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Our Beth Ruach congregation is built on the values of the Torah and the Talmud, and we are united in our faith in Judaism and our support of Israel.
We support our congregation through Torah learning, Shabbat dinners, Jewish holidays, celebrations, and life-long learning of our Jewish education to all ages.
Our congregation is made up of primarily interfaith families due to the rise in Jewish people marrying outside of their faith. As such, while grounded in Judaism, our congregation welcomes their spouses of all faiths and those with no faith to join us in creating a diverse, vibrant spiritual community of individuals and families.
Through our teachings, work, and embrace, we aspire to keep the Jewish faith and traditions alive within these interfaith unions and be cherished by their extended families so that it may remain vibrant and alive into future generations.
We are affiliated with the Universal Oneness United Faith Canada.
Universal Oneness United Faith Canada (“UOUFC”) is a spiritual center that welcomes people from all faiths and those of no faith. The UOUFC works to break down the barriers of religious intolerance. Congregation Beth Ruach is the Jewish interfaith branch of the UOUFC and is the community that Rabbi David Gellman serves.
SILENT AUCTION 2024
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TESTIMONIAL—
“I’ve known David practically my whole life, and he knew my mom and my family, so he was the obvious choice to provide the funeral service for my mother, Miriam Stein. He did a very, very nice job, was very personal, and made sure everyone was included—as I knew he would. Thank you, David.”
Helen B.
The Rabbi’s Weekly Commentary-October 20, 2024
The welcoming of guests
Greetings friends
How was everyone’s Thanksgiving or Columbus Day? Did you have turkey? You know, one of the great debates among the founding fathers of the USA was what the national bird should be, and it came down to two—the eagle or the turkey, and I guess we know which won, or maybe we’d be eating eagle.
We all have so much to be thankful for, and that is why a part of the daily Jewish prayers involves prayers of thanks after we eat—and it is daily, not annually. Thanksgiving is an interesting holiday, and there are various myths around its initiation, but it was actually influenced as a harvest festival by Sukkot, which we are in the midst of now.
Speaking of Columbus, it was often suspected that Christopher Columbus was Jewish or that his voyages centered on saving Jews from the Spanish inquisition and exile. After all, his charts were written in Hebrew by his Hebrew navigator. Well, recent DNA tests have now shown that Columbus was a descendant of Sephardic Jews.
Now, the need to cancel him and change the name of the holiday will be even more pressing, especially in the states that hate him. But, of course, now it turns out—he was a descendant of an enslaved nation—as opposed to being a member of an enslaving nation. Talk about karma.
This festival we are celebrating now, called for in Deuteronomy to be on the 15th day of the seventh month – and what a month – horn blasting and healing on the 1st, atonement and sealing in the Book of Life with forgiveness on the 10th, and now this on the 15th.
It is often called the Feast of the Tabernacles – the Booths – Sukkot – the covering. Whether named for the booths used during harvest times or to represent the cloud cover during the wilderness travels – the root of Sukkah is from the word for covering.
You are out in nature, but you are protected and covered. This holiday is centered around hospitality and guests, so make sure you take the time to welcome guests (whether digitally or in person, but always with safety in mind) into your life this week.
Throughout time, both as individuals and through group exiles or migrations, we are all contributing to the world through the personal characteristics we have acquired. And that has been—by way of guests – we, being them, we, welcoming them, and those characteristics are: lovingkindness, strength, splendor, glory, holiness, eternity, sovereignty. We were homeless wanderers and learned to inculcate these characteristics in our lives from all the places we went and all the people we met.
Please continue to do so and use the time in your booth to really examine who you are and who you want to be and ask yourself—are they the same? Are you congruent, present, mindful, and aware? And continue to find all the newness, generosity, thankfulness, opportunity, and love that is around you. Do not just look to criticize yourself. Take some time to honor yourselves and the beauty of creation all around you.
