Exodus Magazine - January 2021

#219 | January 2021 • Shvat 5781

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January 2021 • Shvat 5781

6

5 | JEWISH SOUL

The Well-Stocked Pharmacy

8

10

8 | LIFE ON EARTH

You Really Are the Center of the World

Chassidic teachings impart that “from every thing and event, a person should derive a lesson in man’s service of his Creator.”

What lesson in life can we learn from a pharmacy?

Your mother told you so many times. Your high school principal didn’t seem so convinced. Certainly not your employer. But it’s true. And even more: You are not just the center of the world—you are the entire world.

— From the Rebbe's letters

— by Tzvi Freeman

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editorial jewish soul made you think first person life on earth jewish thought ask the rabbi our community

6 | MADE YOU THINK

Home

10 | JEWISH THOUGHT

The Future of the Past

G‑d created the world because He wanted a place to call home.

But if G‑d is everywhere, then He is already in our world. If so, where do we find Him?

Joseph challenges one of our most fundamental assumptions about time, namely its asymmetry. We can change the future. We cannot change the past. But is that entirely true?

— by Yoseph Janowski

— by Jonathan Sacks

7 | FIRST PERSON

18 | PERSPECTIVES

I don’t remember why I carried the Rebbe’s dime to the South Pacific, Edman-trained rationalist though I was; probably on the disreputable notion that it couldn’t hurt.

Why is it so difficult to recognize your life’s mission? The obvious answer is that we are distracted. But determination is not enough – even people who are committed to discover their mission find it difficult to do so.

— by Herman Wouk

— by Simon Jacobson

The Dime

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

holiday guide simchas perspectives marketplace memorials

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Birth is life. Physically, it is a one-time occurrence that brings a precious new human life into this world. Spiritually, birth is an ongoing process through which we learn to be truly alive.

The Torah warns us against the dangers of neglecting the fundamental role birth plays in our daily lives: "There shall be no woman who loses her young or is infertile in your land; I shall fill the number of your days."

(Exodus 23:26) On a simple level, this verse is conveying blessings for health and longevity. However, on a deeper, more spiritual level, we can read the verse as instruction or warning.

If birth – life – is the state of being we want to achieve, then infertility, its opposite, is what we want to avoid. Infertility can result either from a problem with a reproductive organ or from a deviation in the processes of conception, impregnation or gestation. In the former, even the potential for birth does not exist. In the latter, the potential is there, but for some reason it doesn’t come to fruition.

When we speak about infertility in spiritual terms, the lack of excitement, we have two possible problems, just as in physical infertility.

It is possible that there is no potential for birth because the intellect is not functioning properly.

Because I am so full of myself, my intellect is unable to grasp any truth or get affected about anything meaningful outside of my self; I see everything only as it is tainted by the subjectivity of my ego. This spiritual infertility expresses itself in the fact that I am immersed in my own desires. Depending on how refined I am (or what kind of day I’m having), those desires may be positive, or they may be negative – but either way they are my desires, and therefore by definition they are egocentric even if they are altruistic.

Alternatively, spiritual infertility can express itself even when I do have the ability to be inspired intellectually, but the inspiration remains ethereal and foreign to me, and it find no expression in my life. The end result is still that I am unable to be affected by it. The problem

is that just as physical birth requires a Higher Power that is infinitely greater than the parents and a healthy nine-month pregnancy period, so too spiritual birth, the expression of inspiration, requires something beyond mere intellectual activity; it requires G‑d to be invited into the process to ensure that power for the miracle of birth is there, and it requires a healthy gestation period, a profound integration and development of the idea that leads to its eventual expression and affect.

But there is still the potential for one more type of "infertility" – when birth occurs but it is not a live birth. Here, the Torah is instructing us to ensure that whatever is born out of the spiritual process of birth retains its vitality and remains alive. The only thing that lasts forever is truth. For my efforts not to be in vain, I have to make certain that the entire process was conducted honestly.

My intellect is devoid of ego, it is functioning properly, and I am able to perceive truth. There is no blockage that stops these perceptions from affecting my life. And I am careful to be honest with myself at each stage of the journey so that the excitement stays with me. Having achieved all of this, I can now bask in the satisfaction that I am spiritually sensitive and alive – can’t I? Satisfaction is the beginning of the end. Once I am satisfied with what I accomplish, all of my future endeavors will be measured against my satisfaction rather than my ultimate potential.

And so the verse instructs: "I shall fill the number of your days." When I contemplate the fact that G‑d created me with a purpose in mind, and each moment that I am here but not doing whatever I can to fulfill my personal mission in life I am wasting it… how can I possibly feel satisfied?

How can I even find time to think about my satisfaction, even in spiritual terms, when every moment that I am not working on my assignment I am rebelling against the King?

Thus I overcome the final obstacle to living, ensuring that my ego does not creep back into the picture by basking in my own selfaggrandizement. I do my part, and wait for the day when G‑d will do His, when all illness, both physical and spiritual, will be healed.

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jewish soul

The Well-Stocked Pharmacy From the Rebbe's letters

I

’m sure that you have seen it written in the teachings of Chassidus that “from every thing and event, a person should derive a lesson in man’s service of his Creator.”

If a person is to derive a lesson in life from each particular event he witnesses, how much more should he do so from his own vocation, in which he invests the better part of his talents, time and energy.Regarding the pharmaceutical profession, there are many lessons it may impart to our mission in life.

I’ll confine myself to two of them: 1) Upon entering a quality pharmacy and seeing the great and varied selection of medicines and drugs which provide relief and cure for all sorts of illness, including the most deadly of them—the informed observer is greatly impressed, and rightly so.

But the pharmacist must explain to him— and, most importantly, must explain to himself—that all this is but a preface and preparation. In order for a sick person to actually be cured, two crucial things must happen: (a) an expert must instruct which specific drug, and in what specific manner of administration, is appropriate for this specific illness; (b) this, too, is not sufficient in itself—the patient must actually take the medicine.

Applied to our everyday lives: Each and every individual is an emissary of the Almighty, who has been given his or her specific “portion in the world” to “cure” and rectify. He has also been given the “drugs” and means with which to achieve this. But all this is but a preamble and preparation, for he still needs an expert to instruct him which “drugs” he is to apply to correct his “portion” and his own self today, which tomorrow, etc. Otherwise, he is apt to jeopardize rather than cure, to destroy rather than build.

(There are those who would argue: “The entire community are holy,” myself included.

I shall consult the Code of Jewish Law myself and thereby know what must be done, both regarding myself and regarding my mission in life. The result of such an approach can be understood by considering the case of a person who, having learned to read, acquires medical texts and medical instruments and begins practicing medicine . . .)

Then must come the primary thing—to go out and do the work of “healing” oneself and one’s world. One may be an accomplished scholar, and greatly esteem his “expert doctor,” and acquire the medicines in the exact manner that the doctor prescribes; but if he doesn’t actually take them, he has not yet begun the work of healing.

He might have many good excuses: the time isn’t right, it’s not the appropriate place, he doesn’t have the influence, etc. But all an excuse can do is determine the degree of his culpability—is he guilty, merely negligent or altogether absolved? The most impeccable excuse will not cure the illness he was meant to deal with. And since, undoubtedly, the divine intention is that he achieve a cure, his arguments are obviously flawed and prejudiced by self-interest.

2) Entering into the interior of the pharmacy, one notices a section marked: Warning! Deadly Poison! One may wonder, what is poison doing in a place designated for cures and balms? But the informed person understands that what in ordinary circumstances and in significant quantities is poison for a healthy person may in special circumstances and in small dosages be the only treatment that may

save the life of one who is ill.

Applied to our everyday lives: The Torah is a “benevolent law,” and “all its pathways are pleasantness and peace.” Nevertheless, it commands: if you are invited to your fellow’s home and there is doubt as to the kosher status of what is being served, it is forbidden for you to partake of his meal, even if this causes him grievous insult. If your fellow violates the Shabbat, and there is hope that your protests will prevent this, you are obligated to do so. If a certain institution has gained control of Jewish children and is stripping them of their faith, it is your obligation to object and to announce that although this institution may be saving the temporal lives of these children, they are destroying the eternal life of their souls. It is your obligation to save the lives of these children by all possible means, including covert and illegal means.

The mind will object: I am a civilized person; furthermore, Torah law itself states that “civilized behavior comes before Torah.”How can I break the law of the land and go kidnap children? How can I go out into the streets to demonstrate against so-and-so’s violation of the Shabbat and insult him in public? The answer is that, indeed, for healthy people and circumstances all this is deadly poison; but in the case of critical illness it is the only medicine that can save a life.

A far more subtle example, this one regarding man’s relationship with G‑d: There are those who find fault with chassidim that they study Chassidic thought and meditate at length before morning prayers and, as a result, pray after the prescribed time. Again, the answer is that for healthy people and circumstances this is indeed most damaging.

But for those ill of soul, it is impossible otherwise. For without such preparation they would pray only with their lips and not with their hearts, and their prayers would be invalid (see Mishneh Torah, Laws of Prayer 4:15; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 98; Tanya, part 5, pp. 307–309). However, and this is most important: just as in the parable, one must take great care that such “poison” is not taken in too great a dosage, and that all must be in accordance with the instructions of an “qualified doctor.” EM

made you think

Home Yoseph Janowski

W

hat is a home? A home is where you are. Where you can relax.

Where you are free to be yourself.

The Sages explain that G‑d created the world because “G‑d wanted a dwelling place in the lower realms.”

