Religion

The leader within

Jun 21, 2018 Go comment!

Moses, G-d’s trusted servant whose devotion and obedience is supreme, has a single career moment of insanity. An infraction which would be negligible for the average man is defining for Moses. In one instant, his fate is altered and sealed.
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Inside/Outside

Jun 14, 2018 Go comment!

Some arguments are petty affairs between insecure individuals, while others are classic differences of opinion between people of stature, where each opinion is worthy of consideration.
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Despair is the most powerful weapon of evil

Jun 07, 2018 Go comment!

Parshas Shelach tells the tragic account of the Sin of the Spies.
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Practise the mitzvah of tochacha

May 31, 2018 Go comment!

Nobody likes rebuke. There are very few people, if any, who like other people to point out their wrongdoings and expose their shortcomings. Even words like rebuke, admonishment and criticism make one wince in fear and are loaded with negative connotations.
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Of blessings given and received

May 24, 2018 Go comment!

In the opening section of the book of Numbers, the Israelites get organised for their journey to the Promised Land. Not only must they travel through the wilderness with a group of – according to the Torah – more than two million individuals, but they also need to follow the proper worship rituals for G-d throughout this journey.
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Shavuot - Always Receiving

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

The year was 1935, and the Spanish government was making elaborate plans to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Rambam’s birth – seemingly a great honour and a proud moment for Jews everywhere.
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Shavuot Listing

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

A listing of all Shavuot events around the country
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The stories behind our Sifrei Torah

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

A Sefer Torah is not only about the liturgy on the page; it is often also symbolic of a person, event or history that needed to be remembered. This Shavuot, we look at just some of the many special stories behind the South African Jewish community’s Sifrei Torah.
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Shavuot customs around the world

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Of the three “pilgrim festivals” – Pesach, Shavuot and Succot – Shavuot is the only one without any defined rituals attached. As a result, customs have developed and adapted over time, leading to a fascinating array of activities, foods and observances in marking this festival around the globe.
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The royal wedding

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

A woman famous in her homeland emigrates to marry into a royal family. She will marry into a family that has suffered tragedies and faces an uncertain future. To marry into the family she will need to convert to their religion and will encounter many who despise her and feel she is unworthy of being a royal.
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Torah – a masterclass in music

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Being Jewish is not a punishment – it is a gift. But a funny thing happens with this gift.
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The most difficult commandment?

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Shavuot is the day on which G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people. The reading of the great Revelation at Sinai includes, of course, the world-famous Ten Commandments.
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To be great, be responsible

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Thankfully, we live in a day and age where there is a groundswell of advocacy for human rights. This is a day and age where social media enables complete strangers to raise their voices and defend the rights of others, as just seen in the tragic passing of baby Alfie Evans last week. (Alfie’s parents lost the battle in a British court to get their 23-month-old son alternative medical attention in Rome while he was on a life-support system. The court ruled the life support be switched off.)
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Ruth coming home

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Shavuot is a festival that has something for everyone. There’s delicious cheesecake, all-night Torah learning, baskets of fruit being brought by the children to shul, and of course, my favourite, the reading of Megillat Ruth.
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Do we need a Torah?

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was once invited to give a lecture at a University in America in preparation for Shavuot. He arrived to find that it wasn’t, in fact, a lecture, but a panel discussion with diverse Jewish thinkers on this topic: Is the Torah from Heaven?
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The Limmud model reviving the Jewish world

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

This weekend we celebrate Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah. Many people celebrate through Tikkun Leil Shavuot, learning Torah all night long.
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Standing side by side

May 17, 2018 Go comment!

With patience and wisdom Reb Zalman instructed his young student, Mendel, in the reading of the Torah. Reb Zalman explained: “When you see the two yuds together in the Chumash, do not read the word as it appears. This is G-d’s holy name and that’s the way it should be pronounced.”
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“Louder!”

May 10, 2018 Go comment!

One section stands out from the rest in this week’s Parsha. It is known as the Tochecho, or The Rebuke. In it, we read a litany of disasters that will befall our people should we turn our backs on G-d and abandon His way of life.
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Don’t let sorrow derail your spiritual connection to Hashem

May 03, 2018 Go comment!

Emor begins with the laws of the Kohanim, the special restrictions and obligations that are placed upon them. To paraphrase Spiderman’s Uncle Ben: “With great holiness comes great responsibility” – although our Sages point out that it is, in fact, the responsibility that creates the holiness, not simply reflecting it.
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I’ve got a faribel with me?

Apr 26, 2018 Go comment!

Can you imagine a daughter-in-law who never once calls to wish Good Shabbos? Or a rabbi who started a new learning programme in the shul without consulting with the committee? Or every flat dweller in your block getting together for a braai – except for you as you weren’t invited?
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