Toronto Partnership Minyan Membership

Welcome!

Our membership structure is built on two important moments in the Biblical life of the Jewish people. The first moment is the building of the mishkan, the portable dwelling-place for God among the Jewish people as they wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt. In Exodus 35:5, God instructs Moshe to ask the Israelites for contributions to the mishkan. Each person is moved to give “with a generous heart” (“nediv libo”) and contributes something to building this holy place – according to their ability, inspiration, and unique belongings. All of these went into building the sanctuary, and the Israelites gave so abundantly that Moshe eventually had to tell them there was enough. 

The second moment comes from Exodus 30:11-15, in which in order to count themselves into the Jewish people, every Jewish male adult is asked to contribute machatzit ha’shekel, a half shekel donation, considered an amount affordable to anyone, whether rich or poor. Our sacred spaces and communities are built by all hands.

By making an annual donation in our Elul membership drive, you count yourself into the TPM community, for the purposes of  communal support, discounted member pricing for events (including high holidays), and the fulfillment that comes with sustaining your community.   Your contribution goes toward TPM’s space rental for prayer and children’s activities, security costs, kiddush food, programming and basic administration.  All gifts are needed and deeply appreciated. All gifts can be given at once or as a monthly contribution.  And all gifts are eligible for a full CRA tax receipt.

How Much Should I Donate?

Machatzit Ha’Shekel: A baseline contribution to count yourself in

We ask all adult members of the TPM community to contribute a baseline annual half-shekel offering of $36 for each individual. This is how you count yourself into the TPM community, for the purposes of membership, voting privileges, and communal support. 

Nediv Lev: A personally meaningful contribution

Just as the Israelites found personally meaningful gifts to contribute to building the mishkan, we ask that all members of TPM additionally contribute a personally meaningful financial offering based on your generosity, ability, and needs. 

On an annual basis during our Elul membership drive, we will provide a recommended amount per person that is needed to cover the majority of our annual baseline costs.  The remaining amounts needed each year to meet our expenses will come from kiddush sponsorships and simchas, high holiday tickets, event fees and fundraising drives throughout the year.  If you are able to contribute beyond the recommended amount, your generosity helps ensure that everyone, regardless of financial situation, can participate fully in TPM life. 

The recommended membership donation amounts for 2025/26 are:

Membership: $180/adult (13+), $50/child (ages 3–12), family rate $500 

High Holidays (Members): Additional $180/adult, $50/child, family rate $500
High Holidays (Non-Members): $250/adult, $75/child

Donations can be made through CanadaHelps here.

Chochmat Lev: A contribution of your time and talents

As a volunteer-led community, TPM also relies on the contributions of members’ time and talents in order to run. Whether your skills lie in service leading and Torah reading, in communications and systems, or in creating social gatherings and care processes, all contributions great and small make up the life of the community. We ask you to consider in what ways you’d like to contribute your time and talents. 

For any questions regarding membership contributions, please contact info@torontopartnershipminyan.com.