Religion

The significance of Jacob’s headstones

Nov 27, 2020 Go comment!

In this week’s Torah portion, we read that Jacob journeyed to his mother’s family in Haran while on the run from his murderous brother Esau. As night approached, he stopped for a rest. Before going to sleep, he gathered some stones and arranged them around his head. The Biblical commentator Rashi explains, “He arranged them like a gutter pipe around his head because he feared wild beasts.”
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The mystery and mayhem of Cape Town’s Czech Torah

Nov 19, 2020 2 Comments

Every Torah scroll is a work of sacred artistry created by a sofer (scribe) whose work takes about a year to complete. With all this labour and expense, it’s not destined for a museum or library, but for a community, which is where it really finds its purpose.
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Why it shouldn’t be lonely at the top

Nov 19, 2020 Go comment!

A while ago, I had the privilege of attending meetings with fellow rabbis. It was a mixture of business and retreat. There was so much to take away from our time together as leaders, some from the business sessions, some from the times of retreat, but a lot from just being around the table over food and relaxation time. Sometimes the best lessons we learn come from conversations had during coffee breaks.
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Just be more than yourself

Nov 12, 2020 Go comment!

Don’t people love saying, “Be true to yourself”, “Don’t forget who you are”, or “You don’t want to see the real me?”
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Take your baggage with you

Nov 05, 2020 Go comment!

Spending much of my time with elderly people as I do comes with the perk of learning invaluable life lessons from those with decades of experience.
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The Abraham Accord a promising name

Oct 29, 2020 Go comment!

Now Sudan has joined the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in reconciling its differences with Israel. The Abraham Accord is growing, and promises even greater things to come soon.
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The ark’s timeless message

Oct 22, 2020 Go comment!

The world had become corrupt during Noah’s time. It had reached the point where G-d had to hit the reset button – destroy the world in its entirety, and begin anew with Noah and his family.
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Start at the beginning with strength and purpose

Oct 15, 2020 Go comment!

I always feel very emotional saying farewell to the sukkah at the end of the festival. For a week, we have been sheltered in G-d’s embrace, the flimsy walls and permeable roof symbolic of His protection under all circumstances.
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Yizkor: the meaning of memory

Oct 08, 2020 Go comment!

For those who believe in the terrible finality of death, once someone has left physical life behind, it’s dead and buried and the proverbial nail in the coffin puts the seal of finality on it. Case closed. Gone, and soon forgotten.
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Love dew, need rain

Sep 25, 2020 Go comment!

“May my words fall like rain, may my speech flow like dew.”
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Yom Kippur – how it changes us

Sep 25, 2020 Go comment!

To those who fully open themselves to it, Yom Kippur is a life-transforming experience. It tells us that G-d, who created the universe in love and forgiveness, reaches out to us in love and forgiveness, asking us to love and forgive others. G-d never asked us not to make mistakes. All He asks is that we acknowledge our mistakes, learn from them, grow through them, and make amends where we can.
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The blessing in the (salad) dressing

Sep 25, 2020 Go comment!

After Yom Kippur, I crave umami – that cheek sucking feeling that is said to bring about contentment and fullness. Well for me, at least. Although umami is often associated with Asian food, it’s more enigmatic than that. It’s something beyond taste. I achieve my sense of umami through the combination of lemon juice, olive oil, and a touch of garlic and fresh herbs.
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The meaning of life can be found in a sukkah

Sep 25, 2020 Go comment!

Every Jewish holiday plays an integral part in our lives. Be it Pesach or Shavuot, every chag on the Jewish calendar colours our daily lives in some way and shapes our perspective of current events.
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Rabbis find perfect pitch for Rosh Hashanah

Sep 17, 2020 1 Comment

A video by the South African Rabbinical Association of 40 South African rabbonim and chazzanim singing Avinu Malkeinu is being shared around the world as a symbol of hope and harmony ahead of the high holy days, which so many people will celebrate alone or apart from one another this year.
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Sefardim do Rosh Hashanah with eastern flair

Sep 17, 2020 Go comment!

If you thought that the Rosh Hashanah experience was universal and uniform, think again. While many Ashkenazi Jews may be used to eating a few traditional New Year foods, Sefardim partake in an uplifting and colourful yom tov experience that goes well beyond apples dipped in honey.
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Fire and rebirth

Sep 17, 2020 Go comment!

This will be a high-anxiety Yom Kippur. Even the wave of relief from the shofar blast signalling the end of the fast will be short-lived.
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Blasting our way out of our tears

Sep 17, 2020 Go comment!

When you think of Rosh Hashanah, what comes to mind? While there are so many customs, rituals, and traditions associated with this holiday, no doubt the shofar stands out as the featured highlight.
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Doing Yom Kippur alone

Sep 17, 2020 Go comment!

I’d like to tell you an idea about Yom Kippur, but to do so I must explain a lesson from my childhood.
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Jonah’s whale of contemplation

Sep 17, 2020 1 Comment

If we didn’t know the book of Jonah so well, (or have vague memories of it on Yom Kippur afternoons – pre-COVID-19, of course), the second chapter would catch us by surprise.
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Understanding our mission

Sep 17, 2020 Go comment!

Today [Rosh Hashanah] is the birthday of the world. Everything we know came into being on this day except the creator of all things. Why did G-d create the world? He desired a dwelling place in the lower realm. Ours is the lower realm. Why was man created? To be partners in creating the dwelling place for G-d in the lower realm. How do we achieve that? By fulfilling the mitzvot, thereby elevating mankind and the world, and by studying Torah, thereby drawing true wisdom and knowledge into our hearts, minds, and into the lower realm.
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