Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
A teacher asks his student, “What is the essence of the Shabbat?” She responds, “The essence of Shabbat is that it is a sign of God’s creation of all things in seven days.” “No,” the teacher responds, “that is not…
Dear Chief Rabbi, We have over the years met and spoken on several occasions, I have also had the opportunity of hearing you speak at various community events. It is clear to me that you are a deep thinker, an inspirational…
The word kadosh is usually translated as “holy,” as in the Holy Land, the Holy of Holies, the Holy Ark, and the High Holy Days. Three times a day, in the K’dushah part of the Amidah, the standing prayer, we…
This week my colleague Rabbi Saar Shaked wrote his thoughts about the issue of banning women singing and I wanted to share it with you: “We should all hope that this week’s Yom HaShoah ceremony is the last one where…
Each year we sing Dayeinu as part of our Seder, showing our gratitude to God for all the wonders performed to our ancestors as they went free from Egypt. Though the traditional text encompasses over a dozen items for which…
It is no secret that over the past weeks I have become involved in a turbulent situation, that has become ever more public. While I have been put forward as “controversial” what I am actually after (other than simple justice)…
This week I received a letter suspending me from the SAJBD – this, just a few hours before a scheduled meeting of the board – I serve on the SAJBD and am also Chairman of the board of SACRED. SACRED…
After the successful registration last weekend, campaigning has returned to South Africa. And, as a result, it is inevitable that there will be debates about race, empowerment of different classes and the status of foreigners in South Africa. Once again,…
Dear all, I presume that by now you may have heard about The Cape Council of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, being taken to the Cape High Court by SACRED (and others) for “discrimination of women on the basis…
The portions of Tazria and Metzora are perhaps for many of you very uncomfortable portions of the Torah, dealing with all kinds of issues related to ritual purity and impurity. Ritual impurity, or tumah, has nothing to do with hygiene.…