Judaism/Spirituality

Julie Andrews made it into a famous song – the notion that whenever I feel afraid I make out that I don’t fear the future. In “The Sound of Music”, Julie’s response to fear was to hold her head erect and whistle a happy tune so that no-one would suspect …

THE JEWISH COUNT-DOWNS The countdown to Shavu’ot is the 49 days of the Omer. Beginning on the second evening of Pesach we formally count the days that link the two festivals. Not that this is the only count-down in Jewish practice and philosophy. Every time we are on the road …

WILL ELIJAH BE COMING THIS PESACH? Such is the fascination of Pesach that four out of every five Jews will sit down to the Seder. No matter how far some may seem to be at other times from the traditional practices and observances of the Jewish heritage, Seder night will …

  WILL ELIJAH BE COMING THIS PESACH? Such is the fascination of Pesach that four out of every five Jews will sit down to the Seder. No matter how far some may seem to be at other times from the traditional practices and observances of the Jewish heritage, Seder night …

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins tomorrow night in Israel (Monday night in Australia ) and lasts for 2 days, until sundown on Wednesday night. The Jewish year follows the lunar calendar, and the number counts the number of years since Creation. This year we will mark the beginning …

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” – Kurt Vonnegut Jr. How often do we find ourselves complaining loudly about issues that seem insignificant in retrospect? Our closet having too many clothes, our phone not having enough charge, or …

Before starting this post I looked back, as I always do, to what I wrote last year. And I was shocked at how quickly I’ve forgotten Pesach in the shadow of corona. What a difference a year makes – in both directions. Last year we were mourning the loss of …

EREV PESACH ON SHABBAT – A CALENDRICAL PUZZLE Pesach is exciting, colourful and demanding.  No other festival imposes such obligations on the Jewish home.  No other festival pries so much into every nook and cranny of the house. No wonder so many Jewish housewives – and their husbands – tend …

Don’t be a stranger. “Marriage is a great way to find the one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life” – Comedian Rita Rudner Sometimes we are kinder to strangers than we are to our loved ones.  Perhaps it is because our tolerance for the …

Every new state is born only under the condition that the former state completely exhausts itself. The holiday of Purim symbolizes the turning point the world is immersed in now as a result of the pandemic. Thus, this year’s celebration is particularly meaningful, not only to the Jewish people, but …

Australia and Judaism Combine Celebrating 2020 Hanukkah Season Cairns, QLD, —To celebrate the 2020 Chanukah season, Chabad North Queensland lit up a giant boomerang menorah at the Cairns Esplanade.  The life size menorah, was constructed entirely of boomerangs and provided Cairns’ Jewish and wider community with a safe way to …

The Rise and Fall of the First Temple In the previous article, we described Israel’s formation into a nation and how they were given the task to be “a light unto nations” by becoming a model of unity above differences.  This article is the first to explore Israel’s attempts to …

Moses & the Establishment of the People of Israel In the previous article, we described Israel’s time in Egypt, how they prospered while they were united under Joseph’s leadership, and how they assimilated after his passing, which then turned the Egyptians against them. In this article, we will explore Moses’ …

In the previous article, we described Abraham’s struggle to spread his revelation that there is only one force in reality, which he called “God,” that that force manifested in two ways—giving and receiving—and everything in reality reflected interactions between the two.  We also said that Abraham realized that his contemporaries …

The editor of one of the papers where I write regular op-eds requested more information on my message that if Jews are not united, they bring on themselves antisemitism.  Specifically, he wanted to know my sources for making this argument so insistently. He is correct; people need to know where …

Compliments cost nothing, but many pay dearly for them – Thomas Fuller What is the point of giving compliments?  Are they really the integral self-esteem boosts some people claim they are or are they just unnecessary demonstrations of vanity?  To give them correctly for some might not be worth the …

We are at the height of Sukkot at the moment and I would love to write about the special prayers and celebrations that are taking place in Jerusalem and around the Jewish world, but with coronavirus still ravaging our population, we are in lockdown, synagogues are closed and prayer are …

The festival of Sukkot, the most joyous festival in the Jewish calendar, began last night, lasting for 7 days (8 outside of Israel), running straight into the Simchat Torah festival on the 8th day (9th day outside Israel). Sukkot is the last of the Shalosh R’galim (three pilgrimage festivals). Like …

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins tonight (Friday night), and lasts for 2 days, until sundown on Sunday night. The Jewish year follows the lunar calendar, and the number counts the number of years since Creation. This year we will mark the beginning of 5781. This year is going …

Dvar Torah for this week Vayakhel Pekudai and Coronavirus An African child playing with a roll of waste paper recently was told off by his mother “Don’t waste! There are children in Australia who don’t have access to toilet paper right now”. Our universe is currently suffering the impact of …