The Complexity of Human Rights

What Makes God Laugh

Moshe’s Disappointment

Healing the Trauma of Loss

Hierarchy and Politics: The Never-Ending Story

Two Kinds of Fear

The Sound of Silence

Retribution and Revenge

Near the end of Bamidbar, we encounter the law of the cities of refuge: three cities to the east of the Jordan and, later, three more within the land of Israel itself. There, people who had committed homicide could flee and find protection until their case was heard by a court of law.

Retribution and Revenge

Even justified acts of bloodshed, as in the case of war, still communicate impurity. That is what lies behind the idea of revenge.

Oaths and Vows

Can freedom and order coexist in the human sphere? Can there be a society which is both free and just at the same time?

Elijah and the Still, Small Voice

To preserve tradition and at the same time defend those others condemn is the difficult, necessary task of religious leadership in an unreligious age.

The Curse of Loneliness

The battle against antisemitism can be won, but it will not be if Jews believe that we are destined to be alone. That is Bilaam’s curse, not God’s blessing.

Anger Management

“Is this the Torah and this its reward?” we are tempted to say. What was Moses’ sin that it merited such punishment?

When Truth Is Sacrificed to Power

What was wrong with the actions of Korach and his fellow rebels? They had a point. Why was there a hierarchy, with Moses as leader and Aaron as High Priest?

Assembling Reminders

You are driving ever so slightly above the speed limit. You see a police car in your rear-view mirror. You slow down. That is precisely the psychology behind the mitzvah of tzitzit in this week’s parsha.

From Pain to Humility

Those who have humility are open to things greater than themselves while those who lack it are not. That is why those who lack it make you feel small while those who have it make you feel enlarged.

Two Versions of the Moral Life

Is a Nazirite positive or negative? Or maybe it's both of them?

Law as Love

Joy in the celebration G-d's love led King David to “leap and dance” when the Ark was brought into Jerusalem. When love defeats dignity, faith is alive and well.

Conflict Resolution

One of the hardest tasks of any leader – from Prime Ministers to parents – is conflict resolution. Yet it is also the most vital. Where there is leadership, there is long-term cohesiveness within the group, whatever the short-term problems.

Lessons of a Leader

The Parsha of Pinchas contains a masterclass on leadership, as Moses confronts his own mortality and asks God to appoint a successor. In the case of Moses, the Sages sensed a certain sadness at his realisation that he would not be succeeded by either of his sons.