On this sacred day of Shavuot, let us reflect upon the profound bond between parents and their adult children. In yesterday’s reading of the Ten Commandments, we were reminded of the divine mandate to honour our father and mother. Today, as we immerse ourselves in the beautiful story of Ruth, let us explore the depths […]
We begin the Seder with Kiddush. On normal Shabbatot, Kiddush may be recited at an earlier time than nightfall. However, on Seder night, it cannot be said earlier because the mitzvah of drinking four cups of wine is simultaneous and we cannot drink the first cup before nightfall. Thus, the Mitzvah of Kiddush and the […]
The Importance of Number Four on Pesach Friday, 7 April 2017 יום שישי, י”א בניסן תשע”ז The number FOUR plays a dominant role in the story of Pesach and especially at Seder night. Leading up to Pesach, there are four special Shabbatot on which we read additional portions of the Torah, for the Maftir, with appropriate […]
For the past ten weeks we have been reading the stories of the Patriarchs and their faltering steps in the 18th century BCE, at the time of the birth of our nation. The story of Abraham tells of his spectacular rise to fame in the midst of a pagan civilization. For the first time in […]
The Sidra begins with a declaration by the Almighty to Moses that he had revealed Himself to the Patriarchs by the name El Shaddai, but not by the name of YKWK (K Stands for H). This statement is problematic and two questions arise from it. The first one is: What is the difference between the […]
Vayigash Joseph 5775 The most extraordinary aspect in the story of Joseph is that the brothers repented of their grave crime and that Joseph appears to have forgiven them. Yet, Joseph had every justification to bear a grudge against his siblings for ever. After all, they tried to kill him and only decided to […]
Commentary on the Sidra of Vayeshev 5775 By Rabbi Yaakov Grunewald South London Synagogue At the centre of the Sidra, in chapter 38, we find the story of Judah’s separation from his father and brothers. This was after Joseph’s disappearance. The family was in a state of deep shock. Judah, who had proposed Joseph’s sale, […]
The Sidra Ekev begins in the middle of chapter 7. It is a continuation of Moses epic address which he began in the previous Sidra of Va’etchannan. The basic theme of chapter 7 is about the conquest of the land from the seven nations who occupied it before the Israelites came. The last verses […]
We know that the Book of Bamidbar consists of two distinct parts. The first part of the book describes events that took place in the first two years of the journey in the Sinai desert. The second part, beginning with chapter 20 describes the events which took place in the 40th year of the journey. […]
The theme of this week’s Sidra is the mission of the 12 spies to survey the Land of Canaan. The 12 spies set out with high hopes. They were the leaders of their tribes and trusted by their people. There is a well-known saying that “power corrupts”. Here we have the best illustration of it […]