Sanctuary Candle Lighting 7:37 p.m.

Saturday, April 11 Pesach VIII Morning Services 8:45 a.m. Sanctuary Yizkor 10:00 a.m. Sanctuary Holiday Ends 8:42 p.m.

SOLDOUT

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Passover10

You can now

send in your

Chametz

form online.

bethtorah.ca

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11Passover

To place an order, or for more information, contact bethtorahcookbook@gmail.com

Aviv

Passover12

Delectable Dishes for Passover

Auntie Pauline’s Matzo Farfel by Donna Goldenberg

Ingredients:

Full box of matzo farfel

1 cooking onion, dices

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 package of mushrooms, diced

½ bunch green onions, chopped (green part only)

8 eggs

Canola oil

Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Sauté cooking onion in very hot oil. Then add peppers, then

mushrooms. Salt and pepper while frying. Add some garlic

powder now as well. This can be prepared ahead of time and

set aside.

Whisk eggs with salt and pepper. Dump farfel in egg mixture

and stir. In a frying pan with deep sides heat a little canola

oil. Fry mixture just until eggs are done. Add a little gravy

from the meat you are serving – roast or turkey.

Auntie Rose’s Strawberry Freeze by Arna Beloff

Ingredients:

10-12 ounces of frozen strawberries, thawed

3 egg yolks

1 banana, mashed

3 eggs whites

¾ cup of sugar

Mash strawberries.

Mix egg yolks and banana together.

Make a stiff meringue with the egg whites and sugar in a

Mix master.

Fold half of the meringue into the strawberries and the other

half into the egg yolk/banana mixture.

Fold both mixtures together. Pour into an 8 x 8 metal pan

and place in freezer. Take out of freezer twice and stir. (Leave

it for 3 hours between each stir.)

Then leave it in freezer for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Store in freezer.

Recipes excerpted from of the Generation to Generation Cookbook10th Anniversary Edition

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13Passover

Kiddush SponsorsMitchell and Nancy Abbey in memory of Stanley Abbey

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Bruce Brymer and Margo Newman in memory of Harry Newman

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Faye Dorfman in honour of the War Veteran’s Tribute in memory of Jeff Dorfman

George and Ellen Fantus in honour of the aufruf for Claire Fantus and Mike Grime

Ephraim and Penny Fiksel in memory of Rose Chikofsky and in honour of the new Board.

Allen and Maida Gerskup in memory of Mary Gerskup

David and Marilyn Glick in memory of Michael & Ruth Charney

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THANK YOU! Sponsors & Donors From July 1st 2014 to February 28th 2015

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Passover14

Memory FundHoward Adler and Marla Eisen in memory of Harry Adler

Jeremy and Mindy Alter in memory of Isak Fiksel

Martin and Betty Baranek in memory of Mrs. Codis

Michael and Naomi Cohen in memory of Albert Yanofsky and in memory of Joseph Burk

Marvin and Irene Davis in memory of Sam Bloom

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Marty Schmerz in memory of Milton Klayman, Hania Sporer, and Jack Weinbaum

Hope Springman in memory of Dan Margolin

Faithe Sversky in memory of Ella Radomski

Yury and Natalya Vol in memory of Isak Fiksel

Jack and Susan Waserman in memory of Celia Genesove

Harold and Shelley Wolkin in memory of Morris Glick

Michael and Dianne Yanofsky in memory of Teresa Crawford and in memory of Joseph Burk

Sam and Helen Yermus with sympathy to the Springer Family, andin memory of Harvey Lowe

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THANK YOU! Memory Fund Donors From July 1st 2014 to February 28th 2015

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15Passover

YarzheitLenny Baranek and Ita Kleiner in memory of Morry Baranekin memory of of Sam Kleiner

Carol Bloom in memory of Lily Davisin memory of Ben Davis

Stephen and Celia Bobkin in memory of Robert Bobkinin memory of Manny Bobkinin memory of Lucy Picovin memory of Michael Picov

Fran Brodt in memory of Saul Hauer

Jennie Cass in memory of Irwin Cass

Henry and Layah Cohen in memory of Julius Long

Michael and Naomi Cohen in memory of Lorne Abramowitz

Max and Sharron Elkouby in memory of Ruth Perelesin memory of Max Pereles

Lawrence Federman and Lynne Feingold in memory of Al Feingold

Florence Fenwick in memory of Shloime Fenikin memory of Dora Fenik Sugarman

Joel and Gail Fenwick in memory of Charlotte Gottliebin memory of Elliott Gottlieb

