Chag Ha-Sukkot, ‘The Feast of Tabernacles’ (Leviticus 23:34), also known in biblical times as Chag Ha-Asif, ‘the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16), became Z’man Simchateinu, the ‘Season of our Rejoicing’ in rabbinic teaching because of the command to ‘rejoice’, reiterated in the Torah (Lev. 23:40; Deuteronomy 16:14). And yet, just five days before Sukkot: Yom […]
The ‘Sabbath of Sabbaths’desecrated at 9.31 am in the midst of morning prayers in a north Manchester suburb it could have been so much worse security volunteers holding-fast the door the arrival of armed police at 9.38 sealing the fate of the attacker still two congregants dead three wounded the rabbi’s white robe stained with […]
Yom Kippur one hallowed day for a reckoning ofall the days of the year crowded with words confessions pleas our souls’ calculations until hollowed out exhaustedfamished emptied of remorse regret we are ready to beginagain. That is the plan but how do we begin again? how can we be relieved of the burdens of the […]
Hinneinu – here we are on Yom Kippur, Shabbat Shabbaton, ‘the Sabbath of Sabbaths’. Whatever our individual motivations for participating in this most sacred day of the Jewish year, in addition to reciting prayers and making collective confession in the first-person plural, one of the most important things we will do together as a congregation […]
We have arrived at the concluding day of Aseret Y’mei T’shuvah, the ‘ten days of return’ that began on Rosh Ha-Shanah. T’shuvah is often translated as ‘repentance’, but the Hebrew encompasses so much more. As we reflect on the past year, and in particular, on the hurts and wrongs we have inflicted, and take steps […]
The cycle turns, and here we are on Rosh Ha-Shanah morning, embarking on another New Year. We feel a complex mix of emotions as we reflect back on the past year, and as we look ahead. For now, we are together sharing this moment of beginning again.Rosh Ha-Shanah marks the New Year for years (Mishnah […]
A moonless night has fallen, and a new year has begun. In the Jewish calendar, each Jewish day begins, not arbitrarily in the middle of the night, but rather, after sunset, and then, daylight receding minute by minute, proceeds into the darkness. If ‘Jewish time’ is part of our consciousness, when the sun sets, we will […]
Another New YearRosh Ha-Shanah ‘The head of the year’ while the heart of the pasttwo years is stillbleeding brokenby grieflossanguishday-by-devastating-daydestruction. Rosh Ha-Shanah cue for ‘shanah’ ‘change’ but nothing is changing. Sowhat should we dowith this New Year?what can we doto effect change? We can speak upand speak outwe can supportthe refusersthe resistorsthe co-exist-ersthe peace-with-justicemakers-and-seekerswho are […]
As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues decade after decade, to pray for peace seems a hopeless and naïve folly. And yet, today it is more urgent than ever that a resolution is achieved that acknowledges the needs of both peoples for peace and justice, sovereignty and security. And so, we pray:El Malei Rachamim, […]
Shof’tim: Justice is impartial – Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah (PJ E-Bulletin, 08.25)As a child, I used to love visiting the almost deserted City of London on a Sunday morning with my family. I recall looking up at the statue of Justice that adorns the dome of the Old Bailey, and marvelling at the image of […]