FROM DARKNESS TO DIGNITY: ELI SHARABI AND THE LESSON OF PARASHAT KORACH A packed shul, barely an empty seat. A quiet buzz of expectancy filled the air, but this wasn’t Yom Kippur. It was last Monday night when over 1400 people from across the community crowded into St. John’s Wood to hear Eli Sharabi in conversation with Louisa Clein. I had heard Eli speak on his first UK visit two months ago, but his message this time was just as captivating, if not more so. Eli described his journey to hell and back with dignity, humanity, and courage. He spoke...

FAITH UNDER FIRE Many of us are familiar with the story of the cow and the chicken who pass by a restaurant with a sign: “Today’s special – steak and eggs.” The chicken remarks to the cow, “Look, we’re both on the menu!” The cow responds: “True — but we’re not the same. For you, it’s simply a contribution. For me, it’s total commitment!” The daily barrage of missiles from Iran takes this story to another level. Despite the remarkable success of Israel’s Iron Dome and other defence systems, some missiles still get through — resulting in injury, trauma, and...

THE SOUND OF MUSIC One striking difference between the service in the Temple and our prayer services today is the absence of instrumental music. In Temple times, the Levites accompanied the sacrificial service with a full orchestra: lyres, flutes, trumpets, harps, and cymbals. So essential was the music to the atmosphere of the service that the orchestra even performed on Shabbat. The spiritual energy of the Temple was so intense that there was no concern that a musician might forget it was Shabbat and violate it by repairing a broken instrument. After the destruction of the Temple, our prayer services—whether...

THE SIX-FOLD BLESSING Two tiny silver scrolls are the oldest surviving biblical texts. Dated to around 600 BCE, the time of the prophet Jeremiah, they were discovered in 1979, when archaeologist Gabriel Barkay was examining ancient burial caves at Ketef Hinnom. This is just outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the area now occupied by the Begin Heritage Centre. A thirteen-year-old boy assisting Barkay uncovered a hidden chamber beneath the floor of one of the caves. There, the team discovered nearly a thousand ancient artifacts—including these two silver scrolls, no more than an inch long. Once deciphered, the scrolls were...

LIFE BY NUMBERS This Shabbat we begin the fourth book of the Torah, commonly called Bemidbar, “In the desert,” a key word from the opening verse. In Rabbinic literature, however, it is referred to as Chumash HaPekudim — “The Torah-book of Counting.” This parallels the Greek title in the Septuagint, Arithmoi, meaning “numbers.” The ancient Latin translation adopted the title Numeri, which then passed into English as “Numbers.” Why such an emphasis on numbers? Two censuses take place in this book — one in our parasha and another later in Parashat Pinchas. The book of Bemidbar is full of many...

NOTICING WARNING SIGNS Recognising the early signs of a problem and addressing it before it escalates is a vital lesson we learn from this week’s parasha. “Should your brother become poor and is struggling, vehechezakta bo—then extend him support.” (Vayikra 25:35) The Hebrew phrase vehechezakta bo comes from the root chazak, meaning to be strong. Our response must be to offer chizuk—strength and support—not only once the person has fallen, but ideally beforehand, when we first notice that they are beginning to stumble. Rashi illustrates this with a powerful analogy: imagine a donkey laden with a heavy load. If the...