Celebrating - Holy Blossom Temple

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4 In Perspective The Remarkable Teaching of Joseph There is a moment near the beginning of the Joseph story when the Torah reveals itself so tellingly that we say, “Yes, exactly, right.” And it may even change how we think (and act). Joseph has been dragged down into Egypt, sold as a slave, his life as low as human life can go: his family has abandoned him; he has no value; he is known to no one in Egypt and he has no future. Joseph has been robbed of everything, his fundamental identity included. At which point Potiphar’s wife – he the close advisor to Pharaoh, she a beautiful woman -- attempts to seduce him. How’s that for luck? An alluring woman wants you, you have absolutely nothing to lose in saying yes. No pain, all gain. “Joseph has a mind; or more precisely, an identity” Even if Joseph is caught, what could be worse than living in the dungeon and working for a slave’s rate – after all, he was already doing that! Surprise, surprise, though: Joseph rejects the advances of Potiphar’s wife with an adamant No. He flees the scene, knowing he is vulnerable to the humiliated Mrs. Potiphar concocting a story that has Joseph the seducer, she the victim. What craziness on the part of Joseph! First he passes up an opportunity for a moment of pleasure, and then he endangers himself by shaming the wife of a powerful man. Why would Joseph do such an apparently stupid thing? Has he lost his mind? No, actually, by the telling of the rabbis, it is in fact that Joseph has a mind; or more precisely, an identity. The rabbis say: at the moment when Rabbi John Moscowitz jmoscowitz@holyblossom.org Joseph was approached by Potiphar’s wife, his father appeared in his consciousness – and by standing for fundamental values of decency, integrity, respect (for self, for God, for others), Jacob’s teaching held his son’s passions at bay so that his mind could reason wisely and well. The identity instilled by the father in the son remained with Joseph in good times and bad; it held sway when Potiphar’s wife cast her eyes upon the well built slave. Rabbi Moscowitz and Rabbi Yoffie – Oct. 25, 2011 Think about it: the identity, the set of values, the way to think that Joseph’s parents had instilled in him as a child, remained with him, and were especially salient at the moment of greatest temptation. The child was well gone from the parents, but the parents were still in the child. Which is ironically what made Joseph the mature man he was -- not only at that one instance, but for the rest of his life as a leader of his brothers, the Egyptians and eventually the Jewish People. Holy Blossom Temple
Reflections on Engaging with the Next Generation I recently met with one of our chavurot and we discussed a number of challenges facing Holy Blossom Temple and synagogue life generally. This kind of discussion leads inevitably to talking about the future of synagogues and what should a congregation like ours consider in its strategy to reach the next generation – the group that will be leading the congregation in the not too distant future. The decisions we make today will inform the nature and composition of the community they will “inherit” from us. We need to understand and be able to respond to the needs and interests of the post-university and young adult cohorts. We hear from them and read many studies which recount that this generation, perhaps more so than previously, are disinclined to spend their time, energy and financial resources in a large synagogue setting like Holy Blossom. Although this may not be true for everyone in this group, it is clear that we need to think creatively and boldly about the strategies to be employed to reach this critical group and, in doing so, ensure the future of the congregation. That is why we have embarked on additional strategic work, building on our 2005 Strategic Plan, under the leadership of Lisa Taylor Vice-Chair, Department of Administration with support from Larry Ritchie Department Chair to consider the activities that need to be introduced and most importantly, how to do this within our overall theme of community engagement. If you are interested in knowing more about this initiative, please contact me. A related challenge for all synagogues that have supplementary religious schools is the threshold issue of how, in the society in which we live with so much competition for a family’s leisure time, Bulletin • December 2011 Mark Anshan and his wife, Brenda Spiegler – Purim 2010 Mark S. Anshan president@holyblossom.org we can fashion a Jewish educational program that will achieve our objectives: provide substantive Jewish knowledge that will provide the skills and interest for our members to understand and embrace the desire to live Jewish lives in a secular world. Our Reform movement has been working on the goals and objectives of Jewish education “decisions we make today will inform the nature and composition of the community they will “inherit” and their work is near completion. Our leaders, Jeff Dicker, Chair, Department of Education and Sheryl Brodey, Chair, Religious Education Committee are working with their teams and our Director of Education, Debbie Spiegel, to analyze our current program and determine how we can implement changes to enhance our educational model and build upon our legacy. Equally important in this endeavour is the acceptance of lifelong Jewish learning and towards this end, we will need to think about how we can encourage larger numbers of our adult members to pursue educational opportunities through our adult education programs. In order for your leaders to understand the needs and concerns of our members, we encourage you to communicate with us. Please do not hesitate to contact me via email at president@holyblossom. org or by phone at 416.789.3291 ext. 222. On behalf of the Officers and Board, I wish all members safe travels during the upcoming holiday season and we look forward to seeing you at Temple when we celebrate Chanukah. From the Board 5
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Page 7 and 8: Stagecraft: 2011 Treasures Now and
Page 9 and 10: Go Big and Come Home! A H i g h H o
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Page 13 and 14: R e a d e r R e s p o n s e : Yes!
Page 15 and 16: We thank our generous donors Barry
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Celebrating - Holy Blossom Temple

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