G‑d wants His dwelling to be part and parcel of these lower realms. His intent is not to nullify the limitations of our material existence, but rather to manifest Himself within those limitations.

A dwelling means a home, a place where one’s essence is manifest. The term “lower realms” refers to our material universe, in which, ostensibly, G‑dliness cannot ordinarily be perceived. But if G‑d is everywhere, then He is already in our world. Where do we find Him? We are told, (Chronicles 1; 28,9) that when King David instructed his son Solomon to build the Temple as a home for G‑d, he told Solomon, “Know the G‑d of your father, and serve Him with a full heart.” How do we get to know G‑d? By opening our hearts (and our eyes) to the awareness that G‑d is everywhere. We can then serve Him with a full heart. And that's how we make a home

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for Him. It seems distant, but we make it close through the power of the mind and heart, Or we can be distant from the Divine presence that is by definition close, though concealed.

When two people are married to each other, they usually know each other quite well. But sometimes a couple can live in the same house without really knowing one another, without really being open and opening up to one another. They share time and occupy the same space, but they are essentially unknown to each other. They live together, but they don’t really live together.

They have a house, not a home.

A young man once approached the Rebbe on the sidewalk, and asked him, “Where is G‑d?”

The Rebbe answered, "Everywhere."

The young man replied, “I know... but where?”

The Rebbe replied, “Everywhere. In everything. In a tree, in a stone.”

He said, “I know... but where?”

The Rebbe answered,”In your heart, if that is how you are asking.”

G‑d is everywhere, even in our hearts –

perhaps especially in our hearts, because that’s what holds the key to experiencing the Divine in all times, places and experience. He is only there for us if we know it, even we get to know Him – just as a married couple only truly “know one another" when each one recognizes that their spouse is everywhere in their home, even in each other's hearts.

Especially in each other’s hearts.

When we are home, and we view everything our spouse does as an extension of our own personal purpose, an essential part of making our home a place where we can be comfortable, and most importantly, where our love for each other can flourish and grow, then we are getting to know each other.

When we look at G‑d's world as a place where G‑d is everywhere, even in our hearts, and we recognize that everything that happens is happening by Divine Providence for our benefit because He loves us, then we are getting to know Him, and our love for Him flourishes and grows. And we do things for Him, in order to beautify the world, G‑d's dwelling place. Our home. EM Yoseph Janowski lives in Toronto, Canada.

Shvat 5781

first person

The Dime Herman Wouk

E

merging from midshipman school a newly minted ensign in blue and gold, I was prevailed upon by my widowed mother to come to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. I was not going in harm’s way as yet, just to communications school in Annapolis, but I did not argue. The Rebbe was a gentle personage of imposing presence, recently escaped from Naziruled Europe after a harrowing ordeal of Soviet imprisonment. He knew of my grandfather as a profoundly learned follower, he received us with grace, and we conversed in Yiddish, his voice weakened by asthma to a near-whisper.

As I left, he gave me his blessing, and with it a dime. His successor, the late famous Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, gave dollars.

The dime went with me to sea as did my phylacteries, which I would strap on each day in moments snatched from ship routine.

A month or so after the war ended, a typhoon swept over Okinawa, damaging or beaching more than a hundred vessels with some loss of life. My destroyer-minesweeper was thrown up on the rocks, pounding and grinding through a grim howling night. Next day, when all hands had been safely taken ashore, I observed a new warm respect toward me in the crew. As the

January 2021

executive officer, the captain’s enforcer, I was not loved. During the storm I had done nothing but hang on like everybody else. I asked an old chief what this was all about, and he told me that the sailors were convinced they had been saved by "Lieutenant Wouk’s black boxes."

I don’t remember why I carried the Rebbe’s dime to the South Pacific, Edman-trained rationalist though I was; probably on the disreputable notion that it couldn’t hurt. There are no atheists in foxholes, people say, and I have heard that there are few atheists among American and Israeli fighter pilots. In war and in training for war, the unknown lurks just ahead, all too close and menacing. Hence amulets, and hence I guess my crew’s belief in the thaumaturgy of black boxes. Agnostics tend to ascribe religion to fear of the unknown, and ritual to mumbo-jumbo propitiation of the unknown. There may be something in that, but not everything. I have a teaching from my fathers, "Bind these words on your arm, and let them be as frontlets between your eyes."

That is why I tied on the black boxes in the South Pacific as I do today.

"But what did you get out of tying them on out there?" the agnostic may persist. "Did

this obsessive business with leather straps, and Bible quotes inside black boxes, really bring you any closer to your G‑d? Be honest. What was the difference in that, if any, from the Rebbe’s dime?" Fair question. Putting the best face on the conduct of the young man I was so very long ago, it was the difference between halakhah (Jewish Law) and Kabbalah. EM

exodusmagazine.org

7

life on earth

You Really Are

the

Center

of the

World

Tzvi Freeman

Y

our mother told you so many times.

Your high school principal didn’t seem so convinced. Certainly not your employer.

But it’s true. And even more: You are not just the center of the world—you are the entire world.

It’s an explicit Mishnah: Every human being is unique, and every human being is a copy of the prototype human being (Adam)…therefore, every human being must say, “For my sake the world was created.”

As for humility, well, yes, humility is what makes you a nice guy, but it can also be totally out of place.

As the Baal Shem Tov taught, humility in the wrong place can subvert a person’s purpose in life. Humility in the right place means knowing you’re no more special than anyone else (we’ll get to that later) and therefore you shouldn’t lord yourself over others. Humility in the wrong place means imagining you’re not special at all. And so the world can get by just as well without you.

“You’ve got to know,” the Baal Shem Tov, would say (okay, I’m paraphrasing just a little), “that everything depends on you.

That with every beautiful mitzvah you do the universe resonates in blissful harmony that heals and nurtures, and if you mess up, the whole cosmic symphony falls apart in a cacophonous crash, taking down myriads of the heavenly host in its wake.”

“Because if you act with misplaced humility, saying, ‘Who am I, this lowly meatpatty with eyeballs, that anything I do should have significance in the cosmic scheme of things? Who am I, that the Creator of this infinitely-sized operation should take notice of my deeds?’—so you’ll just go off and do whatever you feel like, bringing your entire world down with you.”

“But when you are aware of that the Master of the Universe kisses your lips with every word of Torah or prayer that you utter [yes, the Baal Shem Tov actually put it that way, based on Solomon’s Song of Songs 1:2, and more], then you will say each word just as it should be said, with love and with awe.

And when you truly believe that with each mitzvah you are in embrace with the Infinite Light Himself, then your entire day will be

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filled with beautiful deeds that shine.”

“As for misplaced humility,” the Baal Shem Tov would conclude, “on that, the Talmud tells us, ‘The humility of Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkilus destroyed the Holy Temple and exiled us from our land.’”

But wait, if you’re the center of the world, how about me? I’m also unique and special, right? We can’t both be the center, can we?

Well, maybe we can. Maybe human beings are not counted in an arithmetical way, where one plus one equals two, until the accumulated eight billion of us renders each individual a virtual nobody, vanished in the crowd. Maybe human beings are counted differently.

So here’s the Chabad take on counting humans, on our equality, on our magnificent diversity and on the immeasurable preciousness of each and every one of us. So that each human being is the entire world.

Humans are the fundamental unit of humankind. When dealing with fundamental units, Wall Street has dollars, physicists have atoms, Gottfried Leibniz had the monad, and Chabad talks about the etzem.

The etzem can be found anywhere, in anything; it is a oneness, whole and complete, lying at the essence of each thing. What’s especially neat about the etzem, is, as the Baal Shem Tov was fond of saying, “When you hold a part of the etzem, you hold all of it.”

Think of shares in a corporation. When you hold one share, it doesn’t mean you own one square foot in the corporate washroom.

Each share is a share in the entire company, every part of it. So, too, wherever the etzem turns up in a detail, there you have one share of the entire etzem.

Take mitzvahs. Mitzvahs are the fundamental unit of purpose. All the mitzvahs of the Torah represent a single etzem: G‑d’s purpose for your world. Each individual mitzvah holds a share of that etzem. That’s why, if you’re occupied with one mitzvah, you’re off the hook for every other mitzvah.

For example, you’re attending to someone who is not well. That’s a mitzvah. Let’s say another mitzvah pops up, such as celebrating a friend’s wedding, praying with the congregation in the synagogue, eating in a

Sukkah on Sukkot, or calling your Mom. So you ask your local halachic authority what to do, and you get a clear answer: Stick to the mitzvah you are doing right now. (Calling mom might be an exception, since no one can replace you for that.)

Why? Because, at their etzem, all the mitzvahs are the same one act—doing that which G‑d wants of you. And so, in doing this one mitzvah, you are doing all the mitzvahs of the Torah.

An etzem, then, is something like the life within a living organism. What’s the difference between a living squirrel and the roadkill someone accidentally ran over in the mad rush to work this morning? Both have the same limbs and organs in the same structure and form. But the living squirrel is a single being, while the dead carcass is a collection of parts in a single encasement.

The living animal is united by a single, shared etzem, which the carcass has lost.

Like you. You are a living organism.

Whether I grab you by your hand, your earlobe or your toenail, I’ve grabbed all of you. Because within each part of you is the same etzem—the same you. Your toe is no less you than your earlobe.

Within every year, every day, every moment of time, there is an etzem. If I could know what this moment is all about, what’s it purpose, what I’m meant to do with it, I would have its etzem.

