THE FOURTEENTH PRINCIPLE OF FAITH Moses Maimonides, the great Jewish leader and teacher of the 12th century, enumerated for us thirteen principles of the Jewish faith. They are included in our siddur in two forms: the Ani Maamin (“I believe with perfect faith that…”) an optional extra included at the end of the morning Shacharit...
BE A BLESSING In the section on the verses of blessing in this week’s parasha there is a phrase with an unusual syntax: Yetzav Hashem Itcha Et Habracha “the L-d will command His blessing with you in your granaries and in all your undertakings.” (Devarim 28:8). Normally we refer to G-d ‘granting’ a blessing or...
REHABILITATION The early release of prisoners from England’s jails has started this week. While some prisoners are happy to be out, others are saying that they are not ready and expect to reoffend and be back in jail before long. A lot will depend on the resources they can access to help them restart. The...
KOSHER MEAT I am currently reading Prof. Tim Spector’s book, Food for Life. It is a fascinating and deeply informative account of all aspects of the food we eat and its impact on our health and our planet. In his chapter on meat and poultry, Specter alerts us to the potential risks associated with consuming...
CLIMATE CHANGE The freak waterspout that tragically sank Mike Lynch’s Bayesian yacht last Monday may have been a result of the climate changes we are seeing because of global warming. Our deepest sympathies are with his family and many friends. Climate change is not new. Our ancestors were alerted that when they enter the land...
