This week is Shabbat Shabbaton, the Grand Final of all Shabbatot. It is the only fast that is allowed to occur on Shabbat and in fact occurs regularly on Shabbat. Its stringencies surpass those of regular shabbat, with restrictions on what we wear and what we consume. It is the culmination of the days of Awe. I recently read a poem by Yehuda Amichai where he talks about Jerusalem. It seems to me, and perhaps to many of us, that Jerusalem may be a symbol for the trials and tri

Parshat Ha'azinu is famous for its structure. It like few other places in the Tanach is constructed as a song. It's opening words Haazinu are a command, a directive. Listen! This parsha often falls around this time and its directive of Listen! could not be more fitting as we hear the shofar. It is time to talk seriously about listening. We often hear things, we seldom listen. To listen is to incubate the idea, to internalise and to process. One is merely a physical reality th

The end of the tenure of Moshe draws closer and close, and although he addresses the task of preparing the Jewish people to enter into the land of Israel, he must also prepare them for a new leader, a world without him at the helm. For a culture so steeped in tradition, memory and connection with one's past such an experience is difficult. Moses must convince the people that their successes and sense of direction is intuitive not commanded by him or by God. The parsha reads:

This week's parsha reads: וַיִּקְרָ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֗ם אֵ֣ת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֤ה לְעֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לְפַרְעֹ֥ה וּלְכָל־עֲבָדָ֖יו וּלְכָל־אַרְצֽוֹ׃ הַמַּסּוֹת֙ הַגְּדֹלֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָא֖וּ עֵינֶ֑יךָ הָאֹתֹ֧ת וְהַמֹּפְתִ֛ים הַגְּדֹלִ֖ים הָהֵֽם וְלֹֽא־נָתַן֩ יְהוָ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם לֵב֙ לָדַ֔עַת וְעֵינַ֥יִם לִרְא֖וֹת וְאָזְנַ֣יִם לִשְׁמֹ֑עַ עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: You have s