This is a wonderful time for peaceful reflection and meditation, so here are a few things to meditate on while in your booths. You will find that when you stay calm, you allow change to occur in your lives.
Emphasize trust, not faith. Faith comes from belief, but trust comes from action. Your faith may waver, but your trust never will.
Know there are two paths, and both are built on good and that good ultimately comes from everything.
Act using the gifts you were given. You were all blessed with gifts and talents, so use them to bless others.
Hold the energy of the source of life in you, and you will fear nothing.
Know that whoever put you here put whatever obstacles you face in your way but also provided a means to overcome them.
This holiday is centered on the waving of the four species (the Arba minim), which are a palm branch, myrtle leaves, willow leaves (comprising the lulav), and etrog (citron). They represent both the physical makeup and the characteristics of man. We wave these by casting them out and drawing them back in toward the heart, and we do so in each of six directions – east, north, south, west, above, and below. In so doing, you are doing a spiritual cleanse – in all the directions of life.
Join me this week because you are about to change the direction of your lives. Think of the intention you bring to your life and the words you use, the words you were influenced by, and the words you use to influence. Be generous in your words and spirit to others – you can build them up instead of tearing them down.
Feel free to share this episode with anyone you think might enjoy it. And, of course, enjoy all of our past audio and video episodes, which are available on our YouTube channel. Grab a bag of popcorn and feel free to binge-watch them.
This is the last one for the season. Next week, we go back to the beginning and start all over again, but before we do, we can remember some of the great takeaways from the year we just had, and they will help us in the year ahead:
Never judge by appearances – God does not judge based on looks, height, or stature – God sees into the heart as he did when he picked David to be king. And He knows the potential that lies there – look into your heart and the hearts of those around you;
Always strive to take the high road – circumstances sometimes put us in a position to take revenge on slights that we perceive as having been done to us – but things happen for a reason. When you take the high road, you sometimes feel like you are losing a battle, but you are winning the war of morality;
It is safe to be emotional and feel your feelings – the great King David was the bible’s most prolific author – a warrior and a king, but we feel his feelings when we read the Psalms, and you too can see it is ok to let your feelings out; our greatest strength is actually when we are most vulnerable, which kind of leads me to the next one—
Do not worry what others may think – trust yourself to know what’s right and trust others to know you and who you really are – and in trusting yourself, never be afraid to—
Think outside the box – obvious solutions are not always the best – do not be afraid to be creative; and, finally –
Love your family – many in the Bible suffered at the hands of their families, and many of you may have suffered at the hands of yours—it’s ok. Protect yourself, but do not judge. Be gentle with those you are related to. Sometimes, it is their own anger and fears that are being expressed.
This episode will be posted shortly on our channel. Click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show in both the 2024 and special event cycles.
And if you are one of the people this was sent to by a friend and want to receive it yourself, let me know. I will add you to my mailing list.
Thank you all for allowing me into your homes, into your electronic devices, and into your hearts, as you are all with me in mine –
Be well, be happy, be healthy, be free, be kind, be forgiving, be compassionate, be independent of mind and deed, be mindful of your intentions, and be good to yourself. Continue to celebrate freedom of choice in your life, do not give in to the fear that is so prevalent, and enjoy the peace that comes from acceptance. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to say “hi,” please send me an email. I love hearing from you.
Remember, anytime 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.
Enjoy and celebrate your life and the lives of others, and in doing so, be happy. May you all sow the seeds of and reap the rewards of peace, love, and miracles. Make sure you also celebrate your unique individuality and your incredible awesomeness.
Continue celebrating love; continue celebrating freedom; send renewal and goodwill out to everyone in the world – it is an energy that cannot be stopped. And remember, your world is what you make it. Just wish upon a star and continue to be a miracle in someone’s life, and light the light of love.
Blessings
RD
www.rabbidavidgellman.com
Respecting our past. Putting faith in your future
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From the Rabbi—Recent Commentaries and Newsletters:
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Respecting our past; Putting faith in your future