Doar Shalom: January 21, 2021 / 8th of Sh'vat, 5781
Shabbat Candle Lighting 4:32 pm
Havdalah: 5:44 pm
Parashat  Bo / פרשת בֹּא
ב״ה
Rabbi Hannah's Weekly Reflection
Bo El Paroh – Go, Confront the Pharaoh!
Ross and I were in Paris on Election Day in 2016. We went to sleep certain the election would go one way and awakened to a surreal world. Events of the past four years have been too horrific not to take seriously; nevertheless, it’s felt like a reality that just cannot be, nonsensical, absurd. I won’t say I slept through it, certainly not, but I did my best to dissociate from the voice of the American President. Now, yesterday and today, I feel something akin to what my colleague Rabbi Elyse Sydner Joseph meant when she wrote she’s ”getting up from shiva… tender, exhausted, shaky… tentatively ready to face life.”
 
This week’s Torah portion begins, after the suffering of plagues, with God’s insistence that Moses face the oppressor: Bo el Paroh – Go, to Pharaoh! Face him down! After prolonged darkness, with lapses of real hopelessness, and with many divides yet to be acknowledged, confronted and healed, the American people have prevailed against their Pharaoh with the resistance of Democratic process.
 
And at the inauguration, the world was gifted with words to lift the spirit, bringing hope into the center of the void. “Where can we find light?” asked poet Amanda Gorman, entreating us to lift our gazes, “not to what stands between us, but [to] what stands before us.” She reminded us all that we are always never broken, rather, simply unfinished - as humans who do teshuva, as communities that are self-critical and aspirational, as nations with the checks and balances that can right the course of our histories. And she challenged the nation with what our beloved Reb Zalman called “backward compatibility,” meaning a future that exemplifies the best of our past. “If we're to live up to our own time, then victory [will] lie in the bridges we've made. That is the promise… the hill we climb if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit – it's the past we step into and how we repair it.”
 
New freedom is portended in Torah and in U.S. history this week. And even as the pandemic rages, vaccines have begun to be distributed. A week from today we will celebrate Tu B’shvat, a change of seasons in our tradition when sap rises in our trees signaling blossoms and fruits to come. Amanda Gorman’s blessing speaks to me and I wish to channel it to you. May we, indeed, begin to “step out of the shade.” May we embody the agency she calls upon in us, “the new dawn bloom[ing] as we free it.” 
 
“Where is the light?” she had asked. Our tradition would say, “wherever we let it in.” Similarly, the poet answers: “There is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.
 
May it be so.
And a Sabbath of Renewal to All.

Shabbat Shalom!
Special Opportunities!
Rabbi Hannah brings close ALEPH colleagues to teach at Or Shalom: Here, enjoying an Ohalah conference with Rabbi Elyse Sydney Joseph, to teach on medical ethics on Tuesday, Jan 26, and with Rabbi SaraLeah Schley, to teach on patrilineal descent, Tuesday evenings Feb 9 - Mar 2.
Register to Hear One or Both of our Guest Speakers on Medical Ethics and Healing the Mind in the Jewish Tradition

See our guest speaker bios here.
Sign up to hear our guest speakers!

If you are not already registered for the Zusia: Speaking of Health course, please join us for single events:

  • January 26 - Medical Ethics within the Jewish tradition, with guest speaker Rabbi Elyse Seidner-Joseph
  • February 2 – Healing The Mind within the Jewish tradition, with guest speaker Estelle Frankel
  • Time: 7-9 PM
  • Investment: $18 per session
  • Register here.
Upcoming Zusia Course, Free to Or Shalom Members: Reconsidering Patrilineal Descent
Registration is Open!

People can be joined to Israel by birth or by choice. Who, though, is a born Jew? Opinions on this have shifted over the last four thousand years of the Jewish journey, and today this is a vexed topic. Must one have a Jewish mother, as Talmudic tradition came to assert, or does a Jewish father also make one Jewish? Join Rabbi SaraLeya Schley for a historically and legally informed exploration of this issue.

