The Power of Song, The Power of Faith St John’s Wood shul was full to capacity on two extraordinary evenings this week. On Sunday night, more than 1,200 people came together to enjoy the music of the Israeli singer Ishay Ribo. His songs, infused with deep faith and rousing joy, seemed to touch every heart in the shul. Some pieces were deeply reflective, and we listened in silence to Ishay’s meditative music. Yet several times the entire audience rose to their feet, clapping and singing as one. It was an evening of uplift and celebration, a reminder of the power...

The Legacy of Two Survivors This week our parasha, Toldot, is a portion whose very name – toldot, “generations” -challenges us to think about lineage, inheritance, and the stories that shape who we become. At the same time, the Jewish world has been mourning the recent passing of two remarkable Holocaust survivors and educators, Manfred Goldberg and Vera Schaufeld. Their lives, and the values they transmitted, illuminate the themes of this parasha with striking poignancy. Toldot opens with the struggles surrounding the birth of Jacob and Esau. Rebecca’s unexpectedly painful pregnancy prefigures a world in which generations do not simply...

From Chayei Sarah to the BBC The resignations of BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness mark a moment of reckoning. Their departure followed revelations that a Panorama documentary had edited a Donald Trump speech in a misleading way, and came amid deepening concern over the BBC’s coverage of Israel and Gaza. Jewish staff have accused the corporation of ignoring pleas for an inquiry into antisemitism, while watchdogs report that the BBC has been forced to issue, on average, two corrections a week on its Gaza reporting since October 7. At stake is not only journalistic accuracy but...

Between Heaven and Earth: A Dialogue In this week’s parasha, Abraham takes audacity to a new level. G-d informs him that he will destroy Sodom because of its wickedness and Abraham argues back! “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” (Bereishit 18:25). Abraham doesn’t let go. The argument goes back and forth. This is the first recorded argument for moral responsibility in human history – a veritable dialogue between heaven and earth. Rabbi L-d Jonathan Sacks zt”l – whose yahrzeit falls this Monday evening – often described Torah as “the conversation between heaven and earth.” That phrase...

ABRAHAM AND SARAH’S FANCLUB When Abram and Sarai came to the land of Canaan, they didn’t come by themselves. They arrived with Lot, Abram’s nephew. They arrived with all their possessions. Then the verse adds: “and with the souls they had made in Charan.” (Bereishit 12:5). Rashi (in his second, peshat explanation) observes that the straightforward meaning of this phrase is that it refers to the retinue of servants that they had acquired. But Rashi’s first explanation, based on the Midrash, is that the word “souls” refers to converts Abram and Sarai had made whilst in Charan. Their example of...