Rabbi's Messages

on Sunday, 25 October 2015.

There’s an old joke about the different Jewish streams:

Orthodox Jews are crazy
Conservative Jews are hazy
Reform Jews are lazy

Of course, none of these are true. But they do represent commonly held stereotypes about the denominations. The beef about Reform Judaism is that it is somehow “less than,” that it represents an easier and less authentic way to be Jewish.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

What is Reform Judaism? It is a way of approaching religion that is built around individual choice and around universal principles. It is a form of Judaism that says that keeping Shabbat can be meaningful if you are mindful about it; that there are many correct ways to keep kosher. It teaches that the truth of science and the truth of religion need never conflict – that egalitarianism and equality and evolution are as true in our synagogues as they are in our schools.

Reform Judaism also teaches that Judaism should never remain static, that as soon as a religion becomes frozen it also begins to atrophy. That’s why there’s no such thing as “Reformed” Judaism. It’s not a past tense verb - Judaism that has been reformed once and never again will change. Rather, we are in a constant state of reforming, evolving, growing, and adapting, while staying grounded in ancient traditions that stretch back to the origins of our people.

We can be very proud of the contributions that Reform Judaism has made to our religious world. And we can celebrate being part of a religious movement – the largest religious Jewish movement in the world – that places tradition and community and Tikkun Olam at the centre of its being.

Please join us November 20 at 8 pm as Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism and head of our North American movement, is the keynote speaker at Shabbat services. We will join all of the GTA Reform congregations that evening at 8 Temple Sinai to sing, pray, learn, and celebrate. (NOTE: We will not hold Kabbalat Shabbat at Kol Ami that evening.) More information is available below.

L’shalom,
Rabbi Micah Streiffer