Instructor: Rabbi SaraLeya Schley
Prerequisite: None:
Dates: Tuesdays, February 9 - March 2, 2021
Time: 7-9 PM
Investment: Free to Or Shalom Members (donations welcome);
Non-Members $98
Click here to read Rabbi SaraLeya's bio and to register.
Upcoming Chaggim, Programs and Events
This year, in celebration of Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year of the Trees, we invite you to step away from screens and take a walk amongst trees. If the ground’s not too wet and you have the right clothing or a blanket, consider laying down somewhere that is forested or sitting on a log. Just sit and be. We have prepared an audio program (available here) to accompany you which you can download and take along – 15 minutes of poems and teachings to listen to out of doors, pausing after each text to drink in your surroundings. Rabbi Hannah, Alexis Kellum Creer and Martin Gotfrit hope you enjoy this beautifully wrought offering now and in time to come.
 
In 5781, Tu B’Shvat falls on January 28. Our tradition holds that from that day onward, Spring is springing forth!
 
Please note that Tu B’Shvat activities for families with children is listed in the 'Family Corner' section of the Doar below.

Here are some suggested locations for Forest Bathing in Vancouver.
Iyyun Tefillah / Studies in Prayer

Our founding rabbi, Rabbi Daniel Siegel, will zoom in from Hornby Island to teach a four-part series of studies in prayer, immersing in individual prayers and poems some of us may be less familiar with. These monthly offerings are meant for those familiar with the siddur and those who are just beginning. Each session will stand on its own even as the sessions will build on one another.
 
In our first session Reb Daniel will talk about love poetry in our liturgy exploring, in particular, Anim Z’mirot, traditionally sung and the beginning or end of a Shabbat morning service.
 
Upcoming Dates:
Saturday, January 30, 9:30am
Saturday, February 20, 9:30am
Additional dates will be announced soon.
 
Rabbi Daniel and his wife Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel are rabbis emerita of Or Shalom. Read Rabbi Daniel's bio here.
Learn how to bake Carmel Tanaka's unique Jewpanese Maple KaboChallah

An invitation from Carmel (pronouns: she/her): At the ripe old age of 27, I learned to bake my first challah. My teacher was none other than the late Robbie McConnell, former Publisher of the Montreal Gazette. Using his recipe as the foundation for my challah, join me in adding kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), courtesy of the one and only Kristin Eriko Posner of Nourish Co., and a splash of 100% “True North strong and free” maple syrup!

Register here by January 29 at noon to receive the recipe and ingredient list, and to receive the Zoom link.
All are welcome to attend!

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 883 5053 1867
Passcode: 753561
Purchase your tickets here.
The next two book club meetings are taking place on:
Sunday February 14, 2021
7:30 pm

A Mind Spread out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
Alicia Elliott asks essential questions about the treatment of First Nations persons, while drawing on intimate details of her own life and experience with intergenerational trauma, and suggests powerful tools for a better future.
Sunday March 14, 2021
7:30 pm

The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole
The Skin We’re In exposes the long history of Canadian settler colonialism and white supremacy by weaving the history of anti-Black racism in Canada and by demonstrating that contemporary experiences are a mere continuation of state violence and oppression towards the Black Canadian community. 
Click here for more information on both books, and for ways to obtain the book, ebook, or audiobook.

