Women: The Pillars of Jewish Continuity
In my role as Registrar of our unique Beth Din, I regularly receive applications for conversion from men or women whose fathers are Jewish but mothers are not. Frequently, the applicant has lived a Jewish life their entire existence and…
Sixteen Thousand Years
In the age of big numbers we have recently witnessed an awesome but sad statistic. An article in the Economist noted that the loony music video “Gangnam Style” surpassed two billion views on YouTube a few weeks ago, making it…
Moshe – Not Just our Greatest Leader but the Definition of Altruism
It must have been the most devastating moment in his life. Having led a fractious and argumentative people for forty years, from slavery to freedom and through the wilderness to the verge of the Promised Land, Moshe is told by…
Awaiting His Arrival!
Looking forwards to this week’s Kiddush? For some people it’s the highlight of the week. For others, the highlight arrives just before the Kiddush. This week, as the Shabbat Morning Prayer is being said, take an extra deep look into…
Those We Count and Those We Don’t Count
The final census of the Torah occurs in Parashat Pinhas. It appears, though, in a peculiar way with a paragraph break in the middle of the pasuk! The pasuk (Bamidbar 26:1) begins “And it was after the plague concluded” then…
Leaders by example
A comedian stands up before the crowd, taps the microphone and says “what’s the difference between a manager, supervisor, and a leader?” The crowd sits in silence in anticipation of the punch line. “A Supervisor will tell you they are…
