Essay adapted from remarks at a memorial service held at Toronto’s Congregation Shaarei Shomayim on July 7, 2014

David Hartman was always seeking a more penetrating and productive way to learn and teach, to engage and to fulfill the words of the Torah he so loved.

Israel continues to fight a just war, avoiding as much as possible collateral damage to innocents. Keep alive the hope of better long-term relations between Israel and her neighbors

Let our Israeli friends, cousins, our extended mishpacha, know that we have not forgotten them

As we fulfil the mitzvah of writing a Torah we also become part owners of the Torah; through this act we “acquire Torah,” add joy and bring holiness to our lives

We are facing a long war that initially targets Israel, but endangers much of democratic civilization. Our efforts on behalf of Israel are also important in the struggle to maintain the vitality of democratic institutions, the legitimacy of free speech, and the open expression of culture

Israel pours for us a blended fifth cup of wine, for while it has provided survival, security and stability for our people, it is also full of poverty, pain, and the challenge of making peace

Descendants of Rachel - Yosef her son, and Mordechai from the tribe of Binyamin - become Jews who rise to power in a foreign land and use their position to save their families or people