Our Congregation

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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.

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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-March 28, 2025

Welcome the glory

Greetings friends

We had the Spring Equinox—the traditional first of the year and annually celebrated in the Persian world as New Year’s, also known as Nowruz. So, Happy New Year to all. It makes sense that the year begins with the advent of spring, when renewal of life is at its apex. The world is in perfect balance as we get ready to celebrate the holiday of freedom in a few short weeks.

We are now entering the season of light, and the change of season ritual was about changing, about transformation—and friends, if you are interested in transformation, no element is more important than developing a love of truth. Not my truth, not your truth, but the real truth—the truth encompasses both our fearful reactions and the greater resources of our soul. Seek the truth in everything you do.

New Year’s heralds new opportunity. The ancient Jewish new year began in the spring, not the fall. The ancient belief (and perhaps not so ancient) was that the first 12 days of the month of Nisan determined what your year would be like. This year, the evening of March 29 initiated the new year.

I know I do not have to mention to anyone that what is going on in the world today, where we have 18th-century colonialism and empire-making occurring with 20th-century war methods, while ancient warlord terror guerillas, in a 21st-century period where the age of reason and enlightenment, initiated in the late 17th century, has become an age of counter-enlightenment.

No matter what anyone says, the world is simply better when we connect and unify and not divide, and so let us go back to the 60’s when we pretended we had love, not hate, and even though we are so often pulled in different directions, where we often can and do get stuck in places, we can change that; we can overcome whatever we need to. That is one of the great things about faith, my friends.

I worry for the future of man and especially for the youth of today. Instead of us coming closer, we are being divided, segregated, and tribalized. We should be more like brothers than ever before.

I remember Dostoyevsky said, “Until you have become really, in actual fact, a brother to everyone, brotherhood will not come to pass.” It has not come to pass and is about to pass us by.

We are reading about a generation that is unique in the entire annals of mankind because these people saw G0d and the miracles of his glory every day for 40 years. They were active participants in the accompaniment of divinity.

Most of us would be happy with one day, never mind 40 years, because then, like them, we would know and not need faith.

But remember, their faith was faith that and ours is faith in. They are not the same.

This week, the final set-up is complete. Exodus 40:1—And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On the day of the first month, on the first of the month, you shall set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting. And you shall set the Ark of the Testimony there and have the pavilion cover over the ark. And it was: in the first month, in the second year, on the first of the month, the Tabernacle was set up.

So here we are, the first day of the year, in the second year since the Exodus. The people were ready to move forward. The cloud descends that contains the Glory of the Lord. It will act as the guide, directing the movement of the people. But before they leave, we will spend another year at the foot of the mountain of G0d as we say goodbye to Exodus and get ready for the book of Leviticus, the book of ritual instruction for the priests.

After the rush of forces in Exodus, next week’s beginning of Leviticus is a rather tranquil book. Following the mighty acts of G0d in Exodus, Leviticus is disproportionately the words of G0d. There is very little narrative—only three chapters out of twenty-seven in the book. More than the other four of the Five Books of Moses, Leviticus pictures the deity speaking. Consistent with this is the absence of movement. Unlike Genesis and Exodus, the entire book of Leviticus is set in one place, at the foot of Mount Sinai. In Exodus, the universe—the land, waters, and sky—is in disarray. Following that, Leviticus is concerned with orderliness and arrangement, as we see—the formation of an identity—of a people through law, ritual and ethics, all united, each impacting the other.

Keep practicing forgiveness, my friends. Use this time to continue to forgive those you need to forgive and ask forgiveness from those you need to seek forgiveness from. Give thanks and celebrate your freedom and joy; do not succumb to fear and its henchmen, anger, and hatred.

This episode will be posted on our channel, where you can see all our past shows. Click here to watch the Rabbi David Gellman Show in the 2025 cycle.

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Thank you all for allowing me into your homes, electronic devices, and 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, and do not give in to the fear that is so prevalent. 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 you sharing your sacred time with me.

Enjoy and celebrate your life and the lives of others. 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 own unique individuality and 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 – be a growing beacon of light and remember – your world is what you make it. Just wish upon a star, continue to be a miracle in someone’s life, and light the light of love.

Blessings

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Respecting our past. Putting faith in your future