Sermon for Beit Warszawa 10. APRIL 2020 – This is in all likelihood the strangest Pesach festival in recent Jewish history – and the experience is a worldwide one. The governments of various countries have simply announced – as part of a series of measures including schools and universities but also industries and commerce – […]

Passover – a festival of freedom – has begun. The concept of freedom is one of those concepts that we might think we fully understand or at least know what they’re about. However, the limits of how we might understand freedom are not strictly defined; this is a wide-ranging and deep concept. Also, when we […]

Thoughts on Parashat Vayikra

This week we begin reading Leviticus, the third book of the Torah. Leviticus contains detailed instructions regarding our ancient Temple ritual: animal sacrifice, priesthood, uncleanliness and purity, atonement and holiness. The Torah portion for this week is entirely devoted to animal sacrifices and they are: olah (burnt offering, also known as ascending offering), mincha…

Thoughts on Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei

At the beginning of this week Torah portion Moses commands Israelites to observe Shabbat:
Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do: On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any…

Thoughts on parashat Ki Tisa The central event of this weekly portion of the Torah is the golden calf incident: [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a […]

Beit Warszawa, 6th. MARCH 2020 (Shabbat Zachor) – What does it mean to be a Priest? I am so glad that I am not one! As a Rabbi – a totally different concept of religious communal leadership – I am free to think for myself, to study and interpret texts according to my own best abilities and best conscience; I need to wear something that could be described as ”reasonably smart” to honour the occasions on which I officiate and to honour the congregation before which I stand, but there is no fancy prescribed uniform. To gain this status I have, it is true, to spend several years studying with approved teachers…