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“Darkness will envelop the world, and a thick cloud the peoples.” (Isaiah 60) Is the prophet not describing, chillingly, the world today? The Malbim, Meir Leibush...
I’m going to struggle to pray these high holy days. I stood in shul a year ago, pleading with G-d for a year of blessings and...
A breach is made in the wall. The enemy begins to pour in through the opening. Scenes of carnage follow. Burning, pillaging, murdering, torturing, and violating....
Chabad Lubavitch shluchim (emissaries) to South Africa gathered for their annual national conference (kinus) recently in a lodge in the countryside. They came from all over...
If not for that one short paragraph, the seder night could be so relaxed and so much fun. After all, it’s about celebrating our victory over...
I stumbled upon the map of Africa while walking to shul one morning a couple of weeks ago. I was in the United States visiting my...
An old man is walking in the dead of night, holding a lantern to help him navigate the darkness of a deserted alleyway. Observing a group...
The volume of Google searches for the word “diet” increases exponentially on – yes, you’ve guessed correctly – 1 January. During the first two weeks of...
A chassid left his home shtetl for business purposes. Swiftly, he realised that his chassidic attire seemed entirely out of place amidst the bustling trade fairs...
This was a wedding which would go down in history. The décor was divine. The lighting and sound was simply out of this world, with special...
This weekend, the eyes of the world will be focused on the pomp and ceremony in London, where King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will...
I was about to switch off the radio after the early morning news bulletin when something the presenter said caught my attention. He was about to...
There are two types of traveller. The one likes to feel at home even in temporary lodgings. He unpacks every item in his suitcase, filling the...
All will agree that the number-one conversation topic at social gatherings through 2022 was which is the best always-on solution. We fiercely debated the advantages of...
I lived in New York for many years. During this time, I never once toured the Statue of Liberty, went up the Empire State Building, or...
Many consider the end of this week’s parsha, the longest in the Pentateuch, to be boring and repetitive. Truth be told, of the portion’s 176 verses,...
To get to the top of Mount Sinai entails an arduous jeep ride to the foot of the mountain. This is then followed by a two-hour...
Long lines of refugees fleeing in the bitter winter cold, stooped by fear of an unknown future, their faces bearing the unspeakable suffering of having left...
Leave it to the Jews. The entire country is reeling in frustration at yet another extension of the State of Disaster. We cannot wait for the...
I was sad when I read Howard Feldman’s column in last week’s SA Jewish Report (10 February 2022) advocating for shorter shul services. He writes beautifully,...
You have all heard the joke many times before. The summary of all Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.” To a...
Theories abound about the Tembisa 10. Something seems not quite kosher about the birth of those decuplets. And, there was something not so kosher about the...
I have long battled with Unetane Tokef (the power of the sanctity of the day). It may be one of the highlights of the Rosh Hashanah...
An easy, albeit shallow, approach to understanding suffering in this world is to suggest that Hashem is just letting things happen, that it’s just nature taking...
Do you want to preserve your eyesight? Mishna Berura (24,7) quotes an ancient custom that will prevent blindness. Passing the tzitzit over our eyes when reciting...
We love round numbers. The celebration of decades, half centuries, and centuries always takes on special significance. Next week, on Shavuot, we will celebrate, for the...
As the Jewish nation camps in the wilderness linking the land of the Pharaohs and the promised land, they are warned not to emulate the behaviour...
One seder practice has always held a special mystique for me. It’s the point when Prophet Elijah’s cup is filled and the door is opened to...
We all love fairy tales. Beautiful, clever heroes who use their charm to bring frightening dramas to a quick denouement after which everybody lives happily ever...
One of the most memorable Chanukah holidays of my life was spent in the Old City of Jerusalem. Walking through the narrow lanes and alleyways of...
I always feel very emotional saying farewell to the sukkah at the end of the festival. For a week, we have been sheltered in G-d’s embrace,...
A young man walks into the rabbi’s office and asks if he may speak to him for a few minutes. Apparently, he is considering a career...
Exegetical license is a powerful tool in the hands of rabbis. (In simpler English, it’s the right to stray from the literal meaning of scripture in...
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