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| Covenant and Conversation - Bechukotai 5766 |
| 12/8/2008 |
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Bechukotai - The Logic of Hope
One of the greatest Jewish contributions to the civilisation of the West is the idea of hope. Not all cultures give rise to hope. To the contrary: at the heart of many cultures is the idea that time is cyclical. What has been, will be. History is a set of eternal recurrences. Nothing ever really changes. Life is tragic. One of the classic expressions of this is contained in the book of Ecclesiastes:
What has been will be again,
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| Covenant and Conversation - Ha`azinu 5766 |
| 30/9/2006 |
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Ha'azinu
One of the most tragic moments in Western civilization came when Christians began distinguishing between what they called “the Old Testament G-d of vengeance” as opposed to the “New Testament G-d of love.” This is not a small error. One trembles to think how many Jews lost their lives because of it. It survives today, even among good and sensitive people. There is hardly a week when I do not see some reference to it in the national press. It is one of those taken-for-granted ... |
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| Covenant and Conversation - Nitzavim-Vayelech 5766 |
| 16/9/2006 |
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Nitzavim-Vayelech
At the end of his life, Moses gave the people the penultimate command - the 612th of the 613 that comprise the Torah. It was a command of far-reaching significance. The Israelites were about to cross the Jordan, and enter and take possession of the promised land. There they would begin life as a self-governing nation under the sovereignty of G-d.
It would not be easy. With his prophetic eye turned to the furthermost horizon of the future, Moses had been warning the... |
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| Covenant and Conversation - Ki Tavo 5766 |
| 9/9/2006 |
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Ki Tavo
In two sentences in this week’s sedra, the Torah summarizes the entire relationship between G-d and the people of Israel: You have affirmed [he-emarta] this day that the Lord is your, G-d, that you will walk in His ways, that you will observe His laws and commandments and rules, and that you will obey Him. And the Lord has affirmed [he-emirkha] this day that you are, |
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