OLYMPIC MEDALS The Paris Olympics have begun. For the next 16 days we will be treated to drama and excitement as the elite sports men and women of the world compete for those precious medals. Whilst there are bound to be surprises, with individuals and teams excelling on the day and snatching an unpredicted victory, in most cases, it will be the form that they have displayed throughout the year that will be the best indicator of their success. There is a fascinating discussion in the Midrash (cited in the introduction to Ein Yaakov) that illustrates this idea. The rabbis...

RESCUE MISSION This week’s parasha always has a particular resonance for me. It is the anniversary of the first occasion I visited St John’s Wood shul on a Shabbat. It was in July 1976. I had been in correspondence with Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm, then Professor of Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University in New York. What had especially attracted me to Rabbi Lamm was that he was a Chemistry graduate who had moved over into the rabbinate. I was contemplating such a move myself. Rabbi Lamm encouraged me, but he also mentioned that he would be travelling to London and...

A SISTER’S SUPPORT In wishing our new Prime Minister well as he settles into office, I am reminded of the comment made by my teacher, the late Rabbi Dr Nachum Rabinovitch, that a leader needs three qualities: a sensitive heart, a discerning mind, and a thick skin! There will be many occasions when a leader will have to make tough decisions that he knows are right but that will come in for serious criticism. He must have the courage of his convictions and confront his naysayers. Yet there are times when it appears that even the greatest leaders can lose...

ELECTION WEEK IN THE PARASHA At the time of writing, an election is about to take place, and, in all likelihood, there will be a new Prime Minister in Downing Street by the end of the week. One could say that this is particularly appropriate for a Shabbat on which we read about a challenge to authority. But then, Parashat Korach is always topical! ‘Machloket’ and challenges to authority are rarely out of the news! Korach introduces us to a new kind of would-be leader. Someone, with whom now we are becoming increasingly familiar. Korach is a populist. He engages...

BLUE AND WHITE Have you ever wondered about the origin of the colours in Israel’s flag? Look around in shul and you will see the answer. The colours come from the common colours seen on a tallit: blue and white. They were adopted for the flag at the first Zionist Congress in Basle, 1897. As David Wolffsohn, a prominent early Zionist, wrote: “What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag—and it is blue and white. The tallit with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let...