The Toronto Sem

Shabbat Shalom | Parashat Tetzaveh ✨

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, February 27, 2026 — 5:46 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Tetzaveh

🌙 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, February 28, 2026 — 6:48 PM

📅 Adar 10–11, 5786

Wishing you a Shabbat filled with light, purpose, and peace.

Why does Judaism celebrate Tu b’Shvat — the New Year for Trees — in the middle of winter, when trees stand bare against a gray, lifeless sky?

Because Judaism teaches us to look beneath the surface. Even when nothing appears to be happening, growth is already underway. Tu b’Shvat reminds us that true personal growth often begins invisibly — long before results are seen — and that unlocking human potential requires patience, faith, and trust in the process. 🌱

Shabbat Shalom | Parashat Terumah ✨

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, February 20, 2026 — 5:37 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Terumah

🌙 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, February 21, 2026 — 6:39 PM

📅 Adar 3–4, 5786

Judaism offers a built-in system for noticing nature’s beauty.
When we pause to say a blessing on a fragrant tree, a rainbow, or a powerful storm, we move from autopilot into mindful presence.

These moments train us to notice the everyday miracles we so often take for granted.

Shabbat Shalom | Parashat Mishpatim ✨

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, February 13, 2026 — 5:27 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Mishpatim

🌙 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, February 14, 2026 — 6:30 PM

📅 Shevat 26–27, 5786

Wishing you a meaningful and peaceful Shabbat filled with rest, reflection, and connection.

Judaism teaches that nature is a powerful source of spiritual connection, emotional grounding, and inner strength.

Reciting blessings on mountains, storms, fragrant trees, and beautiful landscapes cultivates awareness, gratitude, and vitality. These moments remind us that nature isn’t just scenery, it’s a transformative part of our wellbeing. 🌿

Shabbat Shalom | Parashat Yitro ✨

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, February 6, 2026 — 5:18 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Yitro

🌙 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, February 7, 2026 — 6:21 PM

📅 Shevat 19–20, 5786

Wishing everyone a peaceful and uplifting Shabbat filled with meaning, rest, and inspiration.

Growth isn’t about getting it right the first time.

Real progress comes from repeated experiments, mistakes, and the discomfort of learning fast. The most successful people don’t treat outcomes as final verdicts — they treat life like a series of tests and iterations.

As King Solomon wrote: “Seven times the righteous fall, and seven times they rise” (Proverbs 24:16).

Shabbat Shalom ✨ Parashat Beshalach

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, January 30, 2026 — 5:08 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Beshalach

🌅 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, January 31, 2026 — 6:12 PM

📆 Shevat 12–13, 5786

As we read Beshalach, may this Shabbat bring courage, faith, and the strength to move forward on our journey.

Jewish prayer is filled with reminders that you have a soul, that you matter.

You are deeply loved by God, no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done.

According to Jewish thought, you are not broken.

You are a soul with infinite potential.

Shabbat Shalom ✨Parashat Bo

🕯 Candle Lighting: Friday, January 23, 2026 — 4:59 PM

📖 Torah Reading: Bo
🌅 Shabbat Ends: Saturday, January 24, 2026 — 6:04 PM

📆 Shevat 5–6, 5786

As we read Bo, may this Shabbat inspire courage, freedom, and renewed faith.

Judaism teaches that everything we do, even the most mundane moments, can be filled with meaning. ✨

Eating. Working. Resting. Loving. All of it can become part of something bigger.

Jewish prayer reminds us that we’re not just drifting through life.

We’re here with intention. We’re here for something greater.