Beth Israel Beth Aaron Congregation
6800 Mackle Road H4W 1A4 Côte Saint-Luc, QC, Canada

Vayikra Before Gd communicated the laws of sacrifices to Moses, He called to him. Our rabbis explain that this calling was not directly associated with communicating a message. Instead, it was a sign of closeness and love. Gd wanted to make a point of showing how dear the Jewish people are to Him. In our relations with our fellow man, we should mirror these ways of Gd. We should always attune ourselves to appreciating how every one of our colleagues declares Gd’s praise..., and should work with ourselves and our colleagues to accentuate and increase that praise. The Torah reading itself focuses on the sacrifices offered in the Sanctuary in the desert, and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew term for sacrifice is korban which has the root karov, meaning close. The sacrifices were a medium through which closeness and intimacy were established between Gd and man, and in a larger sense, between Him and every aspect of the world at large. On the altar was a burning Gdly fireflames that miraculously descended from heaven. This is paralleled by the Gdly fire which each of us possesses within his heart. Offering an animal on that altar and having it consumed by this Gdly fire parallels our efforts to add the fire of spirituality into our everyday material experience. Shabbat Shalom! Candle lighting 6:48pm

Thank you to Dr Rachel Goodman for tonights class on how to manage prolonged stress and for teaching us relaxation breathing techniques.

Katie!! @etevel

So creative!! @casual_chick thank you for sending us your finished seder plate!!

Congratz to Franci Yudcovitch! Winner of our goodie bag raffle! Thank you @thebreaderymtl for taking the time to teach us about the fascinating benefits of sourdough and fermentation!

Program fully! Registration is now closed

Tonight at 7:30pm - open to everyone baking not required to join. Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us//regi/tJAofuisqTMtG9DjuKIAmqQa46PdfdOo9dce

So many teams have already registered and boy are their team names creative!! If you like competing and you want to win big! Register online today at https://www.shul.org/escaperoom Its FREE AND YOU COULD WIN A MOUNTAIN BIKE!!

New program!!! Tu Bishvat Craft for kids Decorate your own flowerpot and plant a seed! The team at Bnei Akiva will teach you about the holiday with some fun music!! Register online at https://www.shul.org/tu-bishvat.html... In partnership with Bnei Akiva and JNF For all donations to JNF to help plant a seed please go to the link below: https://jnf.ca/montreal/campaigns/tu-bishevat-campaign/ $7 per child Includes all supply and delivery. Children ages 5+ Must register before January 13th for delivery. Supply limited

DECEMBER 3rd - Recipe will be posted next week.

Looking for volunteers for deliveries! Contact Stephanie at [email protected]

Vayechi The name of this week’s Torah reading raises an obvious question. Vayechi means And he lived. Nevertheless, the entire Torah reading focuses on the very opposite of life: Jacob’s final sickness, his farewell blessings to his children, and his burial. By choosing this name, the Torah teaches us fundamental lessons about life and death. Life is eternal, continuous, and ongoing. There is no way it can pause for a moment.... Once we understand what life is, it’s understandable why life is identified with Gd, as it is written: And Gd the Lrd is true. He is the living Gd. For He is the only entity whose existence is truly continuous. Everything else flashes momentarily on the screen of time and then passes on. How can a mortal share in eternal life? Through clinging to Gd, as it is written: And all of you who cling to Gd... are alive. Otherwise, our lifetimes are fleeting shadows, brief and flickering moments. This was our Sages’ intent when they said: Jacob our ancestor did not die. Since his descendants are alive, he is alive. Jacob was alive, for he was connected to Gdliness in a complete manner. He had no individual existence of his own; every element of his life was lived for Gd’s sake. In his passing, Jacob showed the eternality of his life, how he had tapped the spark of Gd within his soul and taught his children how to perpetuate this legacy. By naming this passage Vayechi, the Torah highlights this quality, showing each of us how we can step beyond our mortality and connect with the infinite. Shabbat Shalom! Candle Lighting 4:04pm

Check out or Instagram story. Stephanie asks the Rabbi why Esav is know for being the child with the most respect for his parents in this weeks Parsha Toldot.

How fun was that!!! Super cute afternoon with BIBA & @funtastikboogie Build a Bear was part one of three of our Sunday winter program! Send us your finished bears and we will post them for all to see!! Next week we create our Hanukkah Treasure Chests with @bneiakivamontreal... Thank you to @hollander.ronit for the photo!

