AVERTING THE FLOOD At the end of this month the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, will be held in Glasgow. Postponed from 2020, it is regarded by many as possibly the last chance the world has to take coordinated action on the threat of climate change. The biblical precedent for a world-wide climate crisis...
THE HOME WE BUILD TOGETHER Act One, Scene 1 – “In the beginning.” The drama of Bereishit, of creation, never fails to stir the imagination. Act One, Scene 2. In seventeen weeks’ time, we will read of a second act of creation: the Israelites are to create a Tabernacle or portable home for G-d that...
BE YOURSELF When we want to emphasise something in Hebrew, we often repeat the word, rather than say ‘very’. Sometimes we do so in English. We might say: “Emma Raducanu played a great, great tennis match,” though it would be more usual to say: “she played a very great tennis match!” In this week’s parasha,...
GROWING WITH OUR CHILDREN Jewish parenting. What could an event in the bible that took place every seven years have to say about that? This week’s parasha, tells us about Hakhel, or the national assembly of the people which took place during the Succot after the Shemitta or Sabbatical year. “At the end of every...
THE FOURTEENTH PRINCIPLE OF FAITH During 2020, I lost not only my dear friend Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, but also, earlier in the year, I lost the teacher he and I shared, Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch. Jonathan Sacks wrote that even though he had studied at Oxford and Cambridge with some of the leading intellects of...
SERVING G-D WITH JOY Shalom This coming Monday is the Matzeivah, the tombstone consecration of Rabbi Lord Sacks of blessed memory. It takes place at the Bushey New Cemetery at 2.15pm. It will be held outside and members of the community are invited to attend. In Rabbi Sacks’ honour, leilui nishmato, let me share a...
Being the King in one’s Palace The name of the parsha means ‘judges,’ and the theme of the parsha is ‘authority’ or ‘leadership’ – we encounter judges, kings, rebels and more. All societies require structure, and this needs some form of hierarchy – not inequality, but order and structure, which will inevitably entail some individuals...
“See I have placed before you today blessing and curses. The blessing is when you listen to the commandments of the Almighty which I have commanded you today.” Deuteronomy Chapter 11, Verse 26 & 27 The book of Devarim, Moses’ valedictory speech to the Jewish people is known as Mishna Torah – a repeat. Moses...
