LESSONS OF LISTENING It is often assumed that talking therapies are new, having developed from the work of Freud and others. In fact, “healing through words” is known in a number of ancient cultures, not least in our Jewish tradition. The Talmud (Yoma 75a) interprets the verse in the Book of Proverbs (12:25) “if one has a worry, let him relieve himself of it” to mean that one should tell it to another person because this is likely to bring him relief. The Sfat Emet notes that the same idea is expressed in this week’s parasha. Moses sets up a...
TRANSFORMATIONS One of England’s transformational personalities is choirmaster, Gareth Malone. Whether it is Military Wives or Hospital Staff or simply individuals stuck at home during lockdown, Gareth manages to draw song and harmony out of people, who never knew they had it. He releases a musical and emotional energy that breaks barriers and builds lives. If there are two Hebrew words that sum up what Gareth does, they are the title words of the two parashotwe read this Shabbat: Mattot and Masei. In the context of the sidra, the word, Mattot, means ‘tribes.’ But Matteh also means a stick or...
Tribute delivered at the funeral by daughter, Danielle Levison on 12.07.20 “14/4/44” – Dad’s late great Mum and our Grandma Rose would often be heard singing this to Dad to sooth him to sleep as an infant. Born during the great Blitz of London as the doodle bugs were dropping, Maurice “Basil” Goldstone came into the world. Loved deeply by his parents, Rose and Nat Goldstone, and by his late Brother Michael and sister Maureen. He was molly coddled from the outset and sometimes put in a dress by his sister and called Sally – who had longed for a...
LIFE AND QUALITY OF LIFE We have three daily services: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening, or Shacharit, Mincha and Ma’ariv. The name Shacharit is connected to the word Shachar, which means dawn. The name Ma’ariv comes from the word Erev, which means evening. So what would you expect Mincha to mean? Well, in the Torah it doesn’t mean afternoon, so why is it connected to the afternoon service? The word Mincha, occurs several times in this week’s parasha. In its context, it refers to the offering of flour and oil that accompanied the daily, Shabbat and festival offerings. Every morning and...