Hello Fruit Mini Tarts!! @galitabihsera

Parsha Toldot One activity of Isaac’s on which the Torah elaborates at some length is his well-digging. We are told how he reopened the wells originally dug by Abraham, and how he dug a series of wells of his own. Isaac is portrayed as a farmer and a well-digger. Isaac had learned the profound secret of the seed: growth and profit come only when you allow yourself to disintegrate and become one with the soil from which you have come. Isaac was a digger of wells, boring throu...gh the strata of emotion and experience in search of the quintessential waters of the soul. Boring deeper than feeling, deeper than desire, deeper than achievement, to the selflessness at the core of self. Abraham’s love of Gd and humanity took him on a journey from the self outwarda journey etched in the roads of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Canaan. Isaac never left the boundaries of his homeland. For his was an inward journey, a journey into the depths of self, to the essence within. Source - Chabad.org Candle lighting 4:01pm Shabbat Shalom!

Lech Lecha This week’s Torah portion is named Lech Lecha, recalling Gd’s first command to Abraham. Lech means go. Gd was telling him to go out, to leave his native land and his father’s household, to emerge from the cocoon of protected existence and set out on his own path in the world. R. Moshe Alshich explains lecha to mean to yourself. By journeying throughout the world, Abraham was setting out on a path of self-discovery. The purpose of his journey to Eretz Yisrael..., his descent to Egypt, his return to the land, and all his wanderings was intended to enable him to understand his own identity and express his positive qualities in his surrounding environment. Gd leads us all from the cradle onward, step by step, through a variety of experiences the sum total of which are intended to enable us to discover and express our inner Gdly potential. When Abraham set out on his journey, he took with him the souls he had made in Charan: the people he had motivated to join his mission. Man’s journey through life is not intended to be a lonely trek on mountain crags or in desert valleys. Quite the contrary, Gd leads us through a world with other people with whom we interact in synergy, both giving and receiving. For they are on similar journeys, parallel in purpose if not necessarily in route. As a person grows to appreciate these concepts, he will be able to maximize his opportunities in life, making his experiences happier and more fruitful. He will not be encumbered by fear or worry, because he will realize that at every moment, a watching hand is guiding him, directing him to encounters intended to advance his personal growth and his contribution to the world. Text from Chabad.org Shabbat Shalom! Candle lighting 5:25PM

Program officially sold out! Look out for our WINTER CAMP IN A BOX! More info to come

Beautiful work!! Hannah Kalin

Rachel Imenu’s Yartzeit / Hilloula Rachel imenu has a special place in Jewish history, Jewish thought and Jewish thinking because we are told that she is buried in Beit Lechem and one of the only Matriarchs; Patriarchs not buried in Chevron. Because she has to be on the road to watch over her children in exile during times of destruction. As the prophet Yermiyahu says She cries for her children but Hashem tells her Stop crying because ultimately, there will be a redempt...ion. The question is why Rachel? And the idea is very beautiful; When Jacob our forefather went into exile to protect himself from his brother Esav who wanted to kill him, Rachel was the first person he met and because of that she alway remembered the pain of a Jew who has to leave israel. And therefor she was the one who’s prayers for ultimate jewish redemption are listened to and who stands witness as jews go into exile and successfully prays for their return.

Women’s Parshah Learning with Sarah Gateno from KTM! This program will run twice a month on Tuesday’s! @ktmmtl

Due to high demand we got 5 more bears available!! Treasure box and clay menorah still available. Shul.org/sundays

ZOOM PROGRAM! only 6 bears left!! register online today at Shul.org/sundays

Bravo to Eli & Sivan on a successful Sunday program!!

Thursday’s with Steph - Nov 4th you voted for Wonton! swipe right for ingredients!!

BIBA is happy to announce our Fall program with @funtastikboogie on ZOOM SUPPLY & DELIVERY INCLUDED FOR ALL 3 PROGRAMS!! (Delivery for CSL & VSL only - must register before Nov 8th) Nov 22nd - Build a Bear ... Nov 29th - Hannukah Treasure Chest filled with goodies! Musical Guest @bneiakivamontreal December 6th - Clay Menorah with Co-Host Steph! Only 10 spots per program! REGISTER ONLINE TODAY AT SHUL.ORG/ SUNDAYS

Parsha Noach The beginning of this week’s Torah reading relates how Gd tells Noah that since he was righteous, he and his family would be saved. Although all mankind would be punished for their wickedness, Noah and his descendants would not perish. For that purpose, Noah was instructed to build an ark in order to withstand the flood. Noah spent the entire year in the ark feeding and caring for the many animals.... Herein lies a fundamental lesson. No person exists for himself. We were created for service.The Jewish ideal is not a world where the righteous sit crowned with their knowledge. That is a description of the World to Come, the afterlife, where the souls bask in divine light. However, until a person reaches that state, he must work. We have all been given a mission to prepare the world to be a dwelling for Gd. And to be complete, that dwelling must encompass every element of creation. Therefore every element of our environment is important and deserving of our concern and attention. (Text from Chabad.org) Shabbat Shalom! Candle lighting 5:36pm