Of Priests And Prophets

The Priest was “holy” and therefore set apart from the people. He had to eat his food in a state of purity, and had to avoid contact with the dead.

Pharaoh’s Daughter Risked It All

About Batya Chazal said “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: ‘Moses was not your son, yet you called him your son. You are not My daughter, but I shall call you My daughter.’ ”

Following Moshe

Dignity is not a privilege of birth. Honor is not confined to those with the right parents. In the world defined and created by Torah, everyone is a potential leader.

A Nation Of Storytellers

Gardner’s argument is that what makes a leader is the ability to tell a particular kind of story – one that explains ourselves to ourselves and gives power and resonance to a collective vision.

The Limits Of Love

The opening three laws of this parsha- a captive woman taken in war, the law about the rights of the firstborn, and the “stubborn and rebellious son” – are all about dysfunctions within the family.

When Weakness Becomes Strength

Has there been a moment when you felt like a faker, a fraud, and that at some time you would be found out?

Sukkot’s Uniqueness

In a way not shared by any other festival, Sukkot celebrates the dual nature of Jewish faith: the universality of G-d and the particularity of Jewish existence.

Building Community

What united them was not the dynamic of the crowd in which we are caught up in a collective frenzy but rather a sense of common purpose, of helping to bring something into being that was greater than anyone could achieve alone. Communities build; they do not destroy. They bring out the best in us, not the worst.

Two Kinds Of Fear

G-d wanted the Israelites to create a model society where human beings were not treated as slaves, where rulers were not worshipped as demigods, where human dignity was respected…

Children Going Further Than Their Parents

The Song at the Sea was one of the great epiphanies of history. The sages said that even the humblest of Jews saw at that moment what even the greatest of prophets didn’t. For the first time they broke into collective song – a song we recite every day.

The Sacrifices Of Childbirth

he sacrifices a woman brings on the birth of a child, and the period during which she is unable to enter the Temple, have nothing to do with any sin she may have committed or any “defilement” she may have undergone. They are, rather, to do with the basic fact of human mortality, together with the responsibility a parent undertakes for the conduct of a child

Choosing Human Hospitality

Learning to honor G-d by honoring those made in His image: Humankind.

Moshe’s Disappointment

We are each, to some extent, who we chose to become. Neither genes nor upbringing can guarantee that we become the person our parents want us to be.

On Being A Jewish Parent

What then does the Torah say about Abraham? The answer is unexpected and very moving. Abraham was chosen simply to be a father.

Lessons From Pinchas For The Coronavirus

We have moral duties as individuals, and we make political decisions as nations. The two are different.

G-d Wants You To Love Others

Fasting is of no use if at the same time you do not act justly and compassionately to your fellow human beings.

The Two Who Didn’t ‘Follow Orders’

This is the first recorded instance in history of civil disobedience – refusing to obey an order, given by the most powerful man in the most powerful empire of the ancient world, simply because it was immoral.

The Universality Of Sukkot

It is almost as if Sukkot were two festivals, not one.

Of Love And Hate

At the center of the mosaic books is Vayikra. At the center of Vayikra is the “holiness code” (chapter 19) with its momentous call: “You shall be holy because I, the Lord your G-d, am holy.” And at the centre of chapter 19 is a brief paragraph which, by its positioning, is the apex, the high point, of the Torah:

The Power Of Gratitude

The more positive emotions – such as contentment, gratitude, happiness, love and hope – they expressed in their autobiographical notes, the more likely they were to be alive and well 60 years later.

The Cup Of Hope

Only later did I discover the real significance of Elijah’s cup, and found, as so often, that the truth is no less moving than the stories we learned as children.

The Prophets’ Influence

"When a king dies his power ends; when a prophet dies his influence begins" & their words echo today

8 Short Thoughts For 8 Chanukah Nights

So as we celebrate Chanukah, spare a thought for the real victory, which was not military but spiritual. Jews were the people who valued marriage, the home, and peace between husband and wife, above the highest glory on the battlefield. In Judaism, the light of peace takes precedence over the light of war

Moses’ Death, Moses’ Life

And so Moses dies, alone on a mountain with God as he had been all those years ago when, as a shepherd...

Hierarchy And Politics: The Never-Ending Story

Where there is hierarchy, there will be competition as to who is the alpha male.

The Cup Of Hope

Pesach represents the start of the great journey of Jewish history – from slavery to freedom, Egypt to the Promised Land.

The G-d Of Creation And The Land Of Israel

Laws shape a society, and a society needs space. A sacred society needs sacred space, a holy land. Hence Jews and Judaism need their own land.

The Two Festivals Of Sukkot

Sukkot celebrates the dual nature of Jewish faith: the universality of G-d and the particularity of Jewish existence.

The Real Issue

There has long been a massive debate in Anglo Jewry as to whether we should take a unified stance in our support for the State of Israel or openly air our differences. It’s mostly been a noisy and shrill debate, but it’s the wrong debate – as it is deflecting us from the real issue.

The Courage Of Persistence

Normally we strive to individuate ourselves by differentiating ourselves from our parents. Isaac was not like this. He was content to be a link in the chain of generations, faithful to what his father had started. Isaac represents the faith of persistence, the courage of continuity/

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