LOYALTY The election of an American President is one of the most important events in the modern world. We pray that President-Elect Donald Trump will govern wisely in the best interests of his country and the free world. One concern that has been expressed is – Will President Trump continue to be as loyal to the alliances that have traditionally relied on the USA for support? In this week’s parasha, we see Abraham demonstrating the quintessence of loyalty. His nephew, Lot, had accompanied him on his odyssey from Charan to Canaan. Famine in Canaan took them to Egypt. When they...

THREE LEVELS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS When Noah is described at the beginning of this week’s parasha as “a righteous man, perfect in his generation”, Rashi famously comments that there were those who sought to qualify this accolade. Yes, in his generation he was regarded as righteous, but had he been living at the same time as Abraham, he would not have been extraordinary. What is the difference between the greatness of Noah and that of Abraham? Noah was righteous enough to save himself and his family. It did not extend to him being able to influence his generation. Yiddish culture has...

THE FOURTEENTH PRINCIPLE OF FAITH Moses Maimonides, the great Jewish leader and teacher of the 12th century, enumerated for us thirteen principles of the Jewish faith. They are included in our siddur in two forms: the Ani Maamin (“I believe with perfect faith that…”) an optional extra included at the end of the morning Shacharit service, and Yigdal, a hymn sung after the service on Friday nights. Scholars of Maimonides are puzzled why he opted for thirteen principles of faith. If one were ever to talk about Maimonides favourite number, it would be fourteen, rather than thirteen! Maimonides classifies his...

BE A BLESSING In the section on the verses of blessing in this week’s parasha there is a phrase with an unusual syntax: Yetzav Hashem Itcha Et Habracha “the L-d will command His blessing with you in your granaries and in all your undertakings.” (Devarim 28:8). Normally we refer to G-d ‘granting’ a blessing or ‘conferring’ a blessing. What is meant by “commanding His blessing?” Moreover, we would expect the blessing to be commanded to you. What is conveyed by G-d commanding his blessing with you? The late Dayan Morris Swift (died 1983; his brother, Rabbi Harris Swift, was rabbi...

REHABILITATION The early release of prisoners from England’s jails has started this week. While some prisoners are happy to be out, others are saying that they are not ready and expect to reoffend and be back in jail before long. A lot will depend on the resources they can access to help them restart. The new prisons minister, James Timpson, has been a pioneer in employing ex-offenders in his company and giving them an opportunity to build a new life. It will be interesting to see how effective he will be in extending his approach more widely. A verse in...