By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky The month of holidays is behind us. There is much about them that I enjoy. I love to cook and entertain. I love to go to synagogue with my children, to decorate the sukkah, to spend time with friends, to read books and nap and play...
Parshat Vayishlach – Having it All
Each week the leadership of our school takes the time to study Torah. Our focus this year is on tefilla, the daily prayers, and we are currently studying the morning blessings. The purpose of the morning blessings is to wake us up spiritually and to enable us to be...
Parshat Vayetze – The Symbolism of the Ladder
One of the highlights of the parsha this week is the dream of Jacob, where he has a vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder. There are multiple interpretations of this dream and its purpose in shaping the future of Jacob as the father of the nation of...United together with Am Yisrael
Kol Yisrael Areivim zeh bazeh. כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה I am writing to you today because our family is in mourning. We are crying together with our family in Israel for the loss of lives of fathers, grandfathers, husbands and friends, who were taken so cruelly...Parshat Toldot – Praying for Someone Else
We are all feeling an enormous sense of tragedy following the events of the week. Our hearts and prayers are still focused on those families. However, like the men who returned to pray the next morning in that very same synagogue, we must move forward. In the midst of...Parshat Chayei Sarah- The Lessons of Sarah and Peter Pan
This week’s parsha was my Bat Mitzvah parsha, (sometime in the 1970s shall we say…). As time passes and my kids get older, I reflect more on aging. I often don’t “feel” my age, and whenever I go to weddings, I still feel like a 25 year old. Right then, my kids, (and...Akiva Calendar
Experience Akiva
Donate
Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
Parashat Bereishit; From Chaos to Rest.
Parashat Ve-Zot Ha-Berakha (and Shemot 33:12 – 33:26, for Shabbat Hol Ha-Moed Sukkot): Safety in symbols.
By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky We were driving my daughters to my in-laws’ house up north for two nights. (My husband and I were continuing on to Tremblant without them). First, I realized I left their toiletry bag in their bathroom. So we pulled off the highway...
Parashat Ha’Azinu – There are no empty words…
By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky Girl drama. With three daughters, I’ve had my share of “she said” and “but she said,” and, unfortunately, I will likely encounter more as I am just embarking on the teen years. When their friends “hate” teachers my girls love, or...
Parashat Va-Yelekh – Bring the children
By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky For our family of five, with three daughters (ages 7, 10 and 12), we have three seats in the women’s section for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and two seats in the men’s section. My children have been sitting quietly in shul every...
The “Happy” in Happy New Year
Next week we will all wish each other a “Happy New Year” as we prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah beginning Sunday evening. Last week I read an interesting Dvar Torah by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who distinguished between the Hebrew words for happiness (“Ashrei/Osher”) and...
Parashat Nitzavim: Choose Life
By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky On the first day of school, my youngest daughter ran into my room at 6:40 AM, fully dressed, teeth brushed and ready to start grade 2. After complimenting her on her choice of outfit and telling her how proud and impressed I was that...
Parashat Ki Tavo – Are you the meanest parent?
Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky The latest accusation of “You’re SO mean!” was whined at me when my new 2015-16 Screen-Time Rules - written in fun colour markers - was pinned to the board in my kitchen. To my surprise, however, even with little or no homework these last...
Parashat Ki Teitze – I promise to be responsible
By: Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky I’m sure you’ve been there. Granola bar is unwrapped, Ziploc bag of pretzels is finished, drippy nose is wiped with a tissue, and then, the garbage is handed over to you, the parent: “Here, I’m done.” Uh what? When did mother become...
Parshat Chukat – It’s officially summer!
Please enjoy this beautiful dvar Torah from Camp Ramah in New England!! Parshat Hukkat begins with a profoundly strange ritual to moderns. We must sprinkle the ashes of a brown ("red") cow on a person who has been contaminated by contact with a dead body. Of course...
Parshat Korach – Seeking Guidance along the Path of Life
This week our grade six students are graduating from Akiva School. In the future they will take many different roads and face many different challenges. There is excellent advice for our graduates based on the story of the rebellion of Korach from this week’s parsha....