Happy LAG BAOMER!

וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכָל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ
You shall proclaim release throughout the land for all its inhabitants
-Leviticus 25:10

Reflecting back on the past two months of voluntary isolation and quarantine, it is becoming harder to remember what life was like before the pandemic. It is unbelievable to consider that just nine weeks ago our sanctuary was filled with joy and merriment for our celebration of Purim. I feel like we were so naïve. The notion of “social-distancing” was a brand-new concept which had yet to be applied in any significant way. Today, many are encouraging that phrase to be retired in favour of “physical distancing,” which more specifically references the practise of maintaining space between one another in order to avoid contagion. This definition is very different than the origins of the term “social-distancing,” a sociological term which describes the historical practise of “keeping your inferiors in their place,” which has less to do with preventative health care and more to do with the story of Haman and Esther. Nonetheless, when I think back to Purim, our last major gathering, I give thanks that no one was infected. Since that Purim, the notion of hester panim - the covering of one’s face with a mask - has taken on a whole new meaning.

Since gathering together at the Temple for Purim, we have marked nine Shabbatot, Passover, Yom HaShaoh, Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzmaut, Lag B’Omer and soon Shavuot, all in our homes on Zoom. So, how do we measure these two months of isolation? By how many holidays we’ve observed online? Through daily reports of the numbers of infected and dead? Through lost wages and economic hardship? Through the increased burden of emotional and physical weight?

I prefer to consider the small markers we encounter along the passageway of time. During the first week of the stay-at-home order, I wrote about establishing new routines and practises to help frame the time at home. Personally, I planted an indoor herb garden and added a session of guided meditation to my morning routine. Two months later, I find that my meditation practise has become an invaluable tool for sustaining a positive state of mind and a great learning to maintain emotional equilibrium during an otherwise challenging time. And in just two months my herb garden has flourished providing great freshness and flavour to all the home-cooking that has become an enjoyable part of our daily activities.

However, a much greater measure of the “time-out” that has been forced upon us by the coronavirus is the many kindnesses that we have been blessed with by members of our community. People who have volunteered to deliver prepared food or shop for those who cannot themselves get out safely. The sewing of face masks and the distribution of personal protective equipment for those on the frontlines as well as those who just need to go out for one reason or another. Loans and gifts to help the economically impacted. The increased efforts to remain connected through phone calls and emails and the facilitation of online sessions. All of these actions, while maintaining appropriate protocols to remain healthy, are daily miracles for which we must express our gratitude. It is these kindnesses that we must strive to maintain when we begin to open-up once again.

As we read this week the closing chapters of the Book of Leviticus, with all of its idealized ritual and prescriptions for purity and holiness, we enter into the Book of Numbers, the concise description of the Israelites' experiences wandering in the wilderness. From the lofty heights of their time at Sinai, in the wilderness the Israelites quickly degenerate to complaining, dissatisfaction and division. Apparently, heading into the new unknown was so scary, that many even preferred returning to slavery in Egypt. From this negative example of our ancient ancestors we must learn. Hopefully, when we are redeemed from this pandemic, we will not return to the way things were before. Hopefully we will emerge from our isolation and physical distancing to a world that is fresh and new, defined not by loneliness and hardship but by continued connection and care.

Take care and stay healthy.

L’Shalom,

From our Rabbi Emeritus, Bernard Baskin:

In 1929 the great Wall Street crash in the United States was among the worst economic depressions in world history.
 
Four years later in one of his radio “Fireside Chats,” President Roosevelt declared, “The thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
 
Victor Frankl maintained, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances—to choose one’s own way.”
 
1933 was the year of my Bar Mitzvah which took place in the Synagogue’s Chapel rather than the Synagogue’s auspicious Sanctuary. The speeches, in Yiddish and English and largely prepared by my Father, were well received and I was a hero for a day at a most difficult time.
 
Rabbi Baskin ponders...

“Yes, I am a Jew, and when the ancestors of the Right Honourable Gentleman were brutal savages in an unknown land, mine were prophets in the Temple of Solomon.” -Benjamin Disraeli

“Darkness makes us aware of the stars, and so when dark hours arise, they may hold a bright and lovely thing, we may never have known otherwise.” -Peter Lea

“There are times when it seems God asks nothing of his children except silence, patience, and tears.” -C. S. Robinson

“There comes a time in the development of ourselves, when receiving from others, which is the essence of selfishness, gives way to the irresistible urge to give to others—to go beyond the limits of one’s skin.” -Joshua Loth Liebman

“I am convinced that my life belongs to the whole community; and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is one brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch, which I got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before turning it over to future generations.” -George Bernard Shaw

Shavuot Happenings
Consult the TAS website or Facebook page for login information

EREV SHAVUOT SERVICE
Thursday, May 28^th at 7:00 PM on ZOOM
with Rabbi Cohen & Cantor Baruch

Tikkun | Text | Technology

NATIONWIDE CANADIAN REFORM
TIKKUN LEIL SHAVUOT

Thursday, May 28^th – 29^th - 7:30 PM – 2:00 AM ET online
The Canadian Council for Reform Judaism (CCRJ) and the Reform Rabbis of Canada (RROC) invite you to join with many of Canada’s leading Reform Rabbis, Cantors and Educators for a national night of learning, song, movement, meditation and meaning. For six hours we will share 45-minute sessions of inspirational learning, interspersed with 15-minute mini-sessions of music and fun activities, all designed to get you in the spirit of Shavuot - the time of the giving of Torah. Join us for a session or stay on for the whole series. Save the date! Full schedule of sessions and login details will be available soon.

SHAVUOT MORNING SERVICE
including Hallel and Yizkor Memorial Service

Friday, May 29^th at 10:30 AM on ZOOM
with Rabbi Cohen, Cantor Baruch & Special Guests

IN OUR TEMPLE FAMILY

COVID 19 UPDATE:

Rabbi Cohen and Cantor Baruch are here to connect with you and assist you at this difficult time. We look forward to your phone calls:
Rabbi Cohen 905-906-3403
Cantor Baruch 905-906-3405

URGENT: Do you need help with food? We are ready to arrange delivery of a Kosher food basket to you. All you have to do is contact us!

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

Call the Hamilton Jewish Family Services to be connected with opportunities to connect by telephone.