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Hey, does anybody still make new year’s resolutions? Maybe you do still make resolutions and yours goes something like mine? “My new year’s resolution this year...
The Western Wall is where our people go to pray, to celebrate simchas, and to mourn the destruction of our Holy Temple. As next week we...
Believe it or not, there was a time when Moses was afraid. Yes, the greatest leader of all time, the man who vanquished Pharaoh, split the...
Perspective. What a difference it makes. How we look, where we look, and the way we look at things always colours our impressions. In this week’s...
The elections are over. And now? Is there new hope, or will it be more of the same? Though there may not be an overnight transformation,...
Jews have always been fond of answering one question with another. In fact, Golda Meir was once asked by a journalist, “Why do Jews always answer...
“When Adar comes in, we increase in joy!” That’s a statement straight out of the Talmud. It has been put to music, and traditionally sung during...
Since becoming life rabbi emeritus of Sydenham Shul in 2021, my wife Rochel and I have been travelling extensively. I’ve been invited to speak in more...
Do you know that the Jews left Egypt in haste? Don’t you remember? That’s why we eat matzah on Pesach. “They baked the dough that they...
The first shidduch in history occurs in this week’s parsha. Abraham sends his faithful servant, Eliezer, to find a bride for his son, Isaac. He hands...
I still remember Mr Seligman, my old English teacher back in high school in Brooklyn, standing at the head of the class, acting out the scene...
Times have changed, but what about people? Has human nature evolved over the millennia, or are we basically the same as we always were? About five...
What’s the best way to influence people to modify their behaviour? The Book of Deuteronomy begins with Moses castigating his people about their past misbehaviour. He...
Who is holy? Is it the mystic in the mountains, the monk in the monastery, or the guru in the garage? Perhaps it’s the lady with...
I still remember a particular radio advert from my youth. It was for Salem menthol cigarettes – a jingle to the words, “You can Salem out...
Here in South Africa, our national treasure continues to be the late Nelson Mandela. The status and respect he enjoys even after his death are legendary....
Which is the greater test of faith, affluence or poverty? Is it harder to be a good Jew when you’re successful or when you’re struggling? Surely,...
I like a good advert. Some years ago, McDonald’s was running a campaign, and in the centre of the full-magazine page was a big, fat, juicy...
“That’s some new kitchen Sandra just had done. State of the art!” “Hey, did you see that brand-new car Mark just bought? Every gadget in the...
A high school teacher decided to demonstrate to his class the dangers of alcohol abuse. So, he conducted an experiment. He took one glass of water...
“Everything in life is luck,” Donald Trump is reputed to have once said with uncharacteristic humility. And for a change, the great rabbis of Talmudic times...
So, Israel is 74 years old. Well, actually we’re 3 000 years old, but whether it’s our modern state or our ancient people, the incredible truth...
Come Seder night, how many millions of Jews will be looking much more forward to the kneidlach than the matzah itself? Frankly, I don’t blame them....
A rabbi was walking down the road and couldn’t help noticing how one of his prominent congregants entered a non-kosher restaurant. He couldn’t believe it! So,...
They say adapt or die. But must we jettison the old to embrace the new? Is the choice limited to modern or antiquated, or can one...
The world loves a hero. Every season, Hollywood invents new superheroes to fill the box-office coffers. Today, we even have a Jewish girl as the latest...
And Charlton Heston came down from Mount Sinai and gave us the ten commandments. Oops! Sorry, make that Moses. And he was carrying the tablets with...
Devarim is the parsha associated with Tisha B’Av, the Jewish national day of mourning. After Shabbos, we will recall the destruction of our holy temple nearly...
Tragedy struck in Meron, Israel, last week. Dozens of deaths and injuries in a horrific collapse as thousands were celebrating the joyous day of Lag B’Omer....
With the old Johannesburg General Hospital, Cape Town’s Table Mountain, and the University of Cape Town having suffered devastating fire damage just last week, I would...
One of the traditional songs from the Pesach Haggadah which has become hugely popular in recent years is Vehi Sheamdah. An original version composed by Yonatan...
Transparency and accountability are the buzzwords for 21st century corporate governance. No doubt all upright, honourable people welcome every effort to stop corruption and dishonesty in...
I have lost friends, colleagues, and family members this year, people of all ages. How many of our legendary, most distinguished spiritual leaders have been taken...
Overnight sensations are often just that. They don’t necessarily last. Slow and steady, step by step, the gradual approach usually has longevity and more enduring success....
Imagine you’ve been working on the job for years and years. It’s hard, manual labour and you’re not simply tired but exhausted, demoralised, drained, and frustrated....
Light has always been used as a metaphor for revelation. In Kabbalah, the Jewish mystics referred to the highest expression of divinity as “infinite light”. And,...
This week the dreaded encounter between Jacob and Esau finally materialises. After two decades, the twin brothers who are anything but identical square up. Jacob, who...
Now Sudan has joined the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in reconciling its differences with Israel. The Abraham Accord is growing, and promises even greater things...
For those who believe in the terrible finality of death, once someone has left physical life behind, it’s dead and buried and the proverbial nail in...
I was chatting to my son, Bentzy, who is in the United States, and he shared something fascinating with me. Did you know that since the...
