Jewish Year 5765 (2004-2005) | Covenant & Conversation

The Cup of Hope

As a child, I used to be fascinated by the cup of Elijah at the Seder table. Would the prophet come when we opened the…

Letting Go

The detail in the story of the Exodus is highly emphasised in the Torah, yet at first sight it appears almost unintelligible. Here is the…

Beshallach • 5765, 5769

The Role of Time in Social Transformation

‘Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer;…

Yitro • 5765, 5769

The Universality of Wisdom

The structure of Shemot chapters 18-20 is little short of astonishing. In 19-20, we read of the moment in which the Israelites received their constitution…

Korach • 5765

A Cloak Entirely Blue

Midrash is the ancient rabbinic way of understanding a biblical text. It is not a simple, literal interpretation. For this, the rabbis had as different…