Category: 2023

Sukkot Ushpizin By: Paula Levin “His way is to distribute tzedoka – that is his way of beautifying the sukkah.” The mystical sources tell us that seven supernal guests (Ushpizin) visit us each night of Sukkot. Here’s a thought experiment: if you could invite anyone from the past, present, or even future to share a meal with you in your sukkah, who would you choose? The answer might reveal something about where your heart or interests lie and is a lovely conversation starter you can try at your Yom Tov…

FADED GENES

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 Jewish Life

Confluence What a shame By: Rabbi Dr David Fox Pullquote: “Was he such a treasure that somehow the Jewish world would be better with him among our ranks?” People used to say that my Rosh Yeshiva could read into a person’s soul. His warm countenance and glowing smile drew people to open up to him. He was modest and drew no attention to himself, modelling empathy in his interest in all others. As my late father would say, “He was the world’s greatest listener.” The insights which he had into…

JOIN THE FAMILY IN THE SUKKAH

Sukkot JOIN THE FAMILY IN THE SUKKAH AND VANQUISH YOUR DRAGON By: Rabbi Moishe Schnerb “Every Jew who commits any sin creates within himself a formidable opposition, comprised of 70 elements which become our antagonists.” “We take our weapons and praise our Creator that He has given us the intellect to defeat all the evil on this earth.” The greatest secret of our lives is life itself. The one question that we would love to have an answer to, but never will is, for how long are we going to…

Leave the Judgement to G-d

Seeing the other side By: Paula Levin “It starts with the realisation that certain things are either someone else’s business or G-d’s business. And there’s not one thing we can do about that.” The Jewish New Year starts with the month of Tishrei, symbolised by the Zodiac sign of the scales of justice and the first day of the new year is known as Yom Hadin, Judgement Day for all humanity. On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem weighs our deeds and determines what resources we need for the coming year, based on…

Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur

What’s in a name? Forget me not! By: Rabbi Dovid Samuels “Hashem has charged each one of us with a mission, and we are His agents to carry out that mission.” On the very first Rosh Hashanah, man was born. That same day, man was named. When the heavenly angels saw Hashem’s magnificent creation – man – they were motivated to sing songs of praise to him. Hashem saw their error and named man Adam, to remind the angels that although this creation was fashioned in the image of G-d,…

Kosher Gourmet

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 Jewish Life

A good sign The first bite is with the eye By: Sharon Lurie It was the ‘taste’ of nostalgia that encouraged me to do a Rosh Hashanah lunch for this edition. For 20 years I always did 2nd day lunch, however, things change, children get married, families grow, thank G-d, and we start sharing Yomtavim, “who’s doing first night, who’s doing 2nd?” …and so it goes. This year I ‘banked’ 2nd day lunch and reclaimed my spot! That way I won’t have to worry about load shedding as cold meats…

THINGS I LEARNED…While Teaching Everyone Else

July 24, 2023August 30, 2023 Jewish Life

Antisemitism: Rising with Reason? By: Rabbi Yossy Goldman “If we think there is a reason for antisemitism, then we will keep seeking the ever-elusive solution.” Today, antisemitism is on the rise. Thank G-d, we in South Africa enjoy perhaps the lowest antisemitism in the world of any organised, active Jewish community. No thanks to the ANC or its government, but the people of South Africa are not at all antisemitic. Of course, there are haters everywhere, and we have our own BDS zealots. But, as a rule, we have certainly…

Education: Resilience

More than just survival “Social media has created a culture of shame, where everything from wearing the wrong clothes to accidentally daring to use the wrong pronoun can result in a person experiencing the online equivalent of being tarred and feathered in the public square.” By: Ilan Preskovsky Over the past decade or so, renowned cognitive psychologist, linguist, and public intellectual, Steven Pinker, has received a fair amount of attention for daring to suggest that the world is actually getting better, not worse. By virtually every metric of well-being, he…

Kosher Gourmet: Healthy Body

…healthy mind By: Sharon Lurie I always find that when food and education are mentioned in the same sentence, my mind immediately starts thinking school lunches, healthy meals, hearty dishes, and a slice of lemon cake, healthy of course, because aren’t lemons enriched with vitamin C?? Still makes it healthy, doesn’t it?? Nutrition education empowers children with knowledge and skills to make healthy food and beverage choices. I hope some of these recipes will educate one to live a healthier lifestyle and help children to create their own exciting school lunches.…

Education: Generation Rising

From social media to role models, from challenges to opportunities By: Chandrea Serebro Pullquotes: “This trend has also fostered unhealthy academic competition in schools, a lack of consideration for students who are not academically strong, and a disregard for those who prefer other areas of school life.” King David Linksfield Biggest inspiration: My grade 11 year was the year that I recognised that English is more exciting than merely identifying concord errors. I learned the art of poetry and explored the different ways in which writers relay their voices about…

