Makom by Sarah Dermer

by | Jan 28, 2026 | Essays

[Originally presented by Sarah Dermer during Shabbat Morning service, January 24th, 2026] As some of you know, my dad passed away at the beginning of December. Dr. Joel Goldberg, one of my dad’s colleagues, volunteered to lead the afternoon and evening service on the...

Newsletter Post – January 29, 2026

by | Jan 28, 2026 | Rabbi's Corner

As the world swirls around us, it can be hard to determine where our focus should be. What is worthy of our emotional energy? Of our grief, of our rage? How do we cut through that grief and rage to find moments of joy, or to merely go through the motions of everyday...

Newsletter Post – January 15, 2026

by | Jan 14, 2026 | Rabbi's Corner

I’ve been thinking lately about Jewish life on the margins. Those Jewish communities, like ours, outside of or on the periphery of larger Jewish population centers like Toronto, New York, Los Angeles. The kinds of towns and cities where, when you say...

Newsletter Post – January 8, 2025

by | Jan 7, 2026 | Rabbi's Corner

A beautiful contemporary midrash imagines Moses, a young prince growing up in Pharaoh’s palace, ignorant of his Jewish heritage and family. Every night, Moses wanders outside the walls of the palace, feeling restless, and seeking something that he can’t...