Shalom & Welcome to
Rabbi Dina-Hasida Mercy's Website!
Where Judaism is relevant, meaningful and joyful.
My Philosophy – “You don’t have to complete the task, but neither are you excused from undertaking it.”
My Philosophy – “I think Jewish education should be fun. I love Hebrew and continue to find it fascinating. I encourage my students to think critically; they don’t have to agree with everything, but at least have an understanding of various viewpoints.”
My Philosophy – “I want to help Jews and non-Jews celebrate their loving unions. Our world and our people are so wounded. There are many hurts inflicted out of this woundedness. If we want to stop the cycle, at some point, I believe we have to make an active choice to do no more harm”.
My Philosophy – “I would like to see a kinder approach. Judaism is not a missionary religion, but we can listen sympathetically to the ones who knock on the door.”
This is my interpretation of this very important part of our Liturgy. It can be seen as a reminder to us all that we bear ultimate responsibility for our world and its environment. If we do not act appropriately, we can have an impact on the earth.
My Philosophy – “The Jewish Chaplaincy Society believes in supporting the many Jews and their families who may wish to express their Jewishness in a non-synagogue setting.”
My Philosophy – “The Jewish tradition is that a rabbi is not paid for providing spiritual service, rather the rabbi is compensated for the time taken away from earning a living.”
Welcoming the Shabbat
You may ask why the first mitzvah of Shabbat is the kindling of lights. That is because Shabbat is actually a celebration of the Creator and His Creation. G‑d’s creation of the world follows a seven-day cycle, which peaks each Shabbat and begins anew. At Creation, the first thing that was brought into being was light. Therefore, it is appropriate to kindle lights at the start of Shabbat in commemoration of the first light that was created.
Blogs, Information, News, History, Community & More...
Our Most Recent Blogs
The facts and nothing but the facts about Shavuot.
Let me teach you a bit about the origins of the food customs associated with the eight days of Hanukkah – potato latkes. Early texts recount the rebellion, the recapture of the temple and rededication ceremony, but references to the “miracle” connected to Hanukkah do not appear until nearly 600 years later. We learn that the remaining supply of consecrated…
Passover or Pesach is the second most important holy day of the Jewish year and The Seder is the most commonly celebrated Jewish ritual, performed by Jews all over the world. Passover commemorates the Hebrews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, when…
Felonious is looking forward to making new friends, but he is worried that he will be shunned when people find out that he was in prison. If people could only get to know him before making up their minds! They would see that he is truly sorry for his crime. He is not that guy anymore! Overcoming his fears of…
Important Upcoming Dates
Tisha B'Av and the 3 Weeks
The Three Weeks 2022 will begin on
Saturday, July 16 and ends on Saturday, August 6
The Three Weeks is an annual mourning period that falls out in the summer. This is when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and our launch into a still-ongoing exile. With an eye to the future, we also learn about the Third Temple, which is yet to be built.
The period begins on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a fast day that marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 69 CE.
It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the 9th of Av, the date when both Holy Temples were set aflame. This is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, and it is also the date that many other tragedies befell our people
NOTE: The Jewish calendar date begins at sundown of the night beforehand. Thus all holiday observances begin the night before, as listed. The exception to this rule is most fast days, which begin at dawn of the date listed (aside for Tisha b’Av and Yom Kippur which also begin the night before). Jewish calendar dates conclude at nightfall.