Articles by Lazer Gurkow
High Holilday Greetings 5777
New Year Greeting 5777
As I prepare for my sixteenth Rosh Hashanah in London, Ontario, my mind turns to an event that occurred shortly after we arrived.
Congregation Beth Tefilah organized an installation ceremony in my honor and Joel Wittstein of blessed memory was in attendance. I feel fortunate and honored to …
Rosh Hashana: Are You on The Pill
Can I have A Pill?
Have you ever heard of the man who went to the doctor and asked for a prescription? When the doctor asked, what’s ailing you, the man replied, nothing. I just want to be sure I don’t get sick. The doctor explained, “you don’t need medicine sir, …
Nitzavim: Sunnyside Up
The Sunnyside
The other day, my three-year-old son accompanied me to the supermarket. I put a few dozen eggs in the cart and asked him if he likes eggs. What kind are they, he replied, hard boiled or sunny side up?
It made me realize that this is a question for life. …
Nitzavim: Get Out Of Jail
Two Poles
The Torah section that we read each year on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, begins with the words “You all stand this day before the Lord, your God, the leaders of your tribes, your elders and your officers, every man of Israel, your young ones, your women, and your …
Ki Tavo: Reach Out
Cell Phone Reach Out
Good news for all those who have been trying to reach me via cell, text or other forms of digital communication. My withdrawal from the cell phone world has come to an end. My service provider delivered my new cell phone and I am connected again. But …
Ki Tetze: Character Lessons
Abomination
When you hear the word abomination, which sin do you think of? Well we all know which one we think of, but that is not the only sin that the Torah calls an abomination. In fact, all carnal sins are characterized as such. It therefore comes as a surprise that …
Ki Tetze: The Strongest Marriage
A Marriage
“Ah, Marriage,” sighed a middle aged man. “The other day I was admiring myself in a full length mirror and I asked my wife whether she would still like me when I am bald, fat and old. ‘I do,’ she replied.”
Marriages are notorious for one-line zingers, but we tell …
Shoftim: Parenting
The Oys of Parenting
If, as the Torah says, humans are similar to trees, then parenting is a lot like gardening. You can read about it in books, but you don’t know what you are doing until you get your hands dirty.
I don’t know of a single parent that learned to …
