The first time I referred to God in the feminine from the bimah I had been a Rabbi for about 2 years. It was a throw away comment at the end of a sermon that hadn’t really been about God or women or even feminism, but it was the main topic of conversation at KiddushRead More
I want some balance in my life. Wouldn’t it be good to find some sort of balance in our human social broigus just the same way it exists in Nature? Does anyone know a magic formula for equilibrium as defined by “acting forces that are cancelled by each other resulting in a stable balanced system”[1]?Read More
כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ Traditionally translated as honour your father and mother, the fifth commandment begins with the word respect. This word has been playing on my mind this week, particularly after a conversation at the school gates on Wednesday. A mother was complaining about how the teachers at our children’s secondary school don’t respect theRead More
The Mental Health awareness Shabbat was chosen to be marked by JAMI, the Mental Health service for the Jewish Community in the UK, on this particular Shabbat because of its Torah reading. One of the 10 plagues, with which the Egyptians were afflicted, was the plague of darkness. We read at the end of chapterRead More
‘Let my People Go’. Possibly one of the most famous phrases of the book of Exodus, if not the Torah. It is a lament people throughout the ages have employed at some of the darkest times, and it famously became the refrain of an African American Spiritual, praying for freedom from lived slavery. This yearRead More
I would like to start with a riddle today: What do you call cattle who don’t have any courage? – Cowards! Well, Joseph’s brothers were definitely not cowards and not cow herders but shepherds as they confirm in their brave reply to Pharaoh’s question. Their reply was brave because Joseph warned them before their audienceRead More
2012 was a boom birth year. It was the year our eldest was born, and it meant there weren’t enough school places when she was starting school. So we were incredibly lucky that the year she started reception a brand new Jewish school opened in Borehamwood, and we were able to get a place despiteRead More
When I joined EHRS, I had loved my previous job at Reform Judaism, working with communities up and down the country to develop their educational offerings for all ages and create meaningful Jewish engagement. But I had so missed being in community, and in particular, walking life’s journey with people. So this morning is forRead More
It is lovely today to be celebrating so many things in our Torah service, from Sherry’s Phd, to Joel’s amazing achievement in being awarded Children In Need’s Young Fundraiser of the Year, and Manfred’s birthday! Mazal tov to you all! I’ve noticed over the years, that when it comes to celebrating Jewish weddings, there isRead More
Our Torah reading for this week, Parashat Toldot starts with good news. Rebecca, Isaac’s wife is pregnant. The bad news is her pregnancy is a difficult one. She is in pain and we are told that it is because her twin baby-boys were pressing against each other. So according to the author of the TorahRead More
I really enjoy Inductions… but only when other people are having them. I feel shy being the center of attention. This is my second Induction in 14 years. I went out of my way 2 years ago to miss another one, ending up in Ukraine at the beginning of the war. And I hope thisRead More
I won’t lie, I have spent this week wondering what on earth I am going to say this morning. I have, in fact, felt lost for words a lot of the time this week. I have felt like I might snap in half at any minute. On Monday, I tried to explain to my 8Read More