SMELL THE COFFEE – IT’S SHAVUOT! A popular custom on Shavuot is to stay up all night studying Torah. How did this arise? The practice is not mentioned in the Mishna nor in the Talmud. It is not mentioned in Maimonides writings (12th century) nor in the Shulchan Aruch, the 16th century Code of Jewish...
LITERATE JEWS An exciting discovery was announced in Jerusalem this week. A 2,000-year old chalkstone with seven rows of writing has been uncovered. The text appears to be a merchant’s accounting record, which indicates a high level of literacy among ordinary people in Second Temple times. This week also saw the publication of PIRLS 21...
TO LEAD AND TO SERVE King Charles’ Coronation has been a rich feast of symbolism, some of it drawn from biblical sources. Last week, we referred to the Jewish roots of the anointing of a monarch. For thousands of years, we have crowned kings in a ceremony to mark their investiture. The Book of Chronicles...
G-D SAVE THE KING It has clearly been a matter of great importance to King Charles that the Chief Rabbi can attend his Coronation even though it was going to be on Shabbat. Extensive arrangements have been provided for the Chief Rabbi to accommodate his Shabbat needs. He and Valerie will spend Friday night at...
BIODIVERSITY An incoming EU law plans to ban the sale of products made or based on land that was deforested. Whilst this law wouldn’t apply to the UK, because of Brexit, it shows how seriously many governments are taking the challenge of biodiversity loss. Hundreds of thousands of different species of animals and plants are facing...
