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 service, and Yigdal, a hymn sung after the service on Friday nights. Scholars of Maimonides are puzzled why he opted for thirteen principles of faith. If one were ever to talk about Maimonides favourite number, it would be fourteen, rather than thirteen! Maimonides classifies his...
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 ‘conferring’ a blessing. What is meant by “commanding His blessing?” Moreover, we would expect the blessing to be commanded to you. What is conveyed by G-d commanding his blessing with you? The late Dayan Morris Swift (died 1983; his brother, Rabbi Harris Swift, was rabbi...
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 new prisons minister, James Timpson, has been a pioneer in employing ex-offenders in his company and giving them an opportunity to build a new life. It will be interesting to see how effective he will be in extending his approach more widely. A verse in...
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 meat and poultry that has been reared on an industrial scale. It is well-known that kosher meat is more expensive. As well as the costs of employing special slaughterers – shochtim – we should also bear in mind that the kosher market sources healthier animals...
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 of Israel, they will encounter different climactic conditions from the ones they experienced in Egypt. In three sharp sentences they were told: “The land which you are about to occupy is not like Egypt, the place you left, where you could plant your seed and...
