HERO ISRAEL “Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one.” This is the classic translation of the Shema, the most famous passage of the Torah, as it is found in the King James translation of the bible. A version of the Shema that many of us grew up with. But Rabbi Lord Sacks, in his new translation of the chumash, puts it differently: “Listen, Israel: The L-rd our G-d – the L-rd is one. Rabbi Sacks goes on to explain that the word, Shema in the bible, has a no less than five shades of meaning. It...

MOB VIOLENCE “On the third day, in the morning, there were rumblings as the rioters began their rampage. They broke into houses taking anything they could lay their hands on.” A report from Southport, UK, Summer 2024? Not exactly – this report is from Mainz, Germany, Spring 1096. The First Crusade was supposed to be a call for Christians to seize the Holy Land back from the Muslims. But many Jewish communities in Germany were decimated as mobs found an outlet for their aggression as they made their way down Europe. Thousands of men, women and children lost their lives...

CLIMATE PROTEST The recent four- and five-year jail sentences handed down to the “Just Stop Oil” activists who caused four days of gridlock on the M25 in 2022 are unprecedented. According to the judge the activists “crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic” and needed to be taught a lesson. My own personal view is that given the extensive disruption caused by their protest, they certainly deserved a severe sentence. However, given our overcrowded prisons, some exceptional non-custodial sentence ought to have been found. How does the Torah view environmental protest? There is a significant insight we can gain...

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...