I have other interests, in History, Theology, Freemasonry, and others, and I am sharing here some of my reflections.
Parashat Bereshit Maidenhead Synagogue – 9 October 2026 / 28 Tishri 5787 This Shabbat, we start again the endless cycle of Torah reading, a moment that brings us reassurance that some things do not end, but also a reference to measure where we are...
A meditation on choices and why sometimes we resist changes. Most of us know the experience of standing in front of a door we have not yet opened. It is a job that stopped making sense to us years ago, a habit we have outgrown, a place we know too...
The Name That Emerged from Crisis The term "Judaism" itself was born from crisis. In biblical times, there was no such term. People identified as am Yisrael (the people of Israel), bnei Yisrael (children of Israel), or Yehudim for the inhabitants...
Judaism, at its heart, has always been progressive. From the Israelites of the Iron Age to the Progressive Jews of 21st-century Britain, we're bound not by a bloodline but by what Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger beautifully called a "text line."...
At first glance, esotericism and mysticism might seem like interchangeable terms, but they represent distinct yet complementary paths toward deeper spiritual understanding. First, I want to define each term and then see how they fit into...
Storytelling and Renewal: Finding Hope Amidst Uncertainty Sunday 13 April 2025 / 15 Nisan 5785 Each generation celebrates Pesach in their particular circumstances. Think about Pesach 1943, when the Nazis entered the ghetto of Warsaw. Despite the...
When a Masonic Lodge opens in the first degree, it reflects the sun’s daily journey—but in a curious, inverted way. The Right Worshipful Master (RWM) first calls upon the Junior Warden (WJW), seated in the South, where the sun reaches its zenith....
Photo taken the Union for Reform Judaism website.
https://urj.org/what-we-believe/what-is-reform-judaism
In the annals of biblical history, the two bronze pillars of the First Temple in Jerusalem—named Jachin and Boaz—stand as enduring symbols of strength and sanctity. As recorded in Jeremiah 52:17, “The Chaldeans broke up the bronze columns of the...