Jeremy’s Notes
Shabbat Chol Ha-mo’ed Pesach
On the news this morning, I listened to an item on money laundering and the corruption of oligarchs from a country somewhere to the east of here. Clearly, these oligarchs
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The day after the night before
March ended and April began for Kehillat Kernow on a spiritual, social and culinary high. Friday 31st brought down from remotest London David and Hannah Jacobs. David led a joyful
Jeremy’s Notes
Vayikra
Last week there was a double parashiyot, namely Va-yakhel and P’kudei. In Ya-yakhel, the instructions given to Moses earlier on the building of the Tabernacle, the Ark and the other
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Communal Seder
Spring is coming and, with it, one of the most wonderful festivals of the Jewish year: Pesach. It is fitting that, at the same time as the world around us
Jeremy’s Notes
Ki Tissa
Please note that service reminders aim to build a bridge between the last Saturday service two weeks before and the one being announced. They will therefore often focus on the
Jeremy’s Notes
Terumah
Why is the first law, after the Ten Commandments that is, to do with slavery? One reason may be that the Israelites have just themselves emerged from slavery, so the
Jeremy’s Notes
Yitro
Imagine the wonder of it: to witness the plagues, each one more awful than the one before, to see the hail lash the land and darkness to descend for three
Jeremy’s Notes
Bo
“Listen heaven! I will speak! Earth hear the words of my mouth! My lesson shall drop like rain, my saying shall flow down like the dew – like a downpour
Jeremy’s Notes
Sh’mot
As I said last year, Bereshit goes from the macro – the creation, the flood, the scattering of nations after Babel – to the micro, that is the focus on
Jeremy’s Notes
Va-yiggash
The whole of the book of Genesis can be seen as a history of brothers… and sisters… and brother and sister… “Hang on a minute,” someone is saying. “How can
Jeremy’s Notes
Va-yeitzei
“But the children clashed inside her.” Is it not unusual for twins to fight? Are not twins usually as alike as two pins? Yet in the case of Esau and
Jeremy’s Notes
Chayyei Sarah
The Torah has loads of contradictions…. Now, before everyone gathers together into a furious band, comes round to our house with pitchforks and scythes to skewer and shred me to
Jeremy’s Notes
Lech L’cha
Bereshit is full of big bangs. First there is the startling sequence of light, sky and water, the Earth and the seas, the sun, moon and all the stars, the
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Bereshit and B’nei Mitzvot Rachel & David Barral
After Ha’azinu, some of which was beautifully rendered for us by Isaac Feldman, the story continues in the Torah inevitably to the death of Moses. However, it is not a
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Ha’azinu and Isaac Feldman’s Bar Mitzvah
Today I am 120 years old and I can no longer come and go. So says Moses at the start of Va-yeilech, as he approaches the end of his long
Jeremy’s Notes
Ki Teitzei
We are now deep in the stream of Moses’ discourse as he goes through all of God’s laws, accompanying these with promises and warnings. It is as if he were
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Letter from a Moshav by Jo Gore
Helloooo No miracle birth but I have been in Israel now for 9 months! I finally succumbed and took a job at my friend’s company in Ra’anana – not my
Jeremy’s Notes
R’eih and Blessing for Elul, Machar Chodesh
You are a very stubborn nation. Why? Because (Ekev) you provoked God your Lord in the desert. So Moses tells the Israelites as he continues his lesson to the people
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Va-etchannan
Words, words, words… Devarim is full of these slippery, chameleon, shape-shifting creatures. Are they to be trusted? To encourage us to do just that, the last book of the Torah
Jeremy’s Notes
Mas’ei
If a man makes a vow to God or commits himself to some action, he must keep the vow. So we are told in Mattot, and this is not surprising.