Limmud Toronto 2021

In a small Jewish cemetery in London, Ontario, the 1934 tombstone of Eva Hoffman reads that she died "due to the Morro Castle." Significantly, Eva was the only Canadian passenger to perish in this September 8 1934 maritime disaster in New Jersey, one of the worst in American history. This presentation will show how this accomplished young woman, born and raised in London's closely-knit Jewish community, came to be on this ill-fated ship and will reveal how Jewish perceptions and rituals played an important role in how the tragedy and Eva were memorialized.

Some of the most exciting Jewish stories are told in the haftarah (Bible portions read at synagogue each week). Laya Crust has just written and illustrated a book that brings those stories and Jewish history to life. Laya studied Jewish cultural art history and researched Renaissance and medieval manuscripts, ancient mosaics, murals, and early documents. She enlivens the Bible stories by weaving the stories of the images and artists into the narrative.

Come to this exciting presentation and learn about Isaiah and the Jewish cartographer who changed navigational maps forever; the Holocaust survivor who unknowingly illustrated a haggadah for a seder in 1945 Berlin, and how king Solomon's portrait ended up in a deck of cards.

Whether or not you are familiar with art or with Bible stories, you will see the original images and hear anecdotes, all of which are in Laya Crust's upcoming book, "Illuminations- An Exploration of Haftarah Through Art and History."

What’s Jewish about the way we eat? Using the laws of kashrut as our guiding framework, we’ll explore veg living in a Jewish context within a modern, industrialized world. What do our sacred texts have to teach us about animal rights, environmental stewardship, personal and public health, food justice? Learn how changing our food system is an essential component of tikkun olam, repairing the world, and what we each can do to make a change.

The classic story of the foundations of the modern Jewish state starts in the nineteenth century, with Herzl and others of his time. Yet long before Jewish thinkers advocated for the possibility of a physical homeland that would protect the Jews from hatred and allow them to thrive culturally and religiously, modern philosophers raised the idea of a modern Jewish state. My presentation will offer insights into the early-modern discussion of the Jews in the founding theory of the modern state, and will ask what difference it makes to us today, if the modern world of states was imagined from the onset - by Christian theorists in the Christian world - of having a state for the Jews.

As a modern Jewish woman, how should I read classical rabbinic texts about women? Should I read them with grace or suspicion? Should I impose modern complexities on the text, or try to walk a mile in the shoes of the ancient sages—reading the text from their perspective? Is it even possible to read historical texts without anachronism? How free should I feel to seek out strong woman predecessors to serve as models for me? These are not simply theoretical questions—they keep sleep from the eyes of feminist religious educators, who feel obligated to their tradition and who ask themselves if traditional and feminist values are mutually exclusive or if they can be contained within a single education.
The Hartman high school for girls in Jerusalem aims to be a laboratory for religious feminist education—teaching girls Torah and Talmud at a high level, teaching them to take part in public rituals and ceremonies, teaching them to be proud of and comfortable in their bodies, making them into leaders who will change the world. Join us as we explore challenges involved in teaching an ancient tradition to young, empowered women, who see traditional texts not just as sources of inspiration but also as sources of authority.

Pain is a gateway to understanding and grief is an invitation to healing. The teachings of the Kabbalists and Hasidic Masters outline the stages of this timeless journey. Judaism has always been a lineage of people actively engaged in the physical world and day-to-day responsibilities. As such, many of our spiritual teachings involve tuning into the wisdom and potential of the physical body itself. Far from escapism, this meditative path tells us to turn inwards towards our challenges, our anxieties, and our suffering in order to begin the process of transformation, insight, and healing. By pairing these teachings with contemporary methods of body-based self-inquiry, Rabbi Matthew Ponak will articulate a Jewish path of embodied growth that is both steeped in tradition and ripe for our time. Through an exploration of texts along with a guided body-centred meditation you will get a taste for the depths of the mystical body.

Join this panel discussion to learn how and why mental health matters in both traditional and contemporary Judaism. The session will begin with Denise, who will lead us in an exploration into the wisdom of our teachers as it relates to mental health. We will then take you into the world of practical application as we see what Judaism has to say about the mental health of both the individual and the community. In supporting the individual, Noah Tile will take us on a journey to discover gratitude, and how we can apply it as a way of life and practice. Rabbi Torczyner will then take us outwards, in helping us understand the great power and responsibility of the community to support mental health. 

The hope is that through this session, we will come away with a deeper and more grounded approach to improving the quality of our life and relationships, with God, our community and ourselves.

Topic Title: Singing our way through Torah ~ Exploring the songs in our Holy Texts
Leaders: Rabbi Jordan D. Cohen & Cantor Paula Baruch

Brief Description: An exploration of the songs that come from Torah. Rabbinic tradition identifies 10 Songs of Torah. Where are they, what are they and how do we sing them? How does song bring life to text? In this session we will look at the structure and meaning of each of these Torah ‘songs’ and share in the singing of the musical interpretations of these texts. Traditional melodies and contemporary interpretations will be explored. Singing is encouraged and expected in this session.

We will explore different ideas about why and how we relate to halakhah and theology, going through the thought of Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Rabbi Heschel