by Rene Pfertzel | Mar 13, 2026 | Divrei Torah
Maidenhead Synagogue Erev Shabbat Vayakhel-Pekudei 13 March 2026 / 24th Adar 5786 For rabbis, Shabbat poses an intriguing challenge. We are expected to teach that Shabbat is a day of rest and rejuvenation, but often, we arrive at Friday evening exhausted from a...
by Rene Pfertzel | Mar 5, 2026 | Blog
A Jewish take on navigating a turbulent landscape. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who spent much of his short life in the grip of spiritual anguish, taught his disciples that despair is the one condition from which there is almost no return. He therefore insisted, with...
by Rene Pfertzel | Feb 27, 2026 | Divrei Torah
Maidenhead Synagogue Shabbat Tetzvah – Zachor 28 February 2026 / 11 Adar 5786 I am not often furious when I read the news. I’ve been trying for a while to detach myself from the relentless noise of the news cycle and from the carelessness with which words are...
by Rene Pfertzel | Feb 12, 2026 | Divrei Torah
Maidenhead Synagogue – 13 February 2026 / 27 Sh’vat 5786 Have you ever wondered why we have laws at all? We could, in theory, have complete freedom: no rules, no constraints, no obligations to anyone. But the cost would be enormous. The 1789 French “Declaration of the...
by Rene Pfertzel | Feb 9, 2026 | Blog
Naming the crisis without shame Mental health is no longer a marginal conversation. It is one of the central moral and pastoral questions of our time. Depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness, and emotional exhaustion shape the daily lives of many people, including...
