Among the festivals that give rhythm and structure to the Jewish year, Sukkot is unusual, unique. A detail which had a significant influence on Jewish liturgy appears in the book of Deuteronomy: … more

To those who fully open themselves to it, Yom Kippur is a life-transforming experience. It tells us that G-d, who created the universe in love and forgiveness, reaches out to us in love and … more

When I was Chief Rabbi, each year before Rosh Hashana I used to make a television film for the BBC. It was an interesting challenge. Among the viewers, 99.5% were not Jewish. Jews are only half a per … more

Two things have haunted me since 9/11. The first is the pain, the grief, the lives lost and families devastated, the sheer barbaric ingenuity of evil. The scar in our … more

The moment had come. Moses was about to die. He had seen his sister Miriam and brother Aaron pre-decease him. He had prayed to G-d — not to live forever, not even to live longer, but simply, … more

Ki Savo begins with the ceremony of bringing first-fruits to the Temple. The Mishnah gives a detailed account of what happened: Those that were near to Jerusalem brought fresh figs and grapes, … more

In Deuteronomy 24, we encounter — for the first time — the explicit statement of a law of far-reaching significance: Parents shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children … more

In his enumeration of the various leadership roles within the nation that would take shape after his death, Moses mentions not only the priest/judge and the king, but also the  prophet : … more

A sequence of verses in this week’s sedra gave rise to a beautiful Talmudic passage — one that has found a place in the siddur . It is among the readings we say after the Evening Service on … more

As Moses begins his great closing addresses to the next generation, he turns to a subject that dominates the last of the Mosaic books, namely justice: I instructed your judges at that time as … more