Join both book talks via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 862 0308 3571; Passcode: 363634
Upcoming Services and Happenings
See our new Event Calendar for details and Zoom links for upcoming programs, services, and events.
  • Saturday, January 23, 9 am, Shabbat Morning Torah Study and Shacharit (Parshat Bo)
  • Saturday, January 30, 9:30 am Iyyun Tefilah with Rabbi Daniel Siegel, followed by Shabbat Morning Service at 10 am (Parshat Beshalach)
  • Saturday, February 6, 10 am, Shabbat Morning Service (Parashat Yitro)
  • Saturday, February 13, 9 am, Torah Study and Shacharit (Parashat Mishpatim)
  • Saturday, February 20, 9:30 am Iyyun Tefilah with Rabbi Daniel Siegel, followed by Shabbat Morning Service at 10:00 am (Parashat Teruma)
  • Saturday, February 27, 10 am, Contemplative Shabbat Service (Parashat Tetzaveh)
Happenings:
Friday January 22 to Thursday January 28
Friday, January 22
1 pm
Friday Tehillim
- led by John Fuerst.
This week, Friday Tehillim will continue with the psalms of praise that close the Book of Psalms, the Hallelujah psalms. Join us as we learn and daven Psalm 147, linked here. 
Join via Zoom. Meeting ID: 873 2214 6883; Password: 200901

6 - 6:30 pm
Erev Shabbat Candle Lighting
- led by Rabbi Hannah Dresner.
Candle lighting, Kiddush, Motzi. Erev Shabbat blessings are available here.
Join via Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 890 1632 0888;
Passcode: 487812

Saturday, January 23
9 - 11 am
Shabbat Morning Torah Study and Shacharit (Parshat Bo) 
- Torah Study led by Rabbi Susan Shamash
- Shacharit led by Rabbi Hannah Dresner
Zoom Shamash - Linda Peritz

Join via Zoom. Meeting ID: 810 4690 4137; Passcode: 050826

Sunday, January 24
2:30 - 5 pm
B'Yachad
- with Matthew Gindin and Harriet Frost.
For registered Simchat-Mitzvah students.

7 - 7:45 pm
Virtual Evening Minyan 
- led by Rabbi Hannah Dresner
Zoom Shamash - Linda Peritz
For a transliterated and translated weekday evening liturgy, please click here (pg 69 to 125).
Join via Zoom. Meeting ID: 846 4320 6695; Passcode: 188964

Monday, January 25
7 - 9 pm
Exploring Judaism Class 
- with Rabbi Hannah Dresner
For registered students.

Tuesday, January 26
7 - 9 pm 
Zusia: The Bet Midrash
  • Speaking of Health: Jewish Wisdom on Caring For Self and Others with Matthew Gindin
  • We have OPENED registration for this individual session on Jewish Medical Ethics! Sign up today!

Wednesday, January 27
7 - 9 pm
Board Meeting

Thursday, January 28
4 - 5:30 pm
Bright Lights
- with Matthew Gindin
For registered students (ages 6-9)
Or Shalom Updates
Second Song Circle in Spring
Registration for the first Rising Song Circle is now closed, however we are taking names of those interested in the formation of a second Song Circle in the spring.
with your interest. See here for more info.
Resources for Families
  • Tu B’Shvat Nature Walk Ideas For Grown-Ups and Kids, available here.
  • From Seed to Karpas: Or Shalom Karpas Challenge, available here.
  • Click on the image to watch an animated version of The Carob Tree, a Jewish Folktale, a delightful story about taking care of future generations.
This is an online learning group that will meet bi-weekly for four Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm; Led by Rabbi Hannah Dresner and Matthew Gindin. Each week we will read and discuss texts around a theme we struggle with as parents. In this series the themes will be:

1) Micromanagement: to do or not to do;
2) The teenage years: preparing for them and surfing them once they arrive;
3) Screen time struggles and other difficult challenges;
4) Matters of the heart: gratitude, appreciation and connection. 

