This week’s Torah reading contains one of the most powerful, poignant and emotive moments in the entire Torah. וַיאמֶר קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ אֶת יִצְחָק וְלֶךְ לְךָ אֶל אֶרֶץ הַמּרִיָּה וְהַעֲלֵהוּ שָׁם לְעלָה … And He said, “Please take your son, your only one, whom you love – Isaac, and go [...]

“We are the 99%” – Slogan of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Forget the politicians, the corporate hierarchies and the lobbyists – the buzz word now is “grassroots,” as ordinary people, law-abiding citizens make a stand against those who run the world as we know it. Born in the Financial District of New York this [...]

אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹח, נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו, אֶת הָאֱלֹקִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ Noah was a righteous man, he was perfect in his generations; Noach walked with G-d – Genesis 6:9 It is a well-known fact that those people who want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who [...]

Selichot – The Penitential Prayers G‑d replied (to King David): “When suffering will befall the Jews because of their sins, they should gather before me in complete unity. Together they shall confess their sins and recite the order of the Selichot, and I will answer their prayers” — Midrash. In the Shulchan Aruch we are [...]

The Gift that Keeps on Giving וְ ה הִנֵּה הֵבֵאתִי אֶת רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה עַתָּ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לִּי הֹ וְהִנַּחְתּוֹ לִפְנֵי ה אֱלֹקיךָ And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O L-rd, have given to me.” Then, you shall lay it before the L-rd, your G-d – [...]

.. Even if the television or other equipment is broken and currently unable to receive a signal, it is regarded as capable of being repaired so it can receive a signal and you must hold a licence for it. – Television Licensing laws, Ireland “You shall not keep in your house two different ephah measures, [...]

Steganography is a new word I have learned this week, defined in the dictionary as, “The art or practice of concealing a message, image, or file within another message, image, or file.”   Steganography was used by the cabal of Russian spies recently arrested in the USA to communicate intelligence information back to “Moscow Central.” [...]

Now this man Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth – Bamidbar 12:3 I don’t know how closely those here in Ireland were following the UK elections recently, but there was a fascinating exchange this week which I think we can all learn from. Newly elected Prime Minister, [...]