Articles in Religion and Jewish Thought
The Social Network – My Friend has a Friend
By David Werdiger
In the weekly portion of the same name (Numbers/Bamidbar 22), Balak, the king of Moab, commissions the gentile prophet Balaam to curse the Jews who are travelling through his land on their way …
The Jewish Hijab – Halacha gets hairy
By Malki Rose
It is felt by many that a basic tenet of female modesty is that married women must cover their hair. A woman’s hair, only when married is considered ‘ervah’ (‘nakedness’) -defined as ‘that …
The Kollel System – Too Much Torah?
By Simon Holloway
In Genesis 49:13-15, Jacob blesses the eponymous ancestors of the tribes Zevulun and Issachar and, although the content of the blessings might be a little prosaic to our ears, it has inspired a …
Chosenness as a Jewish concept
By Geoffrey Bloch
Johnny Baker, my friend and childhood classmate, endorses changing the traditional blessing one makes when being called up to the Torah (Changing Our Chosen Status AJN 3/9). I sat next …
Let the Shofar Take You Places
By Rabbi Meir Rabi
May this year be a peaceful year.
A year of challenges that prompt us to discover energies that have perhaps hibernated within us and are ready to blossom.
Everyone wants a sweet new year. …
Rosh Hashanah – of Fish Heads and Frankl
By David Werdiger
Many of the rituals and activities around Rosh Hashanah are brimming with symbolism. From the round challot symbolizing completeness, to the special foods eaten such as honey cake and apple dipped in honey …
The Midrash Says…
By Simon Holloway
Most people who use the word “midrash” don’t know what it means. To them, “midrash” simply denotes a convoluted and nonsensical commentary to a text: a tract composed with the intention of obfuscating …
Matza ado about nothing
By David Werdiger
Judging by the number of comments on the stories about soft matzah, particularly those questioning the flour used for matzos that had been manufactured locally in the past under Kosher Australia, you’d think …
MasterCholent
By David Werdiger
I’m very pleased that the current season of MasterChef is finally over. My family is whole again; the kids are able to go to bed at their regular time; we are able to …
Whither the Tribe of Levi
By David Werdiger
It’s a common scene in a Shul on Shabbat. Shortly before the reading of the Torah, the gabbai (that fellow who makes sure all the parts of the shul service that have to …
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