Rabbi's Corner

I spent most of yesterday driving back to Hamilton from a family simcha in New York, a welcome respite from being glued to the news and to social media reports from Sydney of increasing fatalities in the aftermath of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Bondi Beach at a...

With Hanukkah on the horizon, and the gift-buying season upon us, it is easy to focus on the material elements of this time of year. We face a deluge of commercials - on TV, on our social media feeds, and beyond - trying to convince us that if we buy one more thing,...

As the days get shorter and the nights longer, you may be looking for your next great read, listen, or watch to enjoy and inspire as you cozy up on the couch. As the People of the Book (and note that this month is the 100th Jewish Book Month!), there are always great...

One of my favourite parts of my work as a rabbi is studying Torah with our b-mitzvah students. Several months before each young person's ceremony, we begin meeting to study their Torah portion, always starting from a point of: "What questions do you have about your...

At Torah study a few weeks ago, I shared with the group how delightful it is to be back in Genesis in our Torah reading cycle, to be able to immerse ourselves in the foundational narratives of our people, rather than wrestle with the legal minutiae of the second half...

This weekend, we have the opportunity to celebrate that rare, North American Jewish holiday of Challahween, when Halloween coincides with Shabbat. (And of course this year we have the additional conflict of Game 5 of the World Series!) Families may face a choice - do...

This week, we finally celebrated one of my favourite Jewish holidays - Rosh Hodesh Heshvan, the start of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, the only Hebrew month without any holidays in it, and a much-needed respite and return to routine following our busy fall holiday...

כמה טוב שבאת הבתיתה Kama tov she'bata ha'baitah - how good it is that you have come home! These words are the refrain to one of the most beloved Israeli songs, made famous by Arik Einstein, and one that has been playing on repeat in our house since Sunday night. How...

As we greet the recent news of a signed deal between Israel and Hamas, and eagerly await the swift return of the hostages, I'm sharing here the words I offered on Sunday evening at our KW regional October 7th memorial. It was wonderful to see so many of our Temple...

Read the Rabbi's Yom Kippur Morning Sermon here