The post Family HAVDALAH CELEBRATION appeared first on Makom.

Fri, Oct 30
5:30-6:30pm

Outdoors & In-Person near Bloor & Bathurst
(exact location provided upon registration)
FREE
REGISTRATION REQUIRED by 4pm, Oct 30
LIMITED SPACE
If it’s raining at 4pm or later, services will be cancelled.

It’s getting dark earlier, so this will be our last in-person, Friday night service for many months. Let’s safely gather together in real life while we still can!

Wind down from the week and welcome Shabbat outdoors with soulful and song-filled services.

For our community’s and broader society’s safety, we are strictly following Toronto Public Health’s Guidance for Places of Worship.

If you feel unwell or have any COVID-19 symptoms, you must stay home.

Please bring:

• MASK that covers your nose, mouth & chin (MANDATORY!)
• Blanket, cushion, or chair for sitting (optional)
• Siddur/prayer book (optional); we’ll have photocopies of services in Hebrew & phonetic transliteration available
• Kippah/head covering (if you wear one during services)

Seating will be physically distant and there will be separate sections for women’s, men’s, and mixed (all genders) seating, from which you can choose when you register. Since we’ll be outdoors and not in a regular prayer space, there won’t be curtains between these sections.

Children are welcome if they can sit next to their parent for the full duration of services and maintain physical distancing from all others. Children must be registered as well.

Please note that washrooms will NOT be available.

Don’t forget to register now.

The post In-Person, Outdoor FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES appeared first on Makom.

Thurs, Oct 29
12-1pm

Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 4183 9308, Password: 024117
FREE (donations greatly appreciated)

Who started Judaism and why? We’ll delve into one of my all-time favourite midrashim (rabbinic interpretations), which is on this week’s Torah portion, to explore and discuss these big questions philosophically and spiritually (not historically).

Everyone is welcome! No prior Jewish learning experience required. Sources presented in both Hebrew and English translation.

The post WHY DID JUDAISM START? appeared first on Makom.

Sun, Oct 25
2-4pm
Outdoors & In-Person
Start: near St Clair & Wychwood (exact location provided upon registration)
End: Fort York

Very Limited Spots
REGISTRATION Required
$10-20/person (PWYC)
FREE for Makom Members (registration still required)

Join us for a fun 8 km hike through Toronto neighbourhoods and parks while we enjoy each other’s company, take in the fall foliage, and learn about our city’s history from 100,000 years ago to today through the lens of water.

We recently started praying for rain in the daily amidah, an acknowledgement of both our dependence on water and our attempts to control it. Over the hike, we’ll explore how water shapes our built environment and how humans influence natural waterways as we follow the full length of now-hidden Garrison Creek.

Masks Mandatory!
You’re welcome to walk your bicycle for the hike.
Rain date: Nov 8

The post URBAN HIKE: Hidden Waters appeared first on Makom.

Thurs, Oct 22
12-1pm
Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 4183 9308, Password: 024117
FREE (donations appreciated)

We’ll explore diverse Jewish sources, from the Torah to modernity, on the ethics, halakhah (Jewish law), and kabbalah (mysticism) of eating animals.

Carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores are all welcome! No prior Jewish learning experience required. Sources presented in both Hebrew and English translation.

The post SHOULD WE EAT ANIMALS? Veganism, Vegetarianism & Judaism appeared first on Makom.

Fri, Oct 16
6-7pm
Outdoors & In-Person near Bloor & Bathurst
(exact location provided upon registration)
FREE
REGISTRATION ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED for public health purposes by 4pm, Oct 16
LIMITED SPACE
If it’s raining at 4pm or later, services will be cancelled.

Let’s gather together safely in person, outdoors to wind down from the week and welcome Shabbat with soulful and song-filled services!

For our community’s and broader society’s safety, we are strictly following Toronto Public Health’s Guidance for Places of Worship.

If you feel unwell or have any COVID-19 symptoms, you must stay home.

Please bring:

• MASK that covers your nose, mouth & chin (MANDATORY!)
• Blanket, cushion, or chair for sitting (optional)
• Siddur/prayer book (optional); we’ll have photocopies of services in Hebrew & phonetic transliteration available
• Kippah/head covering (if you wear one during services)

Seating will be physically distant and there will be separate sections for women’s, men’s, and mixed (all genders) seating, from which you can choose when you register. Since we’ll be outdoors and not in a regular prayer space, there won’t be curtains between these sections.

Children are welcome if they can sit next to their parent for the full duration of services and maintain physical distancing from all others. Children must be registered as well.

Please note that washrooms will NOT be available.

Don’t forget to register now.

The post In-Person, Outdoor FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES appeared first on Makom.

Thurs, Oct 15
12-1pm
Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 4183 9308, Password: 024117
FREE

Feeling happy about a certain U.S. politician’s illness? Or repulsed by gleeful reactions to it? Or unsure what’s the right way to feel and express yourself in such circumstances?

Through text study and discussion, we’ll explore the wisdom Judaism has to offer us about experiencing joy in another’s misfortune.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME. No prior Jewish learning experience required. Sources presented in both Hebrew and English translation.

The post Judaism on JOY in ANOTHER’S MISFORTUNE appeared first on Makom.

Thurs, Oct 8
12-1pm
Online via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 4183 9308, Password: 024117
FREE

Join us for learning and discussion of some fun, lesser-known Jewish sources about Sukkot that will help us better understand key meanings and messages of the holiday.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME. No prior Jewish learning experience required. Sources presented in both Hebrew and English translation.

The post PELTING ETROGS! + Other Surprising Sukkot Sources appeared first on Makom.

• MASK that covers your nose, mouth & chin (MANDATORY!)
• Blanket, cushion, or chair for sitting (optional)
• Siddur/prayer book (optional); we’ll have photocopies of services in Hebrew & phonetic transliteration available
• Kippah/head covering (if you wear one during services)

Seating will be physically distant and there will be separate sections for women’s, men’s, and mixed (all genders) seating, from which you can choose when you register. Since we’ll be outdoors and not in a regular prayer space, there won’t be curtains between these sections.

Any children who come must be able to sit next to their parent for the full duration of services and maintain physical distancing from all others. Children must be registered as well.

Please note that washrooms will NOT be available.

Don’t forget to register now.

The post In-Person, Outdoor Friday Night Services appeared first on Makom.

Let’s prepare ourselves for the Days of Awe together through three weeks of thematic classes. 

What are the physical and spiritual properties of the shofar? How can it help us improve ourselves, our relationships, and the world? We’ll learn and discuss traditional Jewish sources to find out!

Upcoming Topic
SELIHOT: Praying for Forgiveness – Sept 10

EVERYONE IS WELCOME. No prior Jewish learning experience required. Sources presented in both Hebrew and English translation.

The post Days of Awe Prep: Wake Up! The SHOFAR appeared first on Makom.