Insights from the S&P Sephardi Community Rabbis on the Parsha Matot Masei: Environmentally Friendly We may not like to think of ourselves as conformists, but there is ample scientific evidence that to some extent, whether we like it or not, we are conditioned by the environment and society we find…

Sensitivity Even For the Inanimate Right at the end of this week’s Parasha, we are again confronted with the notion of inanimate and lifeless objects seemingly possessing feelings and emotions. The Torah enjoins us (Shemot 20:23): “And you shall not ascend with steps upon My altar (the mizbach haolah),…

Shemini Atseret – How to Stay Inspired – 5775 You thought it was all over. An entire month waking up an hour earlier for Selihot, two days of lengthened services on Rosh Hashana, a complete day of fasting and worship in the synagogue on Yom Kippur and seven days…

Wembley Rosh HaShanah Message 5775 As well as looking ahead for a new year, Rosh Hashanah is a time of reflection on the previous year. In Jewish law there are two distinct types of synagogues, the Beth Knesset and Beth Midrash. A Beth Knesset means a house of gathering…

Shemini Atseret – How To Stay Inspired – 5776 You thought it was all over. An entire month waking up an hour earlier for Selihot, two days of lengthened services on Rosh Hashana, a complete day of fasting and worship in the synagogue on Yom Kippur and seven days…

The True Judgement of the High Holy Days 5776 – By Rabbi Danny Kada Elul is the time of the year when our children come home from school with all sorts of designs and pictures of scales depicting the upcoming judgement of the High Holy Days. The one whose…

Rosh Hodesh and Ladies – Parashat Pinehas Parshart Pinchas is an eventful parsha, where at the beginning Moshe and Elazar conduct a census of Bnei Yisrael and at the end Hashem instructs Moshe about the different holidays. Let us try to understand the connection between these two themes. The…

The Happiness of the Month of Av – 5775 If there’s one thing Jews are notorious for, it’s not being able to agree.  As the satirical saying goes ‘two Jews and three opinions! Yet, if you were to take a group of 100 educated Jews and ask them the…

The Happiness of the Month of Adar – 5775 There is a famous Talmudic maxim – ‘mi’shenicnas adar marbim b’simcha’ – when the month of Adar commences we increase our happiness. Although there are many tunes and melodies to this phrase what does it actually mean? How do we…