Confluence: CAMPUS CONUNDRUM

In Theory By: Rabbi Dr David Fox “He likely fit into that class of philosophers who did not always practice what they preached.” We were both busy working on our doctorates. I juggled the role of being a rabbi with that of being a graduate student, and he had sought asylum in America as a refugee from a totalitarian country. He had been a professor in one of the universities there but had fled as the new radical regime made intellectual freedom an act of treason. Our career…

Education feature: Education and AI

Are our schools future-fit? By: Paula Levin “How can something of less intelligence retain control over something with vastly superior intelligence?” Panel Rob Long – Principal, Yeshiva College High Schools Dean Furman – Futurist and Innovation Expert Craig Adamson – Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation, King David The future used to seem so far away. With the rise of AI, the release of ChatGPT, ‘real estate’ in the Metaverse being snapped up, and my brother Dave Whatsapping us a pic of the robot bartender he just ordered a drink…

I can’t …or can I?

May 17, 2023May 19, 2023 Jewish Life

I can’t …or can I? By: Rabbi Dovid Samuels “The entire world was created for this moment, when a mere mortal, flesh and blood, could create an atmosphere of G-dliness in the lowly physical world.” “Hashem knew that there would come a time where the Jewish people found themselves in a situation where the world was telling us, ‘You can’t!’” There’s a famous fable about a bunch of frogs that fell into a deep pit. With their friends hopping about outside the pit, those inside desperately tried to jump out,…

With all our hearts

May 17, 2023May 19, 2023 Jewish Life

With all our hearts The compelling call of Tehillim in every age By: Paula Levin “What is the power of Tehillim, that it has captured hearts across the world?” Shavuot commemorates the most significant event in human history, the moment G-d Himself told us why He created this world, and how He wants us to live. At Mount Sinai, we received the Torah, which through millennia of exile has been our ‘portable homeland’. And yet, while most Jews have heard about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Pesach, Shavuot is virtually…

Shavuos Features

SPIRITUAL EYES And All the People Saw the Thunder “The more one looks, the greater the light becomes, and greater is the insight and understanding of that vision.” The Zohar in Parshat Balak relates the following fascinating story: Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Abba, and some of their students spent some time in the house of Rabbi Yosi in Pakiyin. There they witnessed first-hand an incident of Techiyas Hamaisim [Resurrection of the Dead]. They then departed to visit the home of Rabbi Elazar’s father-in-law, but the way was long and the sun…

SAJBD

May 17, 2023May 19, 2023 Jewish Life

Still here? This is a community worth fighting for By: Wendy Kahn “The celebrations this week were not just for 75 years of Israel. They were also celebrations of South African Jewry.” I often get asked by community members why I am still at the SAJBD 20 years later (in my current job for 17 years). I never miss a beat in responding that it is truly a privilege working for this remarkable South African Jewish community. When I attend conferences with my fellow community leaders from around the world,…

Kosher Gourmet

Milchiks and more …and fleishigs for sure! By: Sharon Lurie Shavuot is in the air, and it’s time to bring out our favourite dairy delights. I’m sure many have already frozen a few bakkies of cream cheese in an attempt to avoid the ‘big cream cheese hunt’ we had in Johannesburg this year for Pesach. As a result, I’ve included a really simple recipe to make your own cream cheese so that we may never fear going without this essential Shavuot ingredient again! But don’t forget that Shavuot is a…

Mindstorm

“If we learn to use our breath correctly we will develop more inner awareness, we will sleep better, feel better, be able to let go of negative emotions, and feel more in control of our lives.” Breathe By: Maria Beider “Breath is the epicentre of human function.” “Get out of your mind and get into your breath because your breath is the life force.” Did you know that we breathe on average between 20 000 to 26 000 times a day, and most of the time we…

Food for thought

More Cheesecake Please Behind the milchiks By: Dr. Yardena Bauer “Unconditional love cannot be reduced to a pill.” There is no actual mitzvah to eat cheesecake on Shavuot. This came as a shock to me as well. Out of the Shalosh Regalim that is Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot – Shavuot is one day and with no Torah-prescribed rituals. Both Pesach and Sukkot are 7 days. Pesach has the seder with all the foods and of course the complete changeover of eating without chametz. Sukkot has the Sukkah and moving outside…