Next meeting: February 3, 7:30 pm. Email learning@orshalom.ca for more info and to register.
  • A donation was made by Sheryl Sorokin to the Rabbi's Benevolent Fund in Honour of Hana Wosk’s Birthday.
  • A donation was made by Linda Peritz to the Building Fund
  • Thank you to Martin Gotfrit for making the video of Rabbi Barry Dov Katz's Dvar Torah, citing Rabbi Hannah Dresner, available to Or Shalom.
  • Thank you to Frank Segal for organizing the Men's Torah Study Group on January 15.
  • Thank you to John Fuerst for leading Friday Tehillim on January 15.
  • Thank you to Avi Dolgin, Nomi Fenson, Charles Kaplan, Charles Cohen and Heidi Mannis for leading Shabbat Morning Services on January 16, and thank you to Helen Mintz and Linda Peritz for providing Zoom support during the service.
  • Thank you to Alex Leslie for co-curating the January 16 Koreh Event; thank you to our readers: Alex Leslie, Marguerite Pigeon, Cecil Hershler, Charles Cohen, Dael Segal, Els Kushner, Esther Tennenhouse, and Tiferet Welch; and thank you to Avril Orloff for providing Zoom support during the event.
  • Thank you to Rabbi Susan Shamash for leading the More Talmud class on January 17.
  • Thank you to Helen Mintz for providing Zoom support during the Sunday Evening Minyan on January 17.
  • Thank you to Dael Adams Segal for leading the Women's Heart Centered Torah Study session on January 21.
  • Thank you to Alexis Kellum-Creer for performing the texts in our Tu B’Shvat audio enrichment and to Martin Gotfrit for producing the sound.
  • Thank you to Dave Kauffman for his help with maintaining the Or Shalom website.
Our sincere apologies if your name has inadvertently been missed. We still love you and appreciate all that you do! Please don't hesitate to contact the office office@orshalom.ca about an omission. We promise to acknowledged you in the next Doar.
Your tax-deductible donation to Or Shalom can be used to honour an accomplishment or life event, say thank you for a mitzvah or job well-done, or remember a loved ones passing.
The membership committee's Getting to Know You interview series is an opportunity for Or Shalomniks to get to know one another and learn about the fascinating stories and knowledge our community has to offer. 

This week, get to know: Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta
In the Larger Community
Sulam on Sophia Street Concert!
January 24 @ 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
A zoom concert featuring Sulam Jewish World Music Ensemble. We're celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sophia Street Blog. Join us on Zoom, in a COVID-safe format.

We'll bring the blog to life through music, focusing on timely themes of wisdom, love, grief, and activism.

You'll hear new compositions and old favourites. Songs with English and Hebrew lyrics, plus some instrumental-only treats. We draw inspiration from sacred texts and the texts of life!

Musicians are Elana Brief, Charles Kaplan, Martin Gotfrit, Dave Kauffman, Joe Markovitch, Wendy Rubin and Laura Duhan-Kaplan.

RSVP by Friday Jan 22 at the link below to receive a confirmation, followed by the concert login.
Registration is now full.
Rabbi Hannah Recommends the Mascall Dance Presentation:
Ancestral Voices with Rabbi Diane Elliot
Join us for an online weekend workshop:
February 5th - 7th, 2021
Registration is by donation.
Open to all levels of voice and movement experience.
Dates and times (Pacific Standard Time):

  • Friday, February 5, 1-3:30 PM 

  • Saturday, February 6, 10 AM-12:30 PM and
4-6:30 PM

  • Sunday, February 7, 1-3:30 PM

Register here.
We are excited to launch our new project:
Hinenu: Embodied Judaism
Are you sick of this 2-D life we’ve been living? Feeling trapped in your head and disconnected from your body?

Aleph Canada and a whole crew of facilitators from across Canada are launching a program just for you!

HINENU: EMBODIED JUDAISM is comprised of online workshops in Jewish yoga & meditation, sacred movement and embodied text study.

Hinenu: ‘Here We Are’, ready to wholly embrace life right HERE and right NOW.

Join our Launch on January 31st, from 11-12pm EST (8-9am PST) with the author of “G!d in Your Body”. We will use this resource text to explore embodiment, not only in the practices we do together, but in our every day lives.

To register or get more info about the launch or our the program, please visit us at alephcanada.ca
Sessions led by Or Shalom Staff and Emerita

Meditation, Tuesdays, 4-4:30 PST
  • February 23, Rabbi Hannah Dresner
  • March 9, Matthew Gindin

Yoga, Sunday March 14, 8-9 am PST with R'Dr. Laura Duhan-Kaplan
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