Paul and Debbie Fenwick in memory of Peter Bakonyiin memory of Roza Janger

Sally Gallinger in memory of Harry Gallinger

Steven and Donna Goldenberg in memory of Irving Wolfrman

Barbara Gross in memory of Sarah Everett

Eila Kates in memory of Jack Kates

Marlene Kaufman in memory of Morry Baranek

Irving Kirsh and Jennifer Pulis in memory of Anne Kirshenbaumin memory of Hyman Kirshenbaum

Zelda Korenblum in memory of Devorah Korenbl

Faye Kushnir in memory of Lee Shulman

Isaac and Linda Lallouz in memory of Aziza and Sellam Lallouz

Marvin and Merilyn Lean in memory of Anne Lean

Joseph Leinburd in memory of Leah Leinburd

Marla Lukofsky, Fern Lukofsky, Elaine Goldberg in memory of:Phyllis KleinChaika MarguliesHersh MarguliesRuth LukofskyMeyer Lukofsky

Howard and Gloria Moscoe in memory of Hilda GreenBetty MoscoeSally Caplan

Louis and Nannette Mostyn in memory of Joseph Grader

Irving and Helen Mueller in memory of Molly MuschkiesCyrla MuellerAbraham Mueller

Carl and Ruth Rosen in memory of Pauline Rosen

Harry Shapero and Teresa Goldenberg in memory of Max Shapero

Dave and Anne Shapiro in memory of Yetta Rendall

Mark and Marla Shoom in memory of Ben Shoom

Hope Springman in memory of Maurice JeroffTom Springman

Frieda Traub in memory of Moses GoldenbergVictoria Traub

Ronald and Sandra Traub in memory of Helen FineIzzie Fine

Alina Turk in memory of Michael TurkLeib and Sarah UngerMania Turkienicz

Norman and Sandra Turk in memory of Debbie Turk SchwartzMike TurkMania TurkienichBella HollandJonah Turkienicz

Eli and Ellen Turkienicz in memory of Milton Turkienicz

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THANK YOU! Yahrzeit Fund Contributors From July 1st 2014 to February 28th 2015

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Passover16

THANK YOU! Prayerbook Donors From July 1st 2014 to February 28th 2015

Simcha FundMartin and Betty Baranek Speedy Recovery to Tolsa GreenbergGet Well to Irving Mueller

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Peter and Barbara Farkas In honour of Jackie Chenkin

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Marlene Kaufman Mazel Tov to Sheldon FreemanMazel Tov to Warren Ikeman

Irving and Helen Mueller Mazel Tov to Susan and Jack WasermanGet Well to Tolsa Greenberg

Barry and Carol Presement Get Well to Tolsa Greenberg

Ivan and Lynda Silver Mazel Tov to Barbara Miller Schwartz

Hope Springman Happy Birthday to Leo Weiss

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THANK YOU! Simcha FundFrom July 1st 2014 to February 28th 2015

Prayer Book FundPaul Bain and Shawna PerlinIn memory of Isak Fiksel

Ephraim and Penny FikselIn memory of Rachel WasermanIn memory of Celia Genesove

Mark and Esther Goldenberg In memory of Florence FenwickShawn and Lori GoldenbergIn memory of Florence Fenwick

Steven and Donna GoldenbergIn memory of Florence Fenwick

Jeffrey and Thea GreenspanMazel Tov to Joseph & Hertha Devenyi

John and Margie LevittIn memory of Isak Fiksel

Barry and Carol Presement In memory of Sally PresementIn memory of Toby LiptonIn memory of Albert Presement

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17Passover

All are welcome!Sunday Morning Minyan takes place at

8:45 a.m. every week

Sunday Minyan

Tefillin wrap/schmoozing

9:00—9:20 a.m. services.

Great buffet breakfast following

To sponsor a breakfast, please call

Polina at 416 782 4495 ext. 27,

Email: Admin@bethtorah.ca

Friday, April 3, 20157:30 a.m., with Breakfast FollowingRabbi, what is this all about? Ok, follow the logic.....

