Why is the Shema so important?

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Does Judaism agree with female sterilisation?

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Decision to allow silent prayer on Temple Mount overturned

The Jerusalem District Court accepted on Friday the State’s appeal on the decision by the Magistrate’s Court to allow “silent prayers” for Jews on the Temple Mount. Read more

Minister of Religious Affairs meets with women Torah scholars including women rabbis

Israel’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Matan Kahana and MK Nir Orbach met over the weekend with the directors and heads of halachic (Jewish law) programs for women. Read more

Dreams, hopes & fears

Rabbi Raymond writes about Rosh HaShanah. Read more

Shabbat Ki Tavo

Why do we do things in life? Is it to get some kind of reward? Read more

Weekly Torah. Shabbat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Who is Responsible? Read more

The budget of Israel Ministry of Religious Affairs increased by 100 million shekels

An additional 100 million Shekels (A$42 million) have been allocated to the budget for Israel’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. Read more

Why to Jewish men cover their heads?

Ak the rabbi! Read more

A chosen people

I dislike the expression “The Chosen People”.  Read more

Why some Jews leave a bare section on a wall on purpose?

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Torah for Shabbat: Shabbat Nachamu, The Shabbat of Comfort after the Ninth of Av.

As Moses continues his speech to the children of Israel, he repeats two core texts that underpin the whole of the Jewish way of life. Read more

Is God dead?

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Rabbi Jeremy Rosen: Shabbat Balak

It seems strange that the whole Parsha we read this week should be named after a Midianite/Moabite King, Balak, and be devoted to a non-Jewish magician Bilam.
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Thought for the week

On Sunday is the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz. It is a minor fast that lasts from dawn to dusk and ushers in a period of mourning that leads up to the 9^th of Av when we commemorate the loss of two Temples. Read more

Religious politics

The personal attacks on Naftali Bennet coming from the Charedi parties in Israel because he has been instrumental in excluding them from power and has stood up to their blackmail are disgusting. Read more

Is it permitted for women to wear tallit and tefillin?

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Do you know before whom you stand?

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Where does “upon my heart” originate

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How did the Ten Lost Tribes come to be lost?

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Why isn’t life fair?

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How our Succas taught an amazing COVID lesson

On Rosh HaShanah, we re-affirmed our belief in an omnipotent G-D.  On Yom Kippur we cried out to Him to renew our relationship.   Read more

When rabbis should not keep quiet

The former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Sacks, has come in for some stick over remarks he recently made about religion and politics. Read more

Finding Love

Did you know that there is an ancient tradition that on two days in the year, unmarried girls used to go out dancing in the vineyards around Jerusalem in order to find a marriage partner? Read more

New president for World Union for Progressive Judaism

The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) has unanimously approved the selection of Rabbi Sergio Bergman from Argentina as the next president of WUPJ. Read more

Does Judaism believe in turning the other cheek?

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Eating an idol

Eating plays a very important part in Jewish rituals, every day of the year. Read more

Sin? Not such a big deal

Next week we will restart the annual Torah reading cycle and that always reminds me of Sin! Adam and Eve and all that. Read more

Why do bad things happen

For thousands of years, we have been asking why God lets bad things happen to good people and good things happen to very bad ones. Read more

Remember

The occasion that we now call Rosh Hashana, is referred to in the Bible only as Zihron Teruah – the Day of Remembering with Sound. One is bound to ask: “remembering what? And what does the sound of the Shofar have to do with it?” Read more

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