HASBARA The Israelites have almost completed their forty year journey in the wilderness. They are close to the borders of the land of Canaan. In their path, stand a number of fearsome warrior nations, including Moab and the Emorites. The first such nation they encounter is...

THE DRAFT In mid-1991, while I was in my matric year, I received call-up papers to serve in the South African Defence Force. I obtained a deferment while I was studying in yeshiva and by the time I graduated as a rabbi, obligatory military service had...

FREAKY FRUIT The images above are iconic symbols of the Land of Israel. The first is the logo of the Carmel Winery, established in 1882 by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild in the northern Israeli town of Zichron Yaakov.  The second is the (updated) emblem of the...

THE SCHOLAR, THE LEADER AND THE PARENT “This is the craftsmanship of the menorah: Hammered gold; from its base to its flowers it is hammered. Like the vision that the Lord showed Moshe, so he crafted the Menorah.” (Bamidbar 8:4) The Menorah in the Tabernacle was an...

STRIVING TOGETHER It is somewhat of an understatement to say that South Africa is in the midst of a leadership crisis. With all of the shenanigans going on following the recent watershed elections in which the ANC lost 17% of their support, the average citizen might...

JERUSALEM, OUR HEART “The Children of Israel shall encamp, each man by his banner according to the insignia of his father’s household, at a distance surrounding the tent of Meeting shall they encamp.” (Bamidbar 2:2)  Rashi explains that each banner was dyed a particular colour, corresponding to...

THE ENEMY FROM WITHIN “We don’t need or want the false idol of Zionism. We want freedom from the project that commits genocide in our name. Freedom from an ideology that has no plan for peace other than deals with murderous theocratic petrostates next door, while...

GIVING IS THE GREATEST GIFT “When your brother becomes impoverished and loses the ability to support himself in the community, you must come to his aid. Help him survive, whether he is a proselyte or a native [Israelite].” (Vayikrah 25:35) The verse above is one of several...

WHO IS A JEW? One aspect of my job as the registrar of the Cape Town Beth Din is to provide certificates of Jewish status, teudot yahadut. These certificates are required when someone applies to make Aliyah or to get married abroad. In the case of...

TOGETHER WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS “You shall not take vengeance; you shall not bear a grudge against members of your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Vayikrah 19:18) “Rabbi Akiva says: This is a great principle of the Torah.” (Sifra) The commandment...