VE DAY AND THE CALL TO BE HOLY This week, we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day—Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945—coinciding on this Shabbat with the reading of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim, two Torah portions deeply concerned with moral reckoning and the pursuit of holiness. As we reflect on both, the connections...
FROM ISOLATION TO ILLUMINATION Last Monday night, our shul was fuller than I have ever seen it. People were even sitting in the aisles upstairs as they crowded in to hear Eli Sharabi, a man who had survived 491 days of brutal captivity in Gaza. Eli sat before us with quiet dignity and deep pain,...
HOLY ONES We are in a period of the Jewish calendar filled with profound emotion. On Thursday, we observed Yom HaShoah, the day dedicated to recalling those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. Next Wednesday, we mark Yom HaZikaron, when we remember all those who lost their lives in establishing the State of Israel...
DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT Last week, an important event took place in central London called “The Festival of Childhood.” The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of a growing and pressing issue that is impacting the younger generation—namely, the overuse of mobile phones and the often-harmful influence of social media. With children increasingly spending...
HEARING THE CALL Our parasha this week begins with the powerful words: Vayikra El Moshe – And He called to Moses…. [Vayikra 1:1] The Torah records three distinct occasions when G-d “calls” out to Moses, each marking the beginning of a momentous task. The first occurs at the burning bush. While shepherding the flocks of...
