Jay and Leah with Rabbi David Gellman

Our Interfaith Jewish Wedding with Horses, a Dog, and a Strong Hint of Winter!

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“From the moment we met with Rabbi David, we knew we had found the one to lead our Interfaith ceremony. He made us feel comfortable and any worry we had about the ceremony was put aside when he walked us through the process with confidence and experience. 

“Rabbi David went above and beyond to make our wedding ceremony absolutely perfect. He made the ceremony truly unique to reflect our needs by listening to our story and weaving it into the words he so beautifully wrote.  He also incorporated both English and Hebrew and explained the meaning behind everything he did. Our family and friends can’t say enough about how beautiful, in-depth, and meaningful the ceremony was and how it was a true reflection of us both.

“We feel very fortunate to have found Rabbi David! It was truly an honor.” Leah and Jay.

 

How to start planning an interfaith wedding—

Leah and Jay decided on an interfaith wedding but didn’t quite know what to do next. So Leah says she did what most of us resort to these days when stumped—she googled interfaith weddings in Toronto—and was lucky enough, she says, to find Rabbi David Gellman.

“And we were very very happy that we did,” says Leah, who works for an advertising agency in Toronto, and wanted everything not only to be just right on her dream wedding day —but to represent them both in exactly the way they see themselves.

“Jay works in film as a production designer, and I’m in advertising—we wanted everything to feel real and just right, and it did.

“My family—my mother and grandparents—were rooting for a Jewish wedding. Jay isn’t Jewish. We talked about it with Rabbi David, and he was able to incorporate the Jewish elements we requested. I didn’t want to include the seven circles, for example—and we had a wonderful wedding that pleased us both very much as well as all the family. The ceremony was emotional and moving and a perfect mix of Jay and me. Everyone was touched by the ceremony and that it stayed true to who we are.”

Jay and Leah have been married just a few months now, and life is wonderful. They had been together about three years before tying the knot, and Leah said they love to do typical everyday things. Having a local outdoor wedding on an amazing farm suited their lifestyle and hopes for a memorable wedding day. “We love simple things—walking the dog (Jack!), hosting dinner parties for friends, going to movies—all the everyday stuff, and we didn’t want a big event-type wedding or one that was too-tailored. We wanted our day to be moving and true to who we are and enjoyable for everyone.” With Rabbi David Gellman, Leah says, this was achieved and more.

The video of the wedding shows the emotion and warmth of the day—even though it was chilly out in the fields. “We told everyone to dress warm, and they did.” This included the bride who donned a jacket over her beautiful lacy wedding dress later to warm up.

Because the wedding was outdoors, they were also able to involve another important member of the family in the festivities—Jay and Leah’s lovely dog Jack seemed to enjoy the entire ceremony, as well, especially the visits with the horses. The hosts added another unique element to the mix when they made a very generous gesture and introduced their horses to everyone for a great photo opportunity.

The reception took place in a tent set up for the day on the grounds of the lovely farm near Milton, which is where the ceremony itself took place.

Leah says that the day was such a nice coming together of family. Everybody was happy. “It was intimate, with not too many people. This made it more special to us because everyone was able to gather around and just enjoy our wonderful wedding.”

“You were a huge part of our day and we will remember you and your wife’s involvement forever. Jay and I are so thankful to have found you! You made our day!!!! Thank you again and again!”  All our love, Leah and Jay

Hair

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Greetings friends, 

Thank you Noah for your call and great kindness.  I hope you all had a great Shavuot and if you missed it, it is never too late to acknowledge the beauty of life, of growth, of learning. It was also Yizkor – the public mourning and elevation of the souls of those we love just as it was memorial day – a time to acknowledge those who sacrifice for the good of all. 

And it is Harvey’s birthday – 90 years young – let us all wish him many,  many more. 

We have returned to storytelling time and some pretty amazing tales.  This week alone we have three fantastic little episodes that shout across the fabric of time. We find out confession is good for the soul and we learn about what has befuddled our sages with the episode of the straying woman; we get a glimpse of the great Nazirites of history – Samuel, Samson and Yeshua and then we see how easy it is to bless the world. 

So sit back and take a deep breath, find yourself in a wonderful state of mindful consciousness as we gather and  send  love and goodwill and honor to everyone,  as we support each other  along the path to personal freedom.  The freedom to be you – and on your journey please continue to spread love and forgiveness and healing to all you know in need of renewal and see the blessings in your life; see the miracles; see the beauty; see the opportunity. 

Feel free to share this audio with any you think might enjoy it, and of course enjoy all of our past  audio and video episodes which are  available on our YouTube channel.   This episode will hopefully be posted shortly, however due to internet problems it may not get loaded for another day or so – click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show

 Thank you all once again for joining me, for allowing me into your homes, into your electronic devices, into your hearts – as you are all with me in mine – Be well, be happy, be healthy, be curious, be spontaneous, be free-wheeling, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed and be good to yourself. 

Continue to celebrate the taste of freedom with your friends and family or whoever you choose to share with – and as always – if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say “hi”, please send me an email. And remember if you do not want to receive these anymore, please send me an email so I can remove you.  And know –  that I truly appreciate your sharing your sacred time with me thus far.

Blessings

The Long and Winding Road

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Greetings friends, 

Welcome to Numbers, in Hebrew called – in the wilderness – a true name and a true description of where so many of us still are – still on our journeys to our promised lands. 

The journey is the story of life – from the oldest story written – the epic of Gilgamesh – to a galaxy far, far away – the journey is the metaphor for everything we encounter. So sit back and join me in saying hello to the journey of life, your life and while on it, make sure you continue to send  love and goodwill and honor to everyone,  as we support each other  along the route to personal freedom.  The freedom to be you – and on your journey please continue to spread love and forgiveness and healing to all you know in need of renewal and see the blessings in your life; see the miracles; see the beauty; see the opportunity.

 Feel free to share this audio with any you think might enjoy it, and of course enjoy all of our past  audio and video episodes which are  available on our YouTube channel.   This episode will hopefully be posted shortly, however due to internet problems it may not get loaded for another day or so – click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show

Thank you all once again for joining me, for allowing me into your homes, into your electronic devices, into your hearts – as you are all with me in mine – Be well, be happy, be healthy, be curious, be spontaneous, be free-wheeling, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed and be good to yourself. 

Continue to celebrate the taste of freedom with your friends and family or whoever you choose to share with – and as always – if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say “hi”, please send me an email. And remember if you do not want to receive these anymore, please send me an email so I can remove you.  And know –  that I truly appreciate your sharing your sacred time with me thus far.

Blessings

Rocky Mountain High

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Greetings friends, 

Even though last week was mother’s day – it is always mother’s day – it is always share your love day. This week we say good bye to the book of instruction –  Leviticus. 

It is probably the least liked of the five books of Moses, but then again, it was written as a handbook for the priests. Two great concepts are introduced as we get ready to head off the mountain – the Sabbath for the land and the jubilee year of freedom – the great year of the return – to take things back to the beginning. 

We are then left with a decision to make – accept the covenant and be blessed – almost a return to paradise; break the covenant and be cursed – there really is no decision – unfortunately no one read the fine print. We are ab out to return to storytelling time and some pretty amazing tales. 

So sit back and join me in saying farewell  to the  holiness code but continue to send  love and goodwill and honor to everyone,  as we support each other  along the route to personal freedom.  The freedom to be you – and on your journey please continue to spread love and forgiveness and healing to all you know in need of renewal and see the blessings in your life; see the miracles; see the beauty; see the opportunity. 

Feel free to share this audio with any you think might enjoy it, and of course enjoy all of our past  audio and video episodes which are  available on our YouTube channel.   This episode will hopefully be posted shortly, however due to internet problems it may not get loaded for another day or so – click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show

Thank you all once again for joining me, for allowing me into your homes, into your electronic devices, into your hearts – as you are all with me in mine – Be well, be happy, be healthy, be curious, be spontaneous, be free-wheeling, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed and be good to yourself. 

Continue to celebrate the taste of freedom with your friends and family or whoever you choose to share with – and as always – if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say “hi”, please send me an email. 

And remember if you do not want to receive these anymore, please send me an email so I can remove you.  And know –  that I truly appreciate your sharing your sacred time with me thus far.

Blessings