Messages from the Rabbi: Archives

July 2020, Tisha B’Av

Dear Friends, The three weeks of mourning we have just culminated with today's fast of Tisha b'Av. The Roman legions in Jerusalem were able to breach the walls of Jerusalem…

July 2020, Parshat Devarim

Dear Friends, This week I have been thinking a lot about the importance of studying history. History, at its core, is the study of people. Learning about the past, as…

July 2020, Parshat Matot Masei

Dear Friends, This week I have had a lot of time to reflect on the difficulties many of us are facing during this first week of lockdown in Melbourne. No…

July 2020, Parshat Chukat Balak

Dear Friends, This week’s Torah reading is jam-packed and full of interesting things as we read the double Torah portion of Chukat-Balak. The Parsha starts by discussing the death of…

June 2020, Parshat Korach

Dear Friends, The Torah records the travels and experiences of the Jewish people while wandering the desert for 40 years. Their needs were taken care of by G-d: food was…

June 2020, AFL Multicultural Ambassador

Dear Friends, Earlier this year I was selected to be an AFL multicultural community ambassador and as part of this role I work with other community and faith leaders to…

June 2020, 10 Commandments

Dear Friends, This week I was asked to write for the Australian Jewish News what I think should be considered the “11th commandment’ of our Jewish tradition. Coming out of…

May 2020, Shavuot

Dear Friends, Tonight starts the celebration of Shavuot, the festival in which the Jewish people rejoice the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. This year, as with many other…

May 2020, Parshat Bamidbar

Dear Friends, One of the most common issues that I continuously bump into while working as a rabbi is the difficulty in accurately translating Hebrew words. Sometimes there is truly…

May 2020, Parshat Behar-Bechukotai

Dear Friends, It is not for naught that throughout the ages the Jewish people have been somewhat stereotyped as a business savvy and financially intelligent nation. Whether due to the…