Mindstorm: A journey to gratitude

March 27, 2023March 27, 2023 Jewish Life

“It was unbelievable to arrive at this random apartment in the suburbs of the capital of Botswana to find a welcoming note left only a few hours earlier from my eldest child, a fridge filled with kosher food, and kitchen utensils labelled fleishik on the counter!” Hurdles and the Holy Land By: Maria Beider Pesach is a time when we express gratitude to Hashem for taking us out of slavery. On seder night, one of the highlights of the evening is when we sing “Dayeinu” to show…

Things I’ve Learned…while teaching everyone else

March 27, 2023March 27, 2023 Jewish Life

It’s a small world “Some things are identical all over. The problems of Jewish ignorance and assimilation are universal. So are the challenges of raising children in an open society.” Conversations Across Continents By: Rabbi Yossy Goldman Since becoming Life Rabbi Emeritus of Sydenham Shul, my wife Rochel and I have done a lot of travelling. Over the past 15 months, we have been guest speakers and lecturers in many cities across the USA, Central America, and Israel. And it is absolutely fascinating to see how as we…

Kosher Gourmet: Making Memories

HaKol BeSeder By: Sharon Lurie Pesach, the creative cooking time of the year for some, possibly the simplest for others, but daunting for most. How often do we hear: “I’m not going meshuga for 8 days of the year”? Well, we still have to prepare for two Sedorim, Chol HaMoed, and Shabbos, and let’s not forget our families’ biggest memories in Jewish culture revolve around our festivals and how we share meals. Somehow, we always focus on our traditional Seder meals, so I thought this Pesach I’m giving you a few…

Feature: Galilee Dreamers

“The only way forward is by forging stronger bonds between regular Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinians through basic, everyday interactions and real conversations about what matters most to them.” A Critical Message of Hope By: Ilan Preskovsky As the past months have seen the worst outbreak of violence between Jews and Arabs in Israel in years, it becomes all too easy to lose hope entirely that there will ever be any real peace between the two nations that claim the land as their own. Certainly not for those…

Feature: Boycott

“There’s an awful lot of people who don’t agree with the BDS movement, including us. I don’t agree with the cultural ban at all, along with JK Rowling, Noam Chomsky, and a long list of others.” Celebrities Who Have Resisted BDS By: Ilan Preskovsky Pullquotes: “There’s an awful lot of people who don’t agree with the BDS movement, including us. I don’t agree with the cultural ban at all, along with JK Rowling, Noam Chomsky, and a long list of others.” “I was approached by different groups and political bodies…

Choshech

“Anxiety is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” Finding light in this plague of darkness By: Paula Levin I look around me and everyone I talk to is struggling. And not just with usual day-to-day stress of business or family challenges. With big stuff. There’s the barrage of bad news from Ukraine, Turkey, and Syria – human tragedy on a mass scale. An uptick in terror attacks in Israel, leaving shattered families in its wake. Closer to home, South Africa’s…

Pesach Feature: Sing!

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 Jewish Life

Composing the song of our lives “A masterpiece is a fusion of crescendos and decrescendos, piano and forte.” By: Rabbi Dovid Samuels “Each and every blow they received was necessary to get them to the lofty level that they had now attained. They had achieved context and clarity. They could now sing.” “Hashem wants us to know that He won’t only split the sea for the Jews who were leaving Egypt thousands of years ago; rather He will get us through every single obstacle that comes our…

What lies beneath

A Half Shekel, A Whole Heart By: Rabbi Dovid Samuels Whereas Chanukah is a festival celebrating open miracles that happened to the Jewish people against our enemies, the Purim miracle was of a completely different nature. Woven into ‘normal’ and explainable events, Hashem’s Hand brought about the salvation of the Jews in a way that, without Megillas Esther, we might have attributed to ‘chance’, or good luck. Starting with Vashti’s execution at the royal banquet, which saw the palace doors opening for Esther; then Bigsan and Teresh’s assassination attempt, which…

The Drunken Stupor

The Joy of Not Knowing By: Rabbi Moishe Schnerb Indeed the special holiday of Purim is almost upon us. In fact, many of us have already invested quite a lot of time and effort and even expense into thinking about how we are going to experience this year’s Purim. What should we dress up as? Maybe a ninja turtle? Perhaps this is the year to get our Tinker Bell costume out of mothballs? Or maybe it would be really creative to dress up as the broken Machine that is supposed…

Growing people

Finding your future on an urban farm By: Chandrea Serebro Greg Sacks[1] graduated from school and even managed to study towards a higher degree, but somehow nothing worked out for him. Academically, he didn’t make the grade and the life of a student did not agree with him. In a world where young matriculants largely follow a predictable path after school, Greg found himself lost, alone, bored, and unmotivated, without a vision for his future. As soon as Greg heard from his Life Coach about a farm in the thick…

Matric

A Perspective From Those Who Recently Finished it By: Ilan Preskovsky For those in the midst