Traveling with Lulav and Esrog to the United States

Dear Friend,

RE: Traveling with Lulav and Esrog to the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Department of Homeland Security) have made inspectors at border posts between Canada and the United States aware of the upcoming Succos Holiday. They have kindly arranged that there will be agricultural specialists available throughout the Yom Tov traveling period. It is recommended that travelers use the Champlain Border (Lacolle), as this border post will have more inspectors available.

People who are traveling with Lulav and Esrog will be requested to hand these items for examination at all border posts. Once these items have been inspected and are free of pests and/or diseases, they will be released. Members of border inspection are sensitive to the handling of these items and will ensure at all times that the passenger opens, unwraps and rewraps the Lulav and Esrog.

We take this opportunity of wishing you and your families a good Yom Tov.

Yours Sincerely,
Rabbi S. Emanuel
Executive Director

Rosh Hashana Greetings As we Herald in 5769

Rosh Hashana Greetings as We Herald in 5769!

As communities all over the world usher in the New Year, we take the time to reflect on the past and focus on the future. As we look around us turmoil affects the world in all areas be it with violence, or with financial markets, everything around us seems to be collapsing and we get confused and sometimes are shaken in our beliefs as to what is truly happening in the world out there. In all aspects of our lives we wish we had clarity as to what will happen in the future. We all daven for our individual needs and collectively hope that we will merit another year of health and success in all areas. But whilst this confusion reigns around us, we must take stock of ourselves as individuals and focus on that which is important; focus on family; on self; and focus on our obligations towards the One Above. In order to achieve this we need look no further than our Torah which was accepted in unity. We committed ourselves then and this commitment stands now just as a commitment of a bride to a groom, that we would live by its edicts and follow all its content as our basic constitution of daily life.

Now more than ever, we should be looking to the Torah because it is only the torah that can and will give us the answers. "Hafach Bah VihaFach Ba Dikula Ba", as it is written in Ethics of our Fathers, "Turn it over, Turn it over, Because everything is in it." There is nothing that is not answered and nothing that is not explained in our Torah and all of its commentaries. It is up to us to grab onto it and latch onto its ideas.

Finally, let's take this period of time and focus on each holiday, Shabbat, and each day and base our daily lives on Torah and its basic concepts, thereby giving us Emunah, the belief and confidence for a much brighter future.

Shana Tova to you and your dear families.