Service and Siyyum for the Fast of the First Born

SiyyumA festive meal connected to a mitzvah such as the meal following a bris or baby naming, or a significant accomplishment or occasion.

Fast of the First BornThe ancient custom of firstborn Jewish males fasting in gratitude for being spared and in sympathy for the loss of life during the Egyptian Exodus.

The Work AroundA firstborn child can participate in a meal of mitzvah rather than fasting and, having broken their fast, may continue to eat for the rest of the day. Completing a substantial amount of Torah study is deemed a celebration and hence is followed by a meal of mitzvah! Nice....gotta eat, it’s a mitzvah!

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From the Director of EducationAnother year, another seder, another time we prove that we’re here to stay!

What can I say, I’m a sucker for Pesach; and it’s not just because I get to dust off my

spring shoes (pumps, glorious pumps) or just because it’s the time of year I feel like I am

in the land of plenty, when my allergies are the most catered to. No, it’s not the abun-

dance of gluten-free dishes, or the even spring fashion—it’s the rituals. The presence of

family and traditions that have become so routine (without becoming mundane), and

that have existed long before touch screens, hashtags and One Direction. With all the

political turmoil going on worldwide, it’s the traditions that keep us unified as Jewish

people.

My family is very traditional, even old-school in our rituals. My husband’s family is very

traditional, but more new-school in their rituals. It wasn’t until I spent my first Pesach

with his family (all 30 of them—yes, that’s immediate family and yes, we’re basically a

shtetl) that I realized that traditions are not one-size-fits-all. There is a stark contrast

between a seder of 8-10 somewhat rowdy kin, faithfully following the traditional Hag-

gadah and a seder of 30+ highly rambunctious kin, singing and joke-telling their way through a colourful retelling of the Passover story.

In my husband’s family, Pesach is about pleasing the crowd—and with siblings ranging from 20 years his senior to 4 ½ years his junior,

there is no shortage of offspring to engage (unlike in my family, where my youngest cousin [in first year university] has been reluctantly

singing Manishtana for 15+ years). From using a Kid’s Haggadah (which for the record has some pretty catchy tunes about frogs, boils and

slavery) to considering the meaning of the story from the perspective of my father-in-law, the proud Zaidie to 13 grandchildren (almost 14,

coming to dinner tables near you April 2015) there is truly never a dull moment. The rituals that have developed are colourful, energetic

and knowing my father in law, usually have a punchline.

Despite the difference in delivery, the rituals happen like clockwork in both families…it’s all in the details. Through the retelling of the story

of Passover, we remember the journey of our ancestors, we vow to continue the tradition of remembering and always promise ‘next year in

Jerusalem’. There’s always a loving joke about who reads on behalf of the simple son, the wise son, you get the idea…

Through the retelling of the story of Passover, and through the rituals we have created as a family, we celebrate the emancipation from

slavery; we rejoice in the freedoms of today, and demonstrate gratitude for our continued existence as Jewish people. Remembering the

plight is a big part of the tradition, but so is the celebration.

One tradition I borrow from my husband’s family, which I invite you to share, is the celebration of the small victories which have occurred

since the last seder; the consideration of the obstacles we have overcome as individuals. When we’re all together remembering, what bet-

ter time is there to remember our own victories? Making the honour roll, finishing the first year in university, getting a first part-time job, or

scoring the winning goal at her hockey play-offs; we can remember our struggles, but so too should we remember our successes.

Maybe it’s the four cups of wine, or maybe it’s the maror, but seders have a way of making me feel warm (and bloated). Through the ritual

of coming together as Jews, as our forefathers did and as our brothers and sisters in Israel do—we uphold the most important tradition

of all. Yes, the Exodus was a trying time, but resiliency is a mark of character. Given the political turmoil ongoing globally, this year holds

special value, allowing each of us to infuse our seders with new meaning, and new rituals (old-school or new-school) based on ideals that

have carried our people through barbaric times

Yes, it’s true that on Pesach we remember the struggles but we should also remember to celebrate the victories, be it personal

or global. Another year, another seder, another time we prove—we’re here to stay.

CHAG SAMEACH,

Alley Dezenhouse-Kelner

Alley Dezenhouse-Kelner

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Alley Dezenhouse-KelnerDirector of Education 416.782.4495 ext. 25

hebrewschool@bethtorah.ca

Bar-Bat Mitzvah year Join Rabbi Yossi as he explores the values of

living Jewishly and answers all the questions

you never got to ask in Hebrew school.

A combination of open discussions,

field trips and exploring the arts, we prepare

B’nai Mitzvah to live Jewishly long after their

party is over.

“Adventure Judaism: Education for kids Who

Want to Stay That Way” teaches a living

Judaism for the 21st Century.

Hebrews' CoolBeth Torah’ Hebrew school is a dynamic, one-day-a-week program for students in grades 1 to 6. Through

teaching music, Torah, Hebrew, Israel and holidays, and of course food,

our students learn what it really means to live Jewishly.

A YEAR F LIVING JEWISHLYBAR/BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM

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We are so proud of our Zimriyah choir! The kids are truly marvelous and talented. Thank you Bryna, our wonderful choir leader, for contributing your talent and raising a group of young artists who bring so much joy, pride and love into our hearts through music…

ZIMRIYAH - Sunday, March 15 2015

Past Events!

PURIM - Sunday, March 1 2015

Achashverosh has given up his place to Willy Wonka this year for the Annual Beth Torah Purim celebrations. The highlight of the event were amazing costumes, volumes of candy, games and the jumping castle of course. Congratulations to all the prize winners. Great many thanks to all the donors and contributors. Truly it was a joyful day of pure imagination!

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Past Events!

JAZZ HAVDALLAH - Saturday, March 7 2015

A merge of the two best up-lifters of the soul – music and fine art were celebrated for the 3rd time at Beth Torah and it has been an enormous success! Great response from our talented member artists who kindly contributed their time and brush strokes! We were delighted to enjoy marvelous entertainers Steve Koven and duo: Singer, David Wall and pianist, Marilyn Lerner. Their jazzy tunes are buzzing in our ears to this day…

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and Community EventsUpcoming

Lori Palatnik on April 13th

This year, Hadassah added Toronto-born Lori Palatnik, founder of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project, to the list of “Most Outstanding Jewish American Women of Our Time”. Now, she’s coming to Beth Torah! Join us to hear her discuss why she donated her kidney to a woman she’d never met.

A limited number of tickets are available at $18 per person. Email communications@bethtorah.ca

BT Baseball

It’s that time of year again! We’re looking for returning as well as new players to join us for Sunday mornings of fun, friends and fitness. Interested? Contact Len at libman@gmail.com

Stay Tuned for Upcoming Programming Stratford TripPrisoner of Her PastConstanze Beckmann and Atis Bankas in Concert

indicates events held at Beth Torah

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Private School andTherapeutic Services

Cultivating Magnificent Mindsand Inspiring Personal Greatness

Magnificent Minds is a comfortable, pressure-free learning environment where academic, social and emotional growth isconstantly pursued. Our students thrive under our holistic, (whole body, whole mind) framework. We cater to visual and hands-onlearners whose needs are currently not being met in larger scale school environments; we pursue academic excellence, andindividual greatness using a multi modal approach. Low-ratio classes, a sense of unity and community, creative and engagingteachers and individualization are just a few fundamental aspects of our educational and therapeutic programs. We provideeducational and therapeutic services which are tailor made in each application. With a client-centered approach, we respect theuniqueness of each individual we service.

We operate out of the lower level of the Beth Torah Congregation Monday to Friday from 8:30 - 6:00, and Sundayafternoons from 2:00-5:00. Our private school program runs from September to June, and Summer Camp runs for 8 weeks in Julyand August. We are open 12 months per year to provide short or long term educational and therapeutic programs. Our list ofservices includes classroom learning, ABA/IBI Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Emotion Regulation Training, Social Skill Groups,and Summer Camp. We service boys and girls from pre-kindergarten to grade 6. Using principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis,we motivate our students to achieve personal greatness.

For more information please call our Principal and Children’s Therapist

Mrs. Alexandra Dezenhouse-Kelner ABS MA

647-404-6349

For additional information, please visit our website at www.magnificentminds.ca

For more information please call our Principal and Children’s TherapistAlley DezenhouseKelner ABS MA 647-404-6349

For additional information, please visit our website at www.magnificentminds.ca

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