Hello to the family,
My feelings are with you in this difficult time. Zichron l'vraha.
I would like to share my memory of speaking to Rabbi Dubrawsky back in 2005.
I have been involved in creating and working on a watershed group called the False Creek Watershed Society since 2005. I had learned a great deal about the salmon that used to live in streams in Vancouver and I was teaching others about this. I gathered a lot of information on the importance of fish from the local First Nations who had lived in this area for thousands of years.
But one day I wondered to myself: I am so involved with the story of this local fish - this very amazing important fish that is central to the Pacific Coast and the Fraser River. I am learning a lot about this from the local tribal people, of course. But I am also a nice Jewish girl from Montreal. My mother made gefilte fish on yontif and my father - who grew up in Latvia - loved his smoked sardines and white fish and pickled herring.
My people were also once tribal people. I knew something about ecological Jewish wisdom. I even once founded a Jewish Environmental group in Vancouver called Adam va Adamah which was very active for eight years. Surely the Jewish people talk about the importance of fish in our lives today?
So where should I go for this information? Why 1-800-Lubavitch, of course! I called and the receptionist tranferred me to Rabbi Dubrawsky. I will never forget what he told me. He spoke to me for quite a long time and very carefully explained without a moment's hesitation that - of course to Jewish people fish are a very sacred animal. And of course ritual around water is very important with the Mikvah and Netillat Yadayim.
He told me the Hebrew word DAG is Daled Gimmel and that added together they make seven which is the holiest day of the week. That is why we eat fish on Shabbat. He said that fish were very special to Jews because they inhabited the "other world" - the world we are not a part of. He said that we need to treat the fish very carefully because unlike humans who can move to new places and thrive, the fish is dependent on a water medium. It takes a very misguided individual with a very negative intention to make a point of making life difficult for fish because they have to go far out of their way to distrurb his home. He told me it was very important in Judaism to treat fish with extra respect.
How very interesting. This was very close to what the local First Nations said. And indeed the settlers who had come over in 1850 had very quickly clearcut the land and filled in the streams all over Vancouver. They had made a lot of effort taking away the homes of these animals. They thought the supply was infinite. Now we know better that the supply is not infinte but there is still too much destruction and these fish are disappearing. We would do well to follow the laws of the Jewish and First Nations people about not destorying fish habitat and respecting their homes.
I was very grateful for Rabbi Dubrawsky's words and his explanation. I was very proud of my own religion for these thoughts for the fair treatment of this humble animal. I remember his words to this day and can still hear him telling them to me. I use the discussion of the fish inhabiting the "other world" all the time when I speak publicly about the importance and fish and water systems in our lives today. This is imperative - becuase if we unerstand the "other world" - the greater world - we understand everything and can better perform Tikkun Olam wherever we are.
In my short interaction with Rabbi Dubrawsky, I could see that he was a great teacher. I'm sure he will be sorely missed. I know I always thought I wanted to search him out again to talk about the importance of fish in my own religion some more becuase he was obviously very knowledgable. And I am very saddened that now I cannot.
I wish you all much strength.
מיר זאָל זאַין געזונדט
Celia Brauer
http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org
My feelings are with you in this difficult time. Zichron l'vraha.
I would like to share my memory of speaking to Rabbi Dubrawsky back in 2005.
I have been involved in creating and working on a watershed group called the False Creek Watershed Society since 2005. I had learned a great deal about the salmon that used to live in streams in Vancouver and I was teaching others about this. I gathered a lot of information on the importance of fish from the local First Nations who had lived in this area for thousands of years.
But one day I wondered to myself: I am so involved with the story of this local fish - this very amazing important fish that is central to the Pacific Coast and the Fraser River. I am learning a lot about this from the local tribal people, of course. But I am also a nice Jewish girl from Montreal. My mother made gefilte fish on yontif and my father - who grew up in Latvia - loved his smoked sardines and white fish and pickled herring.
My people were also once tribal people. I knew something about ecological Jewish wisdom. I even once founded a Jewish Environmental group in Vancouver called Adam va Adamah which was very active for eight years. Surely the Jewish people talk about the importance of fish in our lives today?
So where should I go for this information? Why 1-800-Lubavitch, of course! I called and the receptionist tranferred me to Rabbi Dubrawsky. I will never forget what he told me. He spoke to me for quite a long time and very carefully explained without a moment's hesitation that - of course to Jewish people fish are a very sacred animal. And of course ritual around water is very important with the Mikvah and Netillat Yadayim.
He told me the Hebrew word DAG is Daled Gimmel and that added together they make seven which is the holiest day of the week. That is why we eat fish on Shabbat. He said that fish were very special to Jews because they inhabited the "other world" - the world we are not a part of. He said that we need to treat the fish very carefully because unlike humans who can move to new places and thrive, the fish is dependent on a water medium. It takes a very misguided individual with a very negative intention to make a point of making life difficult for fish because they have to go far out of their way to distrurb his home. He told me it was very important in Judaism to treat fish with extra respect.
How very interesting. This was very close to what the local First Nations said. And indeed the settlers who had come over in 1850 had very quickly clearcut the land and filled in the streams all over Vancouver. They had made a lot of effort taking away the homes of these animals. They thought the supply was infinite. Now we know better that the supply is not infinte but there is still too much destruction and these fish are disappearing. We would do well to follow the laws of the Jewish and First Nations people about not destorying fish habitat and respecting their homes.
I was very grateful for Rabbi Dubrawsky's words and his explanation. I was very proud of my own religion for these thoughts for the fair treatment of this humble animal. I remember his words to this day and can still hear him telling them to me. I use the discussion of the fish inhabiting the "other world" all the time when I speak publicly about the importance and fish and water systems in our lives today. This is imperative - becuase if we unerstand the "other world" - the greater world - we understand everything and can better perform Tikkun Olam wherever we are.
In my short interaction with Rabbi Dubrawsky, I could see that he was a great teacher. I'm sure he will be sorely missed. I know I always thought I wanted to search him out again to talk about the importance of fish in my own religion some more becuase he was obviously very knowledgable. And I am very saddened that now I cannot.
I wish you all much strength.
מיר זאָל זאַין געזונדט
Celia Brauer
http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org
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