Chabad of Downtown
15a Clarence Square M5V 1H1 Toronto, ON, Canada

We achieve greatness by handing over our values onto the next generation and empowering them to go and build the future. -Rabbi Jonathan Sacks This week’s Torah portion is called Toldot, or generations. It tells of Isaac’s marriage, the birth of Jacob and Esau and the blessings Isaac gave to Jacob, passing over the baton of Judaism to the next generation. With the energy from this week’s Torah portion, let us put thought into the legacy we are giving over to our childre...n to carry through the next generations. Let’s instill them with strong Jewish values so that our legacy, and mission will live on. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 4:29.

Light is contagious. When you make light for yourself, you inevitably also light up your surroundings. In this week’s Torah portion we read of Isaac’s marriage to Rebecca, and the way she continued the legacy of Sarah by meticulously observing the 3 Mitzvot of women, thereby enjoying G-d’s presence and his miracles in her tent. Although she was only 3 when she was first introduced to the family, she already began lighting Shabbat candles every Friday, bringing physical and spiritual light into the world. Tonight, as we light our candles and illuminate our physical surroundings, let us also remember to illuminate our surroundings with rich, spiritual energy and life, even just a little bit at a time. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 4:36 pm.

Our world just lost a giant, Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks passed away. A truly inspiring leader scholar and teacher to both the Jewish people and all of humanity. Baruch Dayan Emet

They said that G-d is too transcendent to be in the ordinary world, that he can only be found in prayer and meditation, in the sanctuary and houses of study. But G-d pleads: Let me back into my garden, the place where I found delight when it all began. -Bringing Heaven Down to Earth 2020 has been a wild ride, thus far. So much uncertainty, so much change and so much anxiety. The only thing we can each, individually, do is to change our mindset, our attitude and our outlook.... If we bring G-d into our every day, allow him to enter our minds and our lives, even slightly more than before, everything will begin to look, feel and with His help, even be different. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 4:43.

True joy is achieved by finding the good and the cause for joy in everything. -The Baal Shem Tov Tonight we begin the week-long holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is known as the holiday of joy, due to the many joyful events that took place over the holiday when the temple stood. Nowadays, it is our mission to make the holiday joyous and to take the joy and let it permeate the rest of our year by finding reasons to be joyful in the everyday. ... Please light Shabbat and holiday candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib tonight at 6:37 pm and tomorrow AFTER 7:36 pm.

You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety. -Abraham Maslow In this week’s Torah portion we are introduced to Abraham with G-d’s first command to him telling him to leave his hometown and go to the place that I will show you. With tremendous trust in G-d, Abraham obeyed the command without question, and from there, as G-d promised, he became the father of a great nation. We are all familiar with that one, large step that will take us o...ut of our comfort zone and into the mode of growth, progression and accomplishments. That one step that is hardest to take. This week, let’s work towards that step and may we all become truly great. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 5:52.

When Jews appear for divine judgment, the angels say to them, ‘do not worry, the judge is your father. -Midrash Tehillim We stand just hours before the most solemn day of the year. The day when our fate for this year will be sealed. May all our prayers be answered, and as we sing the heartfelt Avinu Malkeinu - Our Father, Our King, just moments before that last piercing blow of the Shofar, let us pray that G-d judge us all as a father, with unconditional love.... Please light holiday candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 6:46 pm.

The higher you are, the lower you can fall. The lower you are, the higher you can reach. Don’t focus on where you are. Focus on where you are headed. -The Rebbe Many have expressed the sentiment that a year could not get worse than 5780. Now that we have entered a new Jewish year, and we find ourselves celebrating the first Shabbat of the new year, and the last one before Yom Kippur, let us focus on rising upward. If our last year wasn’t great, this one can only be better. ...Let’s aim for higher, reach for better and put our efforts into making this year our best one yet. And in return, let’s pray G-d does his part and makes it better than we could have imagined. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 6:50 pm.

Yom Kippur begins Sunday night, looking forward to seeing all those that will be joining us.

The past can’t be undone. Therefore, look to the future. -Our Sages At times, when preparing for the New Year, we get stuck feeling guilty for what could have been, what we could have done differently and what we wish we could have changed. When we feel such sentiments affecting us negatively, let’s remember that we are looking into our past only to better the future. What was, was. Let’s use the past as our springboard for a better tomorrow.... Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 7:16.

The High Holidays are begining next week. Please RSVP as soon as possible as space is very limited this year. RSVP @jewishdt.com.

Some have and some have not so the world can be a place of giving. -Chabad.org During the month preceding Rosh Hashana, while we prepare for the new year, one of the primary methods of preparation is through charity. When we open ourselves to others and give of our resources to help those around us, we open up channels of giving from G-d towards ourselves. Let’s all commit to giving of ourselves to those around us and hope for the same from G-d in return.... Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 7:29 pm.

NEXT Wednesday, Sept 9th @ 7pm Join us for a Pre-Rosh Hashana Cooking Demo! Learn some Tips and Techniques With Naomi Nachman - Food Blogger & Cookbook Author Free of Charge RSVP to [email protected] for the ZOOM ID

Prayer is the act of listening to G-d listening to us. -Rabbi Jonathan Sacks It is that time of year, before the High Holidays, when we are all focused on preparing and praying to be granted a sweet, new year. Prayer is more about the connection with G-d, and less about the words being said. If we focus on the connection and tap into our innermost selves as we pray, we will actually feel the bond and maybe even hear G-d listening to us.... Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 7:41 pm.

Daily dose of Jewish wisdom

You might not be able to do everything, but you can always do something. -Seeds of Wisdom II Today is the first day of the month of Elul and the High Holidays are now a month away. During this month, we devote ourselves to gearing up for the New Year and bettering ourselves in preparation. It could be very overwhelming, as there seems to be so much we can do to improve ourselves and commit to a better future. Let’s remember that every small thing counts and even if we can’t... improve everything, we can always work on something. And every little something counts. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 7:52 pm.

Change happens the moment you decide change is going to happen. -Seeds of Wisdom II This week we will enter the Jewish month of Elul, the month preceding the High Holidays. It is a month dedicated to making positive changes in preparation for the new year. Many times, change seems daunting. ‘The timing isn’t right’, ‘we’re too overwhelmed’ and ‘when life gets easier we’ll get to it’. But, with determination and self discipline we can make whatever positive changes we want ...to. Let’s make this month one that counts and come into the new year with the knowledge that positive change is entirely in our hands, and the evidence to prove it. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 8:04 pm.

Words from the heart enter the heart. -Moshe Ibn Ezra This past week we celebrated Tu B’Av, a day dedicated to matchmaking. In days of old, it was the day on which single women would go out in the fields dressed in white and the single men would come out to find their soulmate, thereby creating many matches. There is no better day to think about our relationships, both with our spouses and just any relationship we may have. Do we genuinely care for the other? When we expre...ss ourselves to others, do we do so for their benefit, out of true care? Do the words and feelings we give over enter their hearts. If they do, then they truly come from our heart and if they don’t, there’s always time to refocus and make sure that before we give over a thought or feeling, we are truly doing it for the others benefit. And when words come from our heart, we’ll see the way they enter the others heart and our relationships will be healthy and sincere. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 8:14 pm.

Darkness was placed in the world only to challenge light. As the light intensifies, darkness thickens in defiance. -Chabad.org This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Nachamu - Shabbat of Consolation. After commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple through a time period of mourning and a day of fasting, we read sections from the book of Isaiah in which he comforts the Jewish people after the horrors they’ve been through and reminds them of the good that is to come. This... year, as times are more challenging for many and the darkness engulfing us seems to thicken over time, let us be comforted with the knowledge that as the darkness thickens, it is just to fight the light that is ever intensifying. Let us pray to finally have the darkness removed so we can finally see the light and bask in its glory, forever. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 8:23 pm.

Learn seven historical events that took place on Tisha b'Av, the Jewish day of mourning.

The way to answer ‘What do I do?’ is to ask, ‘Why am I truly here?’ -Seeds of Wisdom II This Thursday is the ninth of Av, the day we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple, and the beginning of the long exile we still find ourselves in today. Especially during times like these, in which we all feel the suffering of exile more than usual, we should ask ourselves why we are here and find ways that we can make a small difference. With the collective impact of all our small a...ctions, may we merit to finally be redeemed from this exile and see the day on which there will be no more suffering on this earth. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 8:31 pm.

The good we do lives on in others and it is one of the most important things that does. -Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Now, as we all watch things around us changing daily, sometimes making us fearful and stressed, let us think of those around us and see what small acts of kindness we can do for them. When they look back at the year 2020, part of what they’ll remember is the kindness and care that you showed them. And maybe, they’ll pay it forward and the climate will change to one ...of spreading kindness, as opposed to fear, worry and concern. Please light Shabbat candles in memory of Chana bat Yehuda Leib at 8:37 pm.

Parsha thought for this week.

Meet the Bruks, a bi-racial family in Bozeman, Montana with 5 adopted children