November 11 thoughts from Lawrence Ben-Eliezer

Lawrence is a well known, and thoughtful, Toronto lawyer:


November 11 is almost upon us.

As the air temperatures drop and ground gets colder, as those with a living memory of the tragedies of war become fewer in number because of attrition, as our society becomes more and more selfish and less and less concerned with the history of sacrifices that has allowed us to enjoy our lives, it is time to change the mechanism and think a little about how we got here and what we must do to ensure that young men and women never again have to risk life and limb to combat evil and terror. We cannot achieve the promise of the future without honouring the sacrifices of the past.

Our courts will for the most part be closed on November 11. Bail courts will be running and many of us will be working to clear our desks and prepare for the next trial. All of us should, however, take or make the time to pay homage to those who left the comforts of home to serve Canada despite knowing there was a substantial chance they would never return. Attend at a cenotaph or otherwise take a moment to reflect on the past so that you may contemplate the future in context.

Those who know me also know that I am not a very religious man, and that I am given to a largely secular view of the universe. Nonetheless, I reproduce passages from the book of Ecclesiasticus, Ch. 44.

Make of it what you will.


[1] Let us now praise famous men,and our fathers in their generations.
[2] The Lord apportioned to them great glory,his majesty from the beginning.
[3] There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,and were men renowned for their power,giving counsel by their understanding,and proclaiming prophecies;
[4] leaders of the people in their deliberationsand in understanding of learning for the people,wise in their words of instruction;
[5] those who composed musical tunes,and set forth verses in writing;
[6] rich men furnished with resources,living peaceably in their habitations –
[7] all these were honored in their generations,and were the glory of their times.
[8] There are some of them who have left a name,so that men declare their praise.
[9] And there are some who have no memorial,who have perished as though they had not lived;they have become as though they had not been born,and so have their children after them.
[10] But these were men of mercy,whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
[11] their prosperity will remain with their descendants,and their inheritance to their children's children.
[12] Their descendants stand by the covenants;their children also, for their sake.
[13] Their posterity will continue for ever,and their glory will not be blotted out.
[14] Their bodies were buried in peace,and their name lives to all generations.
[15] Peoples will declare their wisdom,and the congregation proclaims their praise.


Lawrence Ben-Eliezer