Parashat Mikeitz – Clothing as a theme in Bereishit

Parashat Mikeitz – Clothing as a theme in Bereishit

The classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, tells the tale of two imposter tailors who create a very special suit for the emperor that would be invisible to “stupid people”. The emperor, impressed, parades through the town in his “new...
Parashat Vayeishev – Keneh lecha chaver

Parashat Vayeishev – Keneh lecha chaver

“You’ve got a friend in me You’ve got a friend in me You got troubles, I’ve got ’em too There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you We stick together and see it through ‘Cause you’ve got a friend in me You’ve got a...
Parashat Vayishlach – Beware the Esavs of the world

Parashat Vayishlach – Beware the Esavs of the world

The scene is too easy to picture for any parent. The boys are fighting in the living room- again. Mom steps in, separates them and gives them the now famous “time out”, to think about what they have done. Then, after sufficient time has passed, mom tells the boys to...
Parashat Vayeitzei – Jacob embodied gemilut chassadim

Parashat Vayeitzei – Jacob embodied gemilut chassadim

There are moments in our lives we see clearly in our mind’s eye as though they just happened. One such moment was the time my husband and I, newly married, offered to take our friends’ children, all four of them, downtown for a movie. After the show, we gave each...
Parashat Toldot – The legacy of Yitzchak Avinu

Parashat Toldot – The legacy of Yitzchak Avinu

A quick Google search of the expression “Covid fatigue” yields over 392 million results. Incredible, considering that less than a year ago, none of us really knew what Covid even was. Fatigue, boredom or “ennui” are states of being that we are all too familiar with; a...
Parashat Chayei Sara – We have the power to choose

Parashat Chayei Sara – We have the power to choose

Our days are filled with a myriad of choices: some big, some small, some seemingly inconsequential and some potentially life changing. In fact, it is estimated that the average adult makes roughly 35 000 decisions each and every day (UNC Science, 2018). But it is in...
Parashat Vayeira – In Hashem’s image

Parashat Vayeira – In Hashem’s image

One of the hardest things of being in a Red Zone is the isolation. Our Yom Tov and Shabbat tables where once we hosted family and friends with boisterous conversation and song, are now quieter and more sedate. Many of the more vulnerable in our community, the elderly,...
Parashat Lech Lecha – Parents as educators

Parashat Lech Lecha – Parents as educators

Over the past eight months, we have all been zooming, be it for work or school or even simchas, of late. Inadvertently, this has given everyone a glimpse into our homes. There is one thing that struck me sitting in on meetings with many different communities in...
A Day to Remember

A Day to Remember

Hebrew Academy paid tribute to the courageous fallen soldiers and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces on Remembrance Day with solemn commemorations. In a moving High School assembly led by School Rabbi Rabbi Eddie Shostak, Head of School Dr. Laura Segall underscored...
The intersection of Torah and science

The intersection of Torah and science

Grade 6 conducted two fascinating experiments with School Rabbi Rabbi Eddie Shostak this week! Rabbi Shostak teaches the boys Mishna, but in honour of Parashat Noach the class switched gears to learn about the source of rainbows in the Torah and their scientific...