Yom Kippur thoughts

Rabbi Raymond Apple shares his thoughts. Read more

Teshuvah is for everyone

No moment in Jewish history was as breathtaking as the revelation at Sinai. Read more

Shabbat Ki Tavo: The Land of Israel

“When you enter the land that your God is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, you shall take the first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that your God giving you, and put them in a basket and go to the place that God chooses and to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, “I acknowledge this day before your God that I have entered the land that swore to our fathers to assign us.” ( Deuteronomy 26:1-2). Read more

Synagogue or Temple

This month of August is the season of travelling, going on vacation in the northern hemisphere. Read more

Is the Messiah simply a nice dream or will it really happen?

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Sadness and Joy

Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of Av, reminds us of the greatest catastrophes in our history. Read more

What is one to make of Albert Einstein’s statement that “The Jewish God is simply a negation of superstition”?

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Utopia

In 1551 the English diplomat and scholar Sir Thomas More, living in the reign of King Henry 8^th, wrote a book called Utopia. Read more

Shabbat Mattot & Massei: Where should you live?

As the children of Israel approach the land of Israel, they had to pass through what is now Transjordan. The domains of Sihon the Emorite and Og of Bashan. Read more

How does the international date line impact on Jewish observance?

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What is the meaning of life?

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Shabbat Behar & Behukotai – The Good the Bad and the Ugly

The book of the Torah called Vayikra or Leviticus, is also called the Book of Purity. Read more

Shabbat Vayikra: Sacrifices

At this time of the year, the Torah readings are all to do with sacrifices. I shall confess that the thought of killing animals does not fill me with any great enthusiasm. Read more

Shabbat Vayakhel Pekudei: Repetition is Good

It is an interesting phenomenon that the major events of the Torah that play a crucial role in the life of the people from a philosophical point of view are repeated in slightly different ways. Read more

Do we have a guardian angel?

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Don’t kiss!

Here is a hilarious if sacrilegious clip, in the spirit of Purim, from over five years ago when no one had even heard of something called Covid. Read more

Shabbat Ki Tisa: What does God look like?

The dominant theme of the Torah this Shabbat is the episode of the Golden Calf. Read more

Shabbat Tetzaveh & Zachor: Amelek

The Shabbat before Purim is always called Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat when we remember. Read more

The ghost of Broome – does Judaism believe in ghosts?

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Does Judaism have any list of banned books?

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Can a Jew be an existentialist?

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Shabbat Vayehiy: Favouritism

As we come to the end of the Book of Bereishit (Genesis), we can look back and see a thread in the narrative of human beings grappling with the moral and spiritual challenges that we all face. Read more

Shabbat Toldot: Deception

The Torah is very clear about deception. “Do not deceive or lie to each other”( Leviticus 19.11). Read more

Was the fruit of the Tree of Life from which Adam and Eve ate really an apple?

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Water and Joy

The last days of the festival of Succot have, over time, turned from a sort of last-minute postscript called Shmini Atzeret, the farewell get-together to round things off the season of festivals with, into the joyful Simhat Torah. But why is joy so important? Read more

Shabbat Haazinu: Jewish song

“Listen to the song,” we are told in this week’s Torah reading, Haazinu. Read more

Shabbat Ki Tavo: Rewards and punishment

The Torah this week contains blessings and warnings. Read more

Shabbat Devarim: Optimism despite it all

The Book of Devarim, the last book of the Torah, is dominated by the personality of Moses even more than the previous three books. Read more

What do Jews think of Jesus?

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Shabbat Shelach Lecha: Grasshoppers

Moses was instructed by God to send men to go on a tour of the Land of Canaan. Read more

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