Category: Torah
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Tetzaveh: Why is light the most common symbol for God?
Friends, Our Torah portion speaks about the ner tamid, which is often translated as the “eternal light” but it would be better to understand it as “always light” because it always had to be tended to. The Hebrew suggests this meaning rather than the more familiar eternal light. The ner tamid is the only commandment…
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May the Eternal bless you and guard you.
Friends, One of our Friday evening highlights during services is, without a question, the blessing of our children. As you can see from the picture above, there are quite a lot of them joining Kani and Deborah each week for the Kids’ Club, and us for the kiddush in the Shul.To bless the children is…
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Mishpatim: Taking a bribe is no different to digging a pit and not covering it properly.
Friends, A story is told of two men in a boat when one suddenly decides to start drilling a hole underneath his seat, the other man protests – “what are you doing, we’re all going to drown”. But the man drilling his hole says “it’s none of your business, I want to drill a hole,…
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Parashat Yitro: We can create a beautiful world
Friends,Some people think that the real meaning of Judaism is to pay attention to God through ritual. Other people think that the real meaning of Judaism is to pay attention to other people through acting ethically. Guess what? They are one and the same. When God gave Moses the Decalogue, the first five commandments—the “God…
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2019 is a year of celebration and a chance in bringing South Africa together
Chaverim Yakarim I have been asked to share my sermon from last Friday via the AdKan with all of you. Please let me and/or ManCom know what your thoughts are on the subject, and please join the conversation. Shabbat Shalom—Rabbi Adrian M SchellWelcome back – and it is good to be back.Summer in Johannesburg is…
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Parashat Bo: Fighting the gods of Egypt
Chaverim Yakarim As many scholars have noted, the plagues that struck Egypt during the Exodus can be interpreted as being assaults on the various gods of Egypt: the Nile, the sun, even to the firstborn of Pharaoh. But after the “official” plagues have ended, one more Egyptian god will come under assault. “Speak to the…
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2018 is coming to its end …
Chaverim Yakarim —dear friends 2018 is coming to its end, and while we traditionally use the High Holy Days to look back, I’d like to invite you to do so, one more time. 2018 came with hopes, hopes for freedom, success and growth—some became true, but we also have to carry forward some of them to…
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Chanukah is where we take one step beyond
Chaverim,There is also a very strong link between our portion of Mikeitz and Chanukah (besides that it is read during the chanukah week almost every year). At the beginning of this week’s reading, Pharaoh has a dream about seven cows coming up from the river. These cows were healthy looking, robust, full of flesh. Following them were…
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THANK YOU TO ALL OUR “MITZVAH MAKERS“
Under the leadership of Rabbi Sa’ar Shaked, Rabbi Adrian Schell and Reeva Forman, members ofthe Gauteng Progressive Jewish community came together twice to help the less fortunate ofHillbrow as part of the Mensch Mitzvah Day (17/18 November).After celebrating Havdalah together at the new Bet David Campus, around 50 Mitzvah-Makers made more than 1,000 sandwiches and collected soft…
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One Mitzvah leads to another, while one sin leads to another,and when one acts justly it is very good. – Pirkei Avot 4:2 Chaverim,This Saturday evening and Sunday morning, we join forces with our friends from Temple Israel and Beit Emanuel to help others. Every year in November, Jews world-wide dedicate one Sunday to do…