And that etzem contains all of time: Just as the reflection of the same sun appears in the ocean, in a pond, or a puddle, or a raindrop, so in the etzem of every year, every day, and every moment of time appears all of time, every second of it, all at once.

That’s because all of time is itself a single etzem. And like I said, you don’t get a piece of the etzem, you get a share of it. With every tick of the clock life deals out to you, you’ve got one share in all of time.

A hologram might be a good metaphor.

A hologram presents a three-dimensional image because it’s made of many cells, each presenting the same image from a different angle. You can cut a hologram in two and now you’ll have two complete holograms of the same 3D object. Cut it again and you’ll have more.

Shvat 5781

Perhaps a better metaphor is a fractal. A fractal is an image of endless depth generated by a single mathematical formula. Each level of depth of the fractal is simply another articulation of the same formula.

It’s important to note is that we are not talking about being a vital part of a whole— like a player on a team. Yes, if I steal one guy from your minyan, I’ve dissolved the entire minyan. So too, a winning team depends on the individuals who are part of it—the team can’t do its thing unless each one does his or her part.

That’s only true, however, as the individual is part of the whole—as a player on the team. But when I have any one player all by himself, I don’t have the whole team—I have only that one individual. In the share-of-theetzem paradigm, each individual contains the entire whole independently. Each one is the whole—each in a different and unique way.

Take the universe. The universe is also a single etzem, and all its details are shares of that etzem. If you could find the etzem of each entity in the universe, you would find that it contains the entire universe.

What is the etzem of each entity? It’s purpose for which it was created—that which we often call the divine spark within. Each entity of the universe expresses the purpose of the entire universe in a different way.

It’s just that within a single entity, that purpose cannot be seen so clearly. Sometimes it can seem as though there is no purpose, just haphazard “stuff that happens.” When we see the bigger picture—the accumulation of all this “stuff happening”—then the purpose becomes clearer.

Which is yet another thing about the etzem: It is always there, and nothing can hide it—because it is the essence of each thing. What the etzem can do, however, is to camouflage itself, sort of hiding in plain sight, by expressing itself as a detail, rather than as a whole. What are those details? All the details that render a singular universe a plethora of endless beings.

The ultimate, only true etzem is G‑d Himself. G‑d is the perfect oneness, both encompassing all existence and not dependent on any existence. And, indeed, the truth of every other etzem you will find in this

universe is nothing other than G‑d Himself.

Yet the fullest, most exquisite representation of that etzem in our world is the individual human being. Within each of us lies the fundamental unit of freedom within the universe—the freedom to go blindly our own way and make ourselves each one his or her own god, or to fulfill the purpose for which we were created and bring harmony and perfection to our world.

That’s what the creation story in Genesis means when it says that the human being was created in “the image of G‑d.” The individual human being, with his or freedom to make or break his universe, is the ultimate fractal of G‑d.

Take a look again in that creation narrative of Genesis and you’ll notice how the emergence of all living things is described as creation en masse—fields of grasses, forests of trees, schools of fish, herds and families of beasts. Only the human being is created as an individual.

“Why was the human being created as an individual?” ask the rabbis of the Talmud.

“To teach you that one who destroys a single human life is as though he has destroyed an entire world. And one who saves a single human life is as though he has saved an entire world.”

That’s not just a figurative hyperbole. The Talmud provides a vivid, practical application

of this principle: A caravan of people is traveling on the road is accosted by strangers who tell them, “Give us one of you and we will kill him, and if you refuse, we will kill all of you.”

Even if all of them will be killed, they cannot hand over a single soul.

The ruling is stunning. And yet, within it lies the fundamental rejection of totalitarian fascism and communism that has become an essential building-block of post-WWII modernity. The individual is sacred. Nothing, not the good of the state, not even the lives of the majority, can override the sanctity of the individual.

It also reflects the intuitive experience of the human being. The human being, as he or she becomes aware of his or her own existence, experiences something bewildering, even shocking. There are billions of “theys,” “yous,” “hes” and “shes” out there, but only one “I.” How could that be? Only because the individual human being experiences life as an exquisite fractal of the very etzem of G‑d— the true “I”.

Now you’re going to ask, “If all individual human beings share an equal spark of divinity and represent the same one G‑d in His universe, why are they not all the same?

If there’s one G‑d, shouldn’t there be one human being?”

continued on page 20 January 2021

exodusmagazine.org

9

jewish thought

The Future of the Past Jonathan Sacks

J

oseph does something unusual. Revealing himself to his brothers, fully aware that they will suffer shock and then guilt as they remember how it is that their brother is in Egypt, he reinterprets the past: “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that G‑d sent me ahead of you.

For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping. But G‑d sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but G‑d. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.” (Gen. 45:4-8) This is markedly different to the way Joseph described these events when he spoke to the chief butler in prison: “I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon” (Gen. 40:15). Then, it was a story of kidnap and injustice.

Now, it has become a story of Divine providence and redemption. It wasn’t you, he tells his brothers, it was G‑d. You didn’t realize that you were part of a larger plan.

And though it began badly, it has ended well.

So don’t hold yourselves guilty. And do not be afraid of any desire for revenge on my part. There is no such desire. I realize that we were all being directed by a force greater than ourselves, greater than we can fully understand.

Joseph does the same when the brothers fear that he may take revenge after their father’s death: “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of G‑d?

You intended to harm me, but G‑d intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Gen. 50:1920) Joseph is helping his brothers to revise their memory of the past. In doing so, he is challenging one of our most fundamental assumptions about time, namely its asymmetry. We can change the future. We cannot change the past. But is that entirely true? What Joseph is doing for his brothers is

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what he has clearly done for himself: events have changed his and their understanding of the past.

Which means: we cannot fully understand what is happening to us now until we can look back in retrospect and see how it all turned out. This means that we are not held captive by the past. Things can happen to us, not as dramatically as to Joseph perhaps, but nonetheless benign, that can completely alter the way we look back and remember. By action in the future, we can redeem the past.

A classic example of this is the late Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, that has now been seen by more than 40 million people on YouTube.

In it, he described three crushing blows in his life: dropping out of college, being fired by the company he had founded – Apple, and being diagnosed with cancer. Each one, he said, had led to something important and positive.

Dropping out of college, Jobs was able to audit any course he wished. He attended one on calligraphy and this inspired him to build into his first computers a range of proportionally spaced fonts, thus giving computer scripts an elegance that had previously been available only to professional printers. Getting fired from Apple led him to start a new computer

company, NeXT, that developed capabilities he would eventually bring back to Apple, as well as acquiring Pixar Animation, the most creative of computer-animated film studios.

The diagnosis of cancer led him to a new focus in life. It made him realize: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Jobs’ ability to construct these stories – what he called “connecting the dots” – was surely not unrelated to his ability to survive the blows he suffered in life. Few could have recovered from the setback of being dismissed from his own company, and fewer still could have achieved the transformation he did at Apple when he returned, creating the iPod, iPhone and iPad. He did not believe in tragic inevitabilities. Though he would not have put it in these terms, he knew that by action in the future we can redeem the past.

Professor Mordechai Rotenberg of the Hebrew University has argued that this kind of technique, of reinterpreting the past, could be used as a therapeutic technique in rehabilitating patients suffering from a crippling sense of guilt. If we cannot change the past, then it is always there holding us back like a ball and chain around our legs.

We cannot change the past, but we can reinterpret it by integrating it into a new and

Shvat 5781

larger narrative. That is what Joseph was doing, and having used this technique to help him survive a personal life of unparalleled ups and downs, he now uses it to help his brothers live without overpowering guilt.

We find this in Judaism throughout its history. The Prophets reinterpreted biblical narrative for their day. Then came Midrash, which reinterpreted it more radically because the situation of Jews had changed more radically. Then came the great biblical commentators and mystics and philosophers.

There has hardly been a generation in all of Jewish history when Jews did not reinterpret their texts in the light of the present tense experience. We are the people who tell stories, and then retell them repeatedly, each time with a slightly different emphasis, establishing a connection between then and now, rereading the past in the light of the present as best we can.

It is by telling stories that we make sense of our lives and the life of our people. And it is by allowing the present to reshape our understanding of the past that we redeem history and make it live as a positive force in our lives.

I gave one example when I spoke at the Kinus Shluchim of Chabad, the great gathering of some 5000 Chabad emissaries

from around the world. I told them of how, in 1978, I visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe to ask his advice on which career I should follow. I did the usual thing: I sent him a note with the options, A, B or C, expecting him to indicate which one I should follow.

The options were to become a barrister, or an economist, or an academic philosopher, either as a fellow of my college in Cambridge or as a professor somewhere else.

The Rebbe read out the list and said “No” to all three. My mission, he said, was to train Rabbis at Jews’ College (now the London School of Jewish Studies) and to become a congregational Rabbi myself. So, overnight, I found myself saying goodbye to all my aspirations, to everything for which I had been trained.

The strange thing is that ultimately I fulfilled all those ambitions despite walking in the opposite direction. I became an honorary barrister (Bencher) of the Inner Temple and delivered a law lecture in front of 600 barristers and the Lord Chief Justice.

I delivered Britain’s two leading economics lectures, the Mais Lecture and the Hayek Lecture at the Institute of Economic Affairs. I became a fellow of my Cambridge college and a philosophy professor at several universities.

I identified with the biblical Joseph because, so often, what I had dreamed of came to be at the very moment that I had given up hope. Only in retrospect did I discover that the Rebbe was not telling me to give up my career plans. He was simply charting a different route and a more beneficial one.

I believe that the way we write the next chapter in our lives affects all the others that have come before. By action in the future, we can redeem much of the pain of the past. EM

Rabbi Dr. Sir Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, was the former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth and a member of the House of Lords. He was a leading academic and respected world expert on Judaism. He was the author of several books and thousands of articles, appeared regularly on television and radio, and spoke at engagements around the world.

future tense

MOSHIACH MUSINGS

There is a profound link between the precept of the red heifer and the principle of the redemption: For the duration of the exile, until the coming of Moshiach, all Jews are in a state of impurity caused by corpses. We no longer have ashes of a red heifer to purify us, and new ones can be prepared only in the presence of the Sanctuary (Beit Hamikdash).

Our present impurity is not only a technical condition determined by legal definitions. It is also a spiritual condition, for it is sin and spiritual defilement that brought about the current state of exile –“Because of our sins we were exiled from our land...”

Mitzvot signify life. To follow the Divine commandments means to attach oneself to the Almighty who gave us the Torah and mitzvot, drawing unto oneself spiritual vitality from the very Source of All Life. Sin signifies death. Sin means violating G‑d’s Will, rebelling against G‑d. It disrupts attachment to the Creator, clogging, as it were, the very channel through which the spiritual life-force flows to man, individually and collectively. Sin thus brings about the “impurity of death.”

Both the red heifer and the coming of Moshiach effect purification. The ashes of the red heifer are used for removing a legal state of impurity.

The redemption will purify the entire people of Israel (including those who technically are pure) from any trace of deficiency in the bond with our Father in Heaven.

Nine red heifers were prepared from the time this precept was ordained until the Second Temple was destroyed: the first was prepared by Moses, the second Ezra prepared, and there were seven from Ezra to the destruction of the Temple. The tenth will be prepared

by Moshiach.

Our present mitzvot can make this happen speedily in our days!

ask the rabbi

Is Democracy Kosher?

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

Q

What is the best form of government according to the Torah? It would seem that democracy offers the most freedom to the individual, freedom of religion, etc. I’m wondering if the Torah has a preferred system?

It's not about the particular system, but the values than underpin the system. True, democracy nurtures individualism that totalitarianism squelches; it declares that all men were created equal and possess the right to pursue their beliefs without hindrance.

Democracy contends that it is better to have motivated free people and risk excessive self-interest than to destroy their drive by suppressing individualism for the common good.

Democracy would appear to be a far superior form of government than totalitarianism. But democracy contains an inherent flaw, in that its essential motivating factor is self-interest. Over time, the core values of a community can begin to crumble under the accumulated weight of millions of individual desires and needs. Ultimately, these conflicting interests can erode a society’s unified drive for meaningful achievement.

Several democracies have struggled mightily with this dilemma, perhaps none more than the United States, the largest democracy in the history of the world. Consider the current battle in dozens of American cities where individuals’ freedom of expression have come in conflict with community standards of morality.

Since people are bound to have vastly different beliefs, who should define the standards of morality and justice that must rule all the people? At what point does a government intervene to keep an individual from harming himself or others? How do we avoid the abuse of power by government leaders?

The only government that can successfully balance individual and societal needs is a righteous government built on faith in G‑d.

The underlying flaw of all governments, whether fascistic or democratic, is that they are based on human rules. Any government

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built on human judgment is bound to revolve around the prejudice, subjectivity, and arbitrariness of individual humans or groups.

But G‑d, who created all people equal, also gave them a system of absolute morality and justice. A society that yearns to be righteous must be built on such ethical values. The very foundation of civilization rests upon the basic principles known as the Seven Noahide laws given at Sinai:2 1. Belief in G‑d.

2. Respect for and praise of G‑d.

3. Respect for human life.

4. Respect for the family.

5. Respect for others’ rights and property.

6. Creation of a judicial system.

7. Respect for all creatures.

Without these laws as a bedrock of government, a society will either have despotism, where individuals’ lives are compromised and possibly abused, or anarchy, where every person pursues his or her own needs without regard for the law.

So how is it possible to balance individual freedom with the good of society? By looking beyond self-interest and recognizing that we are all part of the same family and community; by recognizing that we are all bound by the same divine laws and entrusted with the same mission in life - to civilize the world in a meaningful and G‑dly way. EM Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman is the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. You can Ask the Rabbi at jrcc.org or fax to 416.222.7812. To meet with Rabbi Zaltzman in person, feel free to call 416.222.7105 to book an appointment.

Appointments are generally available on Wednesday evenings after 7pm.

Rebbitzin Chiena Zaltzman is also available for private consultations by appointment on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10pm by calling 416.222.7105.

Недавно читатель, с которым мы переписываемся по электронной почте, с удивлением сказал (написал): «Как можете Вы, современный образованный человек, придерживаться традиций, возникших сотни лет назад? Как можно жить средневековыми понятиями?» Я подумала, что это хороший вопрос к раввину. Почему мы придерживаемся тысячелетних законов? Не пора ли отбросить эти реликты и начать жить современной жизнью? Нужно уточнить: мы говорим о человеке, образованном в светских дисциплинах. В вопросах иудаизма он неискушен. Но это вполне понятно: скажем, нельзя требовать от химика обширных знаний в области математики или литературы. Образованность в одной сфере не гарантирует наличия глубоких познаний в другой. Вы спрашиваете, отвечают ли современности еврейские традиции. Еврейские законы, традиции и вообще все еврейство берут свое начало от Откровения Творца, Который создал мир, создал человека. На горе Синай Вс-вышний открыл секрет, для чего был создан мир и как правильно в нем жить. Я надеюсь, что человек, о котором Вы говорили, достаточно образован, чтобы осознавать, что иудаизм - самая великая и глубокая концентрация мудрости, доступная человечеству. Эта мудрость исходит из Пятикнижия Моисея - Торы, полученной еврейским народом на горе Синай. Именно поэтому еврейский народ называется народом Книги. Не потому, что евреи совршали открытия в области, физики, химии, медицины и т.д. ( за что получали многочисленные Нобелевские премии), а благодаря святым текстам ТаНаХа, переданным нам Вс-вышним...

The article above is excerpted from the Russian edition of Exodus Magazine. To subscribe, please visit exodusmagazine.org or call 416.222.7105.

Shvat 5781

‫ב”ה‬ ‫ב''ה‬

Our

JANUARY 2021 | SHEVAT 5781

Community

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

PUBLIC MENORAH LIGHTING

НОЯБРЬ 2020

JANUARY2021 25 27

TU B'SHEVAT KIDS EVENTS

23 24

10 SHEVAT EVENT

SUN

31

SPA FOR THE BODY & SOUL

KISLEV 5781

T H E M O N T H I N R E V I E W. U P C O M I N G E V E N T S & P R O G R A M S .

Every year for the last thirty years, the JRCC hosted a Chanukah Public Menorah Lighting at Mel Lastman Square. This year, it was clear that things would be different. But rather than cancelling the even, the JRCC found a way to make the light shine even farther and brighter than ever. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, even though only a few people could physically attend, many more were able to participate virtually. Special thanks to Daejadream Event Design for ensuring a quality and seamless technical production and streaming the event live. In addition to the JRCC rabbis, staff and community leaders who attended, several local dignitaries offered their greetings, some in person and some by video, including John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, Maurizio Bevilacqua, Mayor of Vaughan, Peter Kent, MP Thornhill, Majid Jowhari, MP Richmond Hill, Marco Mendicino, MP Eglinton-Lawrence, Stan Cho, MPP Willowdale, Roman Baber, MPP York Centre, Gila Martow, MPP Thornhill, Daisy Wai, MPP Richmond Hill, James Pasternak, Toronto Councilor, Alan Shefman, Vaughan Councilor, and Shelly Carrol, Toronto Councilor.

VIRTUAL CHANUKAH WONDERLAND

Hundreds of families participates in a socially distanced Chanukah Wonderland program on Sunday, December 6. Usually, Chanukah Wonderland is a grand carnival that draws thousands of visitors. This year, a unique program was devised where the joy of Chanukah was brought to people’s homes in the form of a box filled with supplies for activities, Chanukah candles, treats and other Chanukah goodies. The virtual live-streamed program began with a Build Your Own Menorah master-class, followed by an entertainment show and a series of interactive workshops. Parents and children loved the interactive, hands-on aspect of the program, and the combination of the virtual format with the delivered materials. Entertainment was held by famous Rabbi B, kids loved him a lot. Second master-class was decorating donuts. Kids got in their boxes liquid chocolate, sprinkles, jam and other thing for decoration.

#ILIGHT2020

What is iLight? iLight gets people of all ages excited about Chanukah by offering great prizes. Participants simply upload photos of themselves lighting their Chanukah Menorah to the iLight website. Each photo uploaded serves as a raffle ticket in a raffle for amazing electronic including a drone, hoverboard, laptop computer, Apple Watch, Go Pro camera, AirPods and Grand Prize – iPhone 12 and more. The results speak for themselves – check out the photos at iLight2020.org. About 200 participants every night and about 1500 participants for all the 8 days.

DAUGHTER OF HAMAS

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES Jan 15, 2021

4:49 PM

Jan 22, 2021

4:58 PM

Jan 29, 2021

5:07 PM

Feb 5, 2021 January 2021

5:17 PM

Feb 12, 2021

5:26 PM

The JRCC and Yad L’Achim presented a virtual engagement to tell the story of Maya, the daughter of a senior Hama official who managed to escape a life of persecution and abuse. Over 140 participants joined the live Zoom event, and were riveted by the uplifting personal story of this brave young woman.

Not only did Maya manage to be the heroine of her own life, she is also now active in helping save other women trapped in similar circumstances.

Thank you to Yad L’Achim for the amazing work they do, and to Maya for the courage to share her story.

CHANUKA TOY DRIVE FOR CHAI LIFLINE

Students from the JRCC Hebrew School collected new toys for the Chai Lifeline Chanukah Toy Drive. The toys distributed by Chai Lifeline go to many children who are affected by serious illness. This important Tikun Olam project was meaningful to the students, who experienced first-hand the power of the values they studied in Hebrew School, such as kindness, tzedaka (charity) and performing mitzvahs. Many students where engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the project. Special thanks to SpinMaster for their support, and to all donors and Hebrew school parents and students who exodusmagazine.org participated from the nine branches of the JRCC Hebrew School.

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Photo of the Month

BAR &BAT MITZVAH CLUB GIVE YOUR CHILDREN THE BAR/BAT MITZVAH THEY DESERVE

Becoming Bar or Bat mitzvah?

The JRCC runs exciting Bar and Bat Mitzvah Clubs where you will learn and discover what it’s all about, while enjoying every moment of the studying, trips and dinners.

Seven locations on Sundays or any weekday evening.

For information, call 416.222.7105 x247, email BarMitzvah@jrcc.org or BatMitzvah@jrcc.org

OVER 1,000 PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN THE

#ILIGHT2020

MENORAH LIGHTING PHOTO CONTEST! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE PRIZE WINNERS!

www.jrcc.org/bmc LESSON 1

Spa Body Soul

Just Over Yonder?

COOKBOOK

The JRCC Women’s Circle presents

for the

FIN DING HAPPIN ESS IN LIFE’ S GIF T S

We’re often told that money can’t buy happiness; joy must come from wi let’s be honest: Are we really supposed to think that having nicer things mean anything? And yet we all know that person who seems to have it al your recipe to beisfeatured somehowSubmit still miserable.

So which it? Classic Jewish sources suggest th in JRCC Cares Charity Cookbook! matters most is how we appreciate our life circumstances and how regu express that appreciation.

Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario

&

For info or donations, visit

JRCC-CARES.ORG/COOKBOOK

AN EVENING OF RELAXATION, BEAUTY, HEALTH, AND SPIRITUALITY

SUNDAY JANUARY 31 7:00PM WOMEN’S FAITH

On Zoom

LESSON 2 A M O N T H LY SERIES OF CLASSES FOR WOMEN

THEN AND NOW

by Mrs. Sarah Dubov, co-director of Chabad of Wimbledon, UK

Register at

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www.Jrcc.org/Spa Cost: $20

S TAYING HON ES T, HUMBLE, AN D HAPPY

Staying positive about life means staying positive about ourselves. In this step, we look at the importance of nurturing a healthy self-concept and avoid negative feelings about ourselves. Oftentimes it is feelings of nihi excessive navel-gazing that drag us down, but they can be countered by tw TheJewish World’s if seemingly paradoxical, principles: that I matter as an individual—b all about me.

Happiest A M O N T H LY

HEALTH AND BEAUTY WORKSHOPS: • Color Harmony: A practical look at seasonal color analysis with Shaina Steinmetz, Certified image & color consultant • Practical Makeup and Winter Skin Care Tips:

By Batsheva Sack, Aesthetician and make up artist • Mindfulness: Give your loved ones an energetic hug with Tania Liansky, B. Sc. Hom • Stretch & Tone: A mind-body workout with Sara Icyk, health and wellness practitioner

Journey of Yourself

SERIES OF

CLASSES FOR WOMEN

Kept Secret

The World’s Happiest Kept Secret Swag bag with pamperin g gifts included w ith registrati on

by Jan. 24

Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson was once asked, “What was the most joyful moment of your life?”

LESSON L E S S3O N

3

Job Opening: You!

Job Opening: You!

WHAT AM I HERE FOR?

The World’s Happiest Kept Secret

WHAT AM I HERE F OR? Each of us matters, because each of us has been sent into this world for a particular purpose. But how do we Each of usthat matters, because of us has been sent into this world for a p mission is? each I T ’ S A Q U E S T I O Nfind thatout has what launched a thousand self-help seminars, a

But how do we find out what that mission is? This lesson goes thro IT’S A Q UESTION that has launched a thousand self-help seminars, a Rebbetzin riddle that has perplexed multitudes,purpose. a mystery thatChaya enthralled the ancients: What

riddle that has perplexed multitudes, a mystery that enthralled the ancients: What Mushkalife-factors Schneerson different to take into whenRSVP searching to find one’s life is the secret of happiness?

Jewish thought has long emphasized the ofimportance of Visit www.JrccEastThornhill.org/RCS foraccount info and is the secret happiness?

Jewish thought has long emphasized the importance of

was once asked,

living with joy. But how? Andto can you really choose misconception—living to be happy? all, we most learn that—contrary popular a ho living with joy. But how? And can youAbove really choose be happy?

“What was theto

extraordinary course goes beneath the surface to find answers. Synthesizing moment inspiredjoyful by the TorahThis means having a relationship with G-d in which our in selves She find expression. To this end, we employShevat a kabbalah-based 5781 person immediately mindfulness, relationships, and ritual all interrelate with our outlook on life. Packed timeless Jewish wisdom and the latest findings from the field of positive psychology, to learn how tovery best express ouryoupersonal while our life with spiritual insights can apply to realstrengths life, you’ll love every minute ofpursuing discoverreplied, “This timeless Jewish wisdom and the latest findings from the field of positive psychology, This extraordinary course goes beneath the surface to find answers.

Synthesizing of your life?” we look at how wealth, meaning, trust, optimism, regret, faith, introspection,

we look at how wealth, meaning, trust, optimism, regret,ing faith, introspection, the Code to Joy. moment is the

Faces of the Community

a vites you to in l o o h c S w JRCC Hebre

virtual

T A V H S ’ TU B T ION I A T R B E L E C for kids

INTERACTIVE HOLIDAY-THEMED ACTIVITY THURSDAY JANUARY 28 5:00-5:45 PM Register by January 24 for supplies package ($5 each) at www.JRCC.org/TuBishvatKids

OSCAR YOLLES

JEWISH LIBRARY

WITH BOOKS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

• ONLINE PORTAL! • IN PERSON VISIT BY APPOINTMENT • CONTACTLESS PICK UP • MAILING OPTION

Visit ShloimelesLibrary.org

Birth Kit

PROGRAM

For all the newborn Russian Jews

Did you just gave a birth?

Did you become a grandparent?

Do you know any of your friends who just gave a birth?

JRCC is ready to deliver a baby package right to the house. It includes: baby diapers, body suits, napkins, baby cream, kids cup, baby powder, shower gel, Jewish soft toy, blessing for a child and a mother, Jewish educational book, baby blanket.

Contact JRCC office for more info

EDWARD IZIKSON Please tell us a little about your career.

I am an engineer, and a member of the Ontario Association of Professional Engineers. I studied at the Latvian State University in Riga. Why in Riga? The authorities there were rumored to be having problems with the local population, so Russian-speaking Jews were considered allies and they were not subject to the usual limitations on admission. And so it was that in our group there were almost 30% Jews.

Riga is almost “abroad,”: a different environment, a different language, even a different Soviet power. There was somehow more freedom, and it was easier to breathe.

For more than twenty years I worked at the Latvenergo electric utility company as the head of service. In Riga, our Jewish identity grew very quickly. Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War was of tremendous significance. Even non-Jewish Latvians secretly congratulated us. In the beginning of the movement for the immigration of Jews from the Soviet Union, the Jews of Riga played an important role. Unfortunately, not everything is known about this yet. In my family, too, a period of complete rejection of Soviet power began, and we joined this struggle.

Even one-hundred years ago, some of my relatives in my grandparents’ generation, having given a bribe at the Polish border, ended up in London. After a year of waiting, they arrived in Canada. So we decided to leave for Canada. Having relatives there gave us a sense of security, just in case, because there was so much uncertainty ahead.

Fortunately, despite the serious difficulties of the initial period, no help was required.

The main challenges were language and work. After three years, I became a member of the Ontario Professional Engineers Association. My engineering contributions are present in many downtown Toronto skyscrapers, theaters in North York and Mississauga, Scarborough Hospital, Pearson Airport Terminal 3. Twenty-five years ago, my partner and I opened our own electrical installation company. We have dozens of large shops, nursing homes, multi-story residential buildings, religious institutions, and other projects.

Where does your family come from?

I was born in Minsk. Now the whole world follows and sympathizes with the struggle and peaceful protests against the dictatorship in Belarus. The world is finally getting to know this talented, friendly, peaceful, patient, creative population. But we Belarusian Jews have always known about this. Back in the times of the Commonwealth, Jews, persecuted by oppression, moved to Belarus. By the time of the accession of Belarus to the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century, Jews constituted almost half of the entire urban population.

Over the centuries-old history of the Jewish dispersal, the Belarusians turned out to be the only people with whom the Jews have always lived in peace and harmony, their cultures mutually enriched, they learned from each other. In 1918, independent Belarus had three state languages: Belarusian, Polish and Yiddish. Many Belarusians spoke or at least understood Yiddish.

At the beginning of the war, I fell behind my parents and ended up in an orphanage in the town of Khvalynsk on the banks of the Volga River. A year and a half later, when the Battle of Stalingrad ended, and navigation on the Volga was restored, my mother somehow found me and I was reunited with my family. In 1944, after the liberation of Belarus, we returned to Minsk, where tragic news awaited us. All relatives from my father’s side died in the Minsk ghetto, and many from my mother’s side were shot in the town of Lapichy. My older brother, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, and aunts all died. Mourning the dead, my mother found out that one of her nephews was still alive, and was in an orphanage in Tartary Region, in the town of Chistopol, for almost four years. My mother took in this child and adopted him. I gained a brother with whom I became very close. Some in Russia are asking: “Why are there no Jewish children among the large number of abandoned children?” The answer is simple: Jews do not abandon their children.

Meanwhile, my father was sent to restore the oil depot in the city of Bobruisk, where I finished school and entered the University of Riga.

After graduation from university, two important events happened: I received my engineering degree, and I got married. To unite your destiny with a wonderful, loving, caring, honest, devoted person is a great success in life. I have been together with my wife, Mila, for many decades. Her maiden name is Pen, she is from Vitebsk. Interestingly, her paternal grandfather's brother, artist Yehuda Pen, was the first teacher of the famous Marc Chagall. We have two children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

If you could choose to meet anyone in history to share a l’Chaim with, who would it be, and why?

With world chess champion Mikhail Tal. We are of the same age, we started studying at the same university. He did not know me, but I often went to the chess club. He was an amazing storyteller, possessing a phenomenal memory and encyclopedic knowledge in many issues. He talked with sparkling humor about his foreign tournaments. He was very intrigued by Jewishness, he knew Yiddish very well, and he was on good terms with the star of the Polish Jewish theater, Ida Kaminskaya.

What are your plans for the future?

To survive this unpleasant COVID time, to visit free Belarus so I can say goodbye to the graves of my family, and to communicate with the wonderful people of Belarus.

416.222.7105 ext.245

January 2021

exodusmagazine.org

15

JRCC Directory

JRCC Program Spotlight

IS YOUR CHILD READY TO BE A GUARANTOR? When it came time for the Israelites to receive the Torah, G-d “hesitated.” He wanted guarantors before giving them this treasure.

Their initial offers of their esteemed ancestors and the mystical prophets as guarantors were rejected. Only when they offered their children as guarantors, was the Torah received.

Because the purity and sincerity of the child’s approach – free of cynicism and agendas – is what ensures the continuity of the Torah and the Jewish people. That’s why they were chosen as the guarantors, and that’s why the Jewish people throughout history have always made Jewish education a priority in every time and place.

Our children have a mission: To be the guarantors of the past, and to be the next generation that will bring the world closer to its destiny. Is your child prepared to embark on this special mission? Fortunately, the JRCC has a program that will inspire and empower our children to claim their birthright, connecting them to their roots and to their future. And, yes, there’s also an app for that., The JRCC will serve as a “base” or branch of the international Tzivos Hashem program, giving children in our community access to a great selection of innovative programs and resources. Children enjoy fulfilling a variety of “missions” or assignments that are both educational and fun. There is even an app where they can track their progress, and earn rewards. It’s upbeat. It’s engaging. It’s full of positive energy and empowering messages.

416-222-7105 | www.jrcc.org Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario 5987 Bathurst Stre­et, #3 To­ron­to, ON M2R 1Z3 Canada Office Hours: Sun: 12 — 5 Mon to Thurs: 9 — 6 • Fri: 9 — 3hrs before Shabbat

JRCC BRANCHES JRCC of Ontario: 5987 Bathurst St., #3 Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman x278 Roi Aftabi, COO x257 JRCC Woodbridge: 25 Sandwell St. Rabbi Avrohom Yusewitz x261 JRCC S. Richmond Hill & Maple: 9699 Bathurst St. Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman x247 JRCC Concord: 411 Confederation Parkway, #14 Rabbi Avraham Weinstein x 249 JRCC Affiliate CRC of Thornhill Woods: 8808 Bathurst St. Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim x224 JRCC West Thornhill: 1136 Centre St., #2 Rabbi Levi Jacobson x240 JRCC East Thornhill: 7608 Yonge St., #3 Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman x227 JRCC South Thornhill: 1 Cordoba Dr., Party Room Rabbi Levi Blau x288 JRCC Steeles & Hilda: 175 Hilda Ave., Party Room Mr. Melekh Brikman x282

And kids and parents both love it.

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perspectives

Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

Simon Jacobson

J

oseph does something unusual. Revealing himself to his brothers, fully aware that they will suffer shock and then guilt as they remember how it is that their brother is in Egypt, he reinterprets the past: Why is it so difficult to recognize your life’s mission?

The obvious answer is that we are distracted.

Our struggle for survival consumes us with the means, which can easily obscure the ends. The pursuit of money, status, power and pleasure takes hold of us, and in its powerful clutches we can completely forget our mission. Indeed, we can even convince ourselves that we don’t need – or don’t have – a mission. The here and now is all that matters. Survival of the fittest.

Dog eats dog. And may the best man win.

(There’s a mouthful of clichés).

Yet, this answer is not adequate. Even people who are committed to discover their mission find it difficult to do so. Determination is vital; but something still seems to stand in the way between you and your mission.

Abraham first searched, then discovered his mission and the mission of all people on Earth.

He then committed his life and the life of his family to forever embrace this mission, and never let go.

After that life and history were never the same. What did Abraham discover? What tools did he acquire? How was he able to discover, and even more importantly, maintain, his mission in life?

Studying Abraham’s life can uncover for us invaluable resources to help us face the struggles of our own lives today.

The story of Abraham begins with G‑d’s call – the first “mitzvah” – “Lech Lecho.”

Go to you, away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.

Very strange command. When you offer someone directions, the most important thing is to clearly describe the destination. You must specify the destination so the traveler knows where to go. “Go to this and this country, this and this city, this and this street, this and this address.” The point of departure is not vital, because the traveler knows where he is leaving from; he needs to be informed where to go. Yet, when G‑d instructs Abraham, He focuses entirely on the place to leave, and

18

with three (seemingly redundant) descriptions: “from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s [parent’s] house.” When it comes to the destination, G‑d vaguely says go “to the land that I will show you”!

Is Abraham supposed to go east, west, north or south, and then to which country and which city?!

Therein lies a vital secret in discovering your mission in the world.

Subjectivity is the most blinding influence in our lives. Specifically, three subjective forces in each of our lives cloud our vision and, as a result, our ability to seek out, recognize and embrace our respective missions.

“Your land” – social conformity and peer pressure, which affect our standards and mind-sets.

“Your birthplace” – your inherent bias and self-love, that distorts your views and judgments.

“Your father’s house” – parental attitudes that shape and influence your life.

Subjectivity per se is not a negative thing.

It is the driving force that compels us to protect ourselves and our loved ones, to excel and to demonstrate our personal strengths.

Subjectivity can adversely affect us when we don’t acknowledge its existence, and when we allow it to blind our judgment.

Like the doctor that says, “I’ll tell you when you need a second opinion”…

“Bias [bribery] blind the eyes of the wise and distorts the tongue of the righteous,” tells us the Bible. Why are they called “wise” and “righteous” if a simple bribe can blind their eyes and distort their tongues? Because that is precisely the power of bias: It blinds everyone, even the eyes of the wise. This distortion can become so grotesque, that the wisdom can end up being used to justify a subjective, unjust cause. Unfortunately, examples of this abound, so there is no need to elaborate further.

All growth comes from an awareness of one’s own subjectivity and the willingness, the courage, to climb higher and see a broader horizon.

Being stubbornly locked in one’s own subjective views, just to “feel good” or “feel right” or out of pride, is basically off any possible movement.

Now, the Torah tells us that there are three primary sources of our own subjectivity: 1/ “Your birthplace” – “A person is naturally close to himself,” the Talmud states, meaning, that by nature we are born with certain selflove that blinds us to some extent to our own shortcomings. We see flaws in others more acutely than we see our own, even if they are worse. It’s much easier to give someone else advice than to follow it yourself.

This inherent subjectivity can cause us to be self-righteous, protective and unwilling to acknowledge mistakes.

Shvat 5781

Natural subjectivity also includes, of course, the particular shape of our inherent personalities.

2/ “Your father’s house” – the subjective attitudes we assume from our parents, for good or for bad, which shape us in our early impressionable years. Even if these attitudes may not be genetic they become etched in our psyches.

3/ “Your land” – social mores constantly pressure us to conform. Human nature is such that we want to be accepted and respected by our peers. But what if the standards of our peers are petty and superficial? Then, that becomes a force that shapes and informs us, for good or for bad. Every society has its subjective standards that are always affecting us. Add into the equation the media and all the streaming images that inundate us in contemporary society, and you have a whole new entity shaping our subjective self-image Add together all these three subjective forces that shape us, and you can just imagine the distortions that we may have in our own selfperception. Can you know who you really are in face of all these shaping influences?! Perhaps the person you think you are is a product of your parents and society? Throw into this combination your own inherent subjectivity and you have a real confused mess. How can you distinguish between who you really are and who you think you are based on all these subjective forces?

After all, your parents were the ones that By the time you can start thinking on your own (if that is actually happening), you have already been shaped and hardened and most of the big decisions (like what type of education you should have, what if any religion, what exposure) has already been made for you, again for good or for bad.

That’s why G‑d’s first commandment to Abraham and to each of us is: “Lech Lecho” – Go to you, away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. “Go to you” and discover the “real” you is only possible when you leave the subjective influences of your inherent bias, your parents and society. Then you will go “to the land that I will show you” your true self.

Think about the first time you left the comfort

January 2021

of your home and went to school or summer camp. Initially disconcerting, but that is where you had your first real accomplishments. As long as you are in the shadow of the powerful influences in your life you can never know your true self, and inevitable you can never truly excel.

To find your mission in life you do not need to know the destination as much as you need to know how to free yourself from the shackles of your present state. Why? Because your mission is ingrained inside the very fiber of your being. You need not travel elsewhere to find yourself and your calling. It’s right there inside of you. But in order for it to emerge you need to strip away the subjective layers that don’t allow your true self and your true mission to emerge. Like flowers embedded in the earth, you need to cut away the weeds and allow the flowers to emerge.

By no means does this imply that all the subjective influences in our lives are like “weeds.” Many of these influences may be powerful forces for good that have helped and continue to help shape our characters.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, subjectivity is also very much part of our unique individuality and self-preservation. However these subjective forces can become like “weeds” when left unchecked, and more importantly, when they control our lives and our decisions.

They become impediments when they blind us from seeing “outside of our box” and seduce us to remain in our “comfort zones.”

After getting married, the great Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, was living in poverty with his new wife. His wealthy in-laws wrote to him that if the new couple comes to live in their home, they will provide for all their needs and he can freely and comfortably pursue his studies and spiritual travels. The Rebbe replied: “The most comfortable place for a child is in its mother’s womb, where all is provided for and the child is protected from the elements. Why then does the child leave the womb upon birth? Because there’s one problem: the place [inside the womb] has become too small, and the child has become too large”…

Life has many stages. In the early stages of life we depend exclusively on the protection and nurturing of family and home. Even later

in life it is healthy and necessary to maintain the love and the connection. Family, friends and society are a powerful source of support.

But then comes the stage of Lecho Lecho, when you need to go out of the “womb,” cut the “umbilical cord” and discover and actualize your true self and your mission – and fly with it.

We go through many Lech Lecho’s in our lives. Lech Lecho teaches us that the mission stated in the beginning of Genesis and renewed in Noah is accessible when we challenge our status quos and free ourselves from the subjective narrowness of our initial perspectives.

How do you free yourself? Invite in ideas, books and people that challenge you and your perceptions. The great gift and blessing of Torah is that it provides us with a Divine blueprint how to live our lives, which offers us a backdrop as a contrast to our subjective and natural tendencies. Consult a trusted mentor or friend, who can offer a more objective view on your choices.

Free yourself from the exclusive influences of home and society by traveling to other environments and meeting new people. Allow yourself to use your unique strengths to help improve these new environments and people.

By all means utilize the strengths you gained through your home and society; see them as springboard for your growth. But then spring.

What is heartening about this is that you have the answers you need inside of you. Your unique mission statement is embedded within you, waiting to be released.

Making a Lech Lecho move and moving away from the subjective forces in your life – all the things that you think are important today – is the key to discovering your mission. It will help you look at your life in a new way – at your personality, opportunities, people and places – and know how to realize the mission for which you, and only you, were sent to Earth in the first place. No small feat. EM

Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe and the director of the Meaningful Life Center (meaningfullife.com).

exodusmagazine.org

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continued from page 9 And that’s an observation the Talmud notes in a terse, deep metaphor, “A human being stamps many coins with one stamp and they all come out the same. The Holy One, may He be blessed, stamps out every human being with the one mold of Adam, and no two are alike.”

You see, the question is much like the question philosophers have asked for millenia, “How is it that from one comes many; that from a G‑d who is a perfect unity comes a universe of diversity?”

And our rabbis answer that this question is not really a question. Because, quite the contrary, the most exquisite expression of a G‑d who transcends form is a universe of diverse and opposite forms.

Only from One who is neither water nor fire can come both the oceans and the stars; from One who is neither large nor small can come both the blue whale and the gnat; from One who is neither light nor darkness can come both the eyes of the hawk and the ears of the bat, the glistening fierceness in a leopard’s eye, the tender care of a mighty eagle for her eaglets, silence and noise, destruction and renewal, order and chaos— and all in the same instant, even within the very same being.

As the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, once spoke: The One Above did not want His creation to be a sort of simple oneness, homogeneous and uniform, with no distinction between one creation and the next. On the contrary, He desired a multitude—a tremendous multitude, to the point that we exclaim, “How many are Your works, oh G‑d!”

And not in number alone. They are diverse, and their diversity has great meaning. On any one of those creations we can exclaim, “How great are Your works, oh G‑d!” Because these differences are not insignificant, arbitrary differences. Rather, the uniqueness of each individual creation is a commentary all of its own on the greatness of its Creator.

So too, it is the differences among human beings, not their similiarities, that makes them precious in their Creator’s eyes.

Yes, it all seems such an impossible paradox—to say that we are both perfectly one and entirely different in the same breath.

But that, too, is a reflection of the Creator, for whom it is impossible that anything should be impossible, for He transcends all binaries. Paradox of this sort is beauty, for it is a window within our world through which

20

transcendence shines.

Perhaps that is why we human beings eventually came to embrace these primal yet contrasting values of diversity and equality— not so much from our sense of reason, but from the etzem within each of us that encapsulates and expresses the magnificence of the divine.

And that may be what truly motivates us to preserve the diversity of our world, and of one another, for in that diversity is expressed the most profound secret of the divine and of the human soul.

Paradoxically again, by describing the preciousness of every human being in such an individualistic way, we actually tie human beings closer together. Intimately together.

When describing the connection of one Jewish person with another (which is a paradigm for the connection all of humanity must learn to feel), Rabbi Schneur Zalman writes in his classic work known as the Tanya that all our souls, aside from being one etzem at their origin, are “twinned.”

Meaning: Not only do they all represent the same one G‑d, but they are entangled with one another in that representation—much as particles of the same atom are entangled in their states—even if they’re blown off to opposite ends of the galaxy. Because not only are they all one etzem at their essential core, but in their differences as well.

And therefore, what happens with one human being, even in some detail that would seem entirely irrelevant to another human being on the other side of the planet, affects that other person immediately and profoundly.

So each human being must look at another human being and say, “That is not an other.

That is my same essence expressed in a different unique and special form. What happens with her happens with me. Her pain is my pain. Her happiness is my happiness.

Her destiny is my destiny.”

It becomes patently clear now why we cannot strip one human being of his or her dignity as a human being for the sake of the rest of humanity, and why a world that does so is not a sustainable world. Because it is an impossibility. Each individual is the entire world. We are all reflections of a single face from every possible angle. If you’ve stripped one individual of human dignity, you’ve stripped all of us. EM

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and more recently Wisdom to Heal the Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing or purchase his books, visit Chabad.org. Follow him on FaceBook @RabbiTzviFreeman.

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From the rabbis of the Jewish Russian Community Centre Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman (Senior Rabbi) Rabbi Levi Blau Rabbi David Davidov Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim Rabbi Levi Jacobson Rabbi Shmuel Neft For all yourRabbi familyAvraham bereavement needs (funeral, Weinstein unveiling, kaddish services, shiva, yahrzeit and Rabbi Avrohom Yusewitz memorial plaques) the JRCC rabbis are here to Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman assist you, 24 hours a day. Services available Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman in Russian, Hebrew, English and Yiddish.

Rabbi Yisroel Zaltzman 416.222.7105 x221

24

Shevat 5781

Sponsored by:

memorials

350 Ste­e­les Ave. West, Thornhill (416) 733-2000 • (905) 881-6003 • www.steeles.org

YOU

With sadness and pain we announce of passing away our beloved husband, devoted father and grandfather

CAN

PETER DYNOV He will be in our hearts forever.

Wife Maya, son Allan with family, brothers Vladimir and Jacob with families, brother-in-law William and family.

Mezuzah & Teffilin Checking by a certified scribe

HELP

‫ב"ה‬

EВРЕЙСКИЙ ЦЕНТР РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ОБЩИНЫ ОНТАРИО ● JEWISH RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE OF ONTARIO

Have your teffilin and mezuzot checked by a certified scribe.

Price: $12 per mezuzah 1 $108 for teffilin If repair is required, only those costs will be charged Mezuzot, teffilin, talitot and other Judaica are available for sale at the JRCC Bookstore.

For more information call 416-222-7105 | www.jrcc.org/mezuzah Drop-off and pickup at 5987 Bathurst St., Unit 3

Do you have a July 29, 2019 / 26 Tammuz, 5779

Certificate of Jewish Identity BASED UPON CAREFUL INVESTIGATION IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY OUR RESEARCHERS THAT

First / Last name Son of a (nee) DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 23, 1948 IS JEWISH, AS HE WAS BORN TO A JEWISH MOTHER Our research was focused exclusively on establishing Jewish lineage and did not touch on any other possible halachic issues

THIS NUMBERED CERTIFICATE IS ON PERMANENT RECORD IN THE JRCC DATABASE, AND CAN BE VERIFIED BY CONTACTING THE JRCC OFFICE OR THE UNDERSIGNED RABBIS.

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

Rabbi Levi Jacobson

JRCC of Ontario - Senior Rabbi & Founder 416-222-7105 x 278

JRCC of West Thornhill-Rabbi 416-222-7105 x 240

www.jrcc.org/jewishidentity

jewishidentity@jrcc.org

‫ב”ה‬

Confirmation of your Jewish Identity?

The word for “charity” in Hebrew actually means “justice,” for giving is not seen as an exceptional favour to the needy but a matter of simple justice: it is the just thing to do. The act of tzedakah brings so much positive energy into the world that it is equal to all other mitzvoth and brings the redemption closer.

For charity box pickup or drop off call 416-222-7105 or email jrcc@jrcc.org

BOOK CONDOLENCE ADS IN EXODUS MAGAZINE Contact at: 416-222-7105 #222 or exodus@jrcc.org

It is advisable for every Jewish person to have confirmation of their Jewish Identity that is internationally recognized.

Why is a Jewish ID important?

• Confirmation of Jewish identity is needed for a variety of circumstances, such as: Baby naming, Brit, Daycare, School, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Marriage, Aliya, Burial plot, Funeral.

• Obtaining certification takes research and time – if you wait until you need it, it might not be possible to obtain it in time.

• The longer you delay, the more difficult it becomes – documents get lost, witnesses move or pass away.

A certificate confirming your Jewish identity will help you, if your Jewish lineage is ever questioned. Do it for your peace of mind and that of your family.

Upon completion, you will receive: • A genuine, numbered certificate recognized by leading rabbis internationally.

• A permanent record with the JRCC Ontario, Canada.

For more information or to apply, contact: Jewish Identity Department Coordinator Jewish Identity Verification Service

Phone: 416-222-7105 x237 | Email: jewishidentity@jrcc.org Website: www.jrcc.org/JewishIdentity

This service is provided free of charge by the JRCC. Suggested donation to cover research and administrative costs is $250 per applicant - any donation is appreciated.

January 2020

●

Death Announcements ● Death Anniversaries ● Tribute Ads ● Remembrance Ads exodusmagazine.org

25

S ubscription

for

E xodus

magazine

Fill out the form below and mail it in or order online at www.exodusmagazine.org.

Mail to: Exodus Magazine, 5987 Bathurst St., #3, Toronto, ON M2R 1Z3 Canada.

Subscription Type (choose one): q Canadian subscription — $18 per year q US/International subscription — $36 US per year Mailing Address: Name: ___________________________________________ Address: _______________________ Postal Code: ______ Tel: ____________________ E-mail: __________________ Gift Subscription: q I am purchasing this subscription as a gift for: Name: ___________________________________________ Address: _______________________ Postal Code: ______ Tel: ____________________ E-mail: __________________ Sponsorships: q I would like to be an Exodus Sponsor: Amount: $_________ (Sponsorships are tax deductible) Payment Method (select one): q Cheque — payable to JRCC Exodus Magazine q Bill me q Credit card:

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Now a days this company with more than 118 years of history holds a leading position among the manufacturers of alcoholic beverages in Moldova. Unique climate, fertile soil, hilly terrain and vicinity of the river Dniester created most favorable conditions for growing best grapes; modern equipment, advanced technologies, original recipes, respect to ancient traditions and passionate work of KVINT professionals – all these factors allow to produce admirable beverages, which compete with world renowned brands.

Locals consider KVINT a national treasure and a symbol of their country.

Its factory is shown on the 5 Transnistrian ruble banknote.

Kvint distillery is the oldest enterprise still in operation from 1897 in the region. KVINT is one of Transnistria's largest exporters, to Italy and China as well as Russia and Ukraine; its brandy has gone to the Vatican and into space.

Kvint XO brandy was first produced by the Tiraspol Wine & Cognac Distillery KVINT in 1967 as a dedication to the jubilee of the October Revolution. It is made from the premium quality “eaux-de-vie” spirits seasoned in oak barrels not less than 20 years according to classical “French methode”.

KVINT (acronym for Kon’iaki, vina i napitki Tiraspol’ia ("divins, wines, and beverages of Tiraspol") is a winery and distillery based in Tiraspol, the administrative center of Transnistria. Even though it underwent through many difficulties, being twice destroyed by

26

Join Our Team

JOB OPPORTUNITY JRCC is looking to hire

DATABASE DEVELOPER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

● Convert classic Sales Force database to lightning ● Integrate new apps in the existing database ● Integrate Word Press websites with Sales Force

REQUIREMENTS:

● 3 years of experience with: Salesforce development, including both classing and lightning environments, APEX, Visual Force, Lightning and Visual Force Components, ● Web development: WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, MySQL ● Computer Engineering/Computer Science degree or equivalent experience preferred ● Be able to communicate easily and successfully, in English, both verbally and in writing ● Be able to function effectively independently ● Is able adapt and quickly develop in-depth technical understanding of new/different applications

For details please visit our website: www.jrcc.org/careers

wars, becoming a part of prohibition law in the 80s, the company is now an important economic player in a region, producing more than 20 million bottles of alcoholic beverages per year.

Although the distillery's roster includes an assortment of wines, gins, and vodkas, by far the most famous of its products are its award-winning brandies. Like all top-notch spirits, the high quality of this liquor begins with the region's grapes. Occupying the land east of the River Dniester, Transnistria is in the heart of the ancient Bessarabian wine region, a gem of viniculture perched above the Black Sea that has also survived the many ups and downs of centuries of Russian rule.

Plucked from the Bessarabian vine, the grapes fortunate enough to make their way to Tiraspol are transformed into brandy using a process identical to that used to make Cognac in France—double distilled in copper pots, aged in oak barrels, and then carefully blended with water and sugar. The grapes are of a typical Cognac variety, an assortment that includes Colombard, Riesling, and Ugni Blanc. Despite the company's rigid adherence to the French production methods, Kvint is not located in Cognac, France and therefore cannot formally call their products "Cognacs." Instead they use the Moldovan word divin, hence Kvint's name, which is an acronym for the Russian phrase "divins, wines, and beverages of Tiraspol." But in a land where international laws don't seem to really apply, most local people still refer to Kvint's products as Cognacs, and it is called Brandy everywhere else in the world.

Also Kvint is focusing their efforts on making a wide assortment of wines. Along with ordinary table dry, semi-sweet and dessert wines, the KVINT’s portfolio can boast of some excellent varietal and blended wines matured in oak barriques, according to traditional production process from 9 months to 3 years.

Shop for the best selection of Kvint Wine : KVINT CABERNET SAUVIGNON KOSHER 2015, LCBO #455138 This wine is made under control of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of New York (USA), OU, it has the status of Kosher for PASSOVER, Mevushal (approved for Passover, pasteurized). This wine is made from the selected grapes grown in own vineyards of KVINT. It features pleasant astringency and harmonious acidity. Its bouquet is complex with aroma of nightshade berries enriched with hints of morocco leather.

KVINT MERLOT KOSHER 2015, LCBO # 455112 Bright berry aromas: hints of cassis, and delicate nuances of prunes and cherry.

It is velvety on the palate, with barely perceptible astringency and freshness.

BRANDY KVINT KOSHER and DIVIN KVINT KOSHER FOR PASSOVER are now available at LCBO stores, Vintage # 577817 and # 540039.

It is made under control of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of New York (USA), OU, it has the status of Kosher for Passover (approved for Passover).

It is made by special production process with eauxde-vie and wine-distilled spirits aged in oak barrels not less than a year. It features fine golden color, harmonious taste and bright floral aroma with light tones of maturity.

Shevat 5781

L&M Gelfand

DAYCARE

Детский сад Еврейского Центра русскоязычной общины Онтарио

THE BEST START FOR YOUR CHILD

15 Months - 6 Years

care Full day pm 0 am to 6 from 7:3

Kosher food And snacks (Cholov yisroel)

Jewish heritage exploration

prices.

Affordable available Subsidies

Stimulating, cutting edge curriculum

mily Warm fa nt me environ

416.222.7105 x 501

5950 Bathurst St, North York, ON M2R 1Y9

www.JrccDayCare.org1Email: daycare@jrcc.org

FIERA FOODS COMPANY IS HIRING! As one of North America’s largest, privately-owned large-scale bakeries, Fiera Foods Company and affiliated companies has an incredible history of expansion, innovation and quality over the past 30 years.

We’re looking for outstanding people to join our outstanding team.

• Production (Mixers, Scalers, Oven Operators, Production Line Operators,

General Production Staff, Forklift Operators, Shipper/Receivers); • Skilled Trades (Electricians, Mechanics, Refrigeration Mechanics, PLC Technicians) • Sales (Canada and US); • Management (Lead hand, Supervisory, Management, Project Engineers)

Our commitment to quality, excellence, and responsiveness are critical to our team and our success. Superior communication, teamwork and attention to detail are expected of everyone.

Please submit your resume and your compensation expectations to jobs@fierafoods.com or call (416) 746 1010 (ext. 258).

We thank all in advance for their interest, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

vwwc vwwc

Yud Shevat Event Celebrating 71 years of the Rebbe’s leadership 1950-2021

Saturday Night January 23rd | 8:00pm In English Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman, JRCC East Thornhill

Sunday Night January 24th | 8:00pm In Russian

Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, Kansas, USA

Rabbi Yoseph Zaltzman, JRCC Founder and Senior Rabbi

Rabbi Alex Pruchanskiy, Kfar Chabad, Israel

Singer from Israel Shlomo Nizin with live Nigunim

Rabbi Shaya Gopin, Connecticut, USA

Rabbi Fishel Chichelnitzky, Odessa, Ukraine

ZOOM INFORMATION FOR BOTH EVENTS:

Join zoom ID: 416.222.7105 www.zoom.us/my/jrcchq Farbrengen in a box can be ordered at

www.jrcc.org/10shevat (limit 2 per houshold)

Address correction requested

PM 40062996

EВРЕЙСКИЙ ЦЕНТР РУССКОЯЗЫЧНОЙ ОБЩИНЫ ОНТАРИО JEWISH RUSSIAN COMMUNITY CENTRE OF ONTARIO