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The Monthly Newsletter from RachaelsCentre.org
February  2010 / Shevat-Adar 5770 - Vol 1, Issue 5
In This Issue
In the Toronto Area
Podcast of the Week
Candle Lighting Times
From the "Many Voices" Blog
On the Breath of Children
'Olameinu': Our World, Our Environment
This Month's Mussar Dilemma
January Mussar Dilemma Recap
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In the Toronto area...
Blue Magen Zavid
Rachael will be at the following events:


Wednesday, February 17
Gentle & Strong: The Multiplicity of our Identities.
-Mothering With Meaning at Rachael's Centre

Thursday, March 4
Gratitude: A Look Into Mussar
-Holy Blossom Temple


For more information on any of these events, please e-mail info@rachaelscentre.org.
Podcast of the Week
Facebook LogoThis week, Rachael delves into Parshat Mishpatim.

Click here to go to Rachael's archived podcasts.
Candle Lighting Times
Blog Tree
Want to know when Shabbat begins in Toronto, Tel Aviv, or anywhere else?

Racahel Headshot
Welcome to this month's Koleinu. 

It's been a very interesting month at Rachael's Centre with both highs and some lows.  We are in the process of moving our website, RachaelsCentre.org, between companies.  A wide world of web technology that I use everyday but never bothered to wonder about that fearful question: how does this stuff really work?  Like most technology in my life (I must admit, including the can opener and my clock), I easily benefit from them daily but never bother to learn what makes them do what they do.  The high points of all of this have been learning an enormous amount about cyberspace, internet, global communicating and how it works.  The low parts have been, as usual, I learn about it when something goes wrong.

We haven't had access to add many videos to our website so I had a crash course in how we've been adding videos all along.  We haven't been able to edit and make corrections to things and...again...crash course.

I believe we are at the end of the 'moving' journey and everything should return to normal very soon but I'd like to apologize to those visitors on our website for not having our usual growth of materials these last few weeks.  Probably the greatest moment of learning for me was concluding that moving your 'home' on the internet is just as stressful and just as loaded with unexpected dilemmas as moving your home in the real world.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and to everyone on my Team at Rachael's Centre, thanks for adding what was needed to complete our cyber-move.  

Word to the wise - the cyber couch is just as heavy as the real one is...

Rav brachot,

Rachael Signature


Dr. Rachael Turkienicz
Executive Director, RachaelsCentre.org

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Dr. Rachael Turkienicz


From the Many Voices Blog
 Blog Tree
We are always updating our blog with new thoughts and moments from our diverse group of bloggers.

Click here to see the latest entry.


On the Breath of Children
 
Mussar girl Judaism teaches us that the world exists on the breath of children.  We'd like to share some of the true moments where the words of children have inspired us.

Once when teaching a grade 2 class, I felt it was important that they begin to understand how hurtful 'lashon harah', speaking negatively about others, could be.  I gathered the children together on our carpet since I felt they should realize how personal this is and I wanted them to engage and invest themselves in this very important Jewish value.

Click here to continue reading...



Listening to Nature - 'Olameinu': Our World, Our Environment
Nature
There's an interesting subtlety that Judaism brings to environmentalism.  Generally we are concerned with recycling materials so they are not wasted and can be reformed into other useful items.  Judaism goes one step beyond by asking what was the purpose of the item in its original form and what is the purpose of its recycled new form.

Click here to continue reading...

This Month's Mussar Dilemma: A Real-Life Moment We've All Faced


Continuing with our shopping environment, one of the students in our Mussar group raised the example we have all faced.

You are standing in line at a busy cashier.  Suddenly a second cashier opens the cash in the next lane...Click here to continue reading...


Experienced a dilemma? Share it with Rachael by emailing info@rachaelscentre.org and it may be featured next month!

January Mussar Dilemma Recap


Last month we presented a 'Mussar Dilemma', a day to day situation we all have experienced with a Mussar
question attached. 
 
You attend a social gathering filled with family.  Across the room you see someone you recognize that you haven't seen in a while.  You remember that the last time the two of you spoke there was a minor falling out and then you lost touch. 

Here are the options for your response and what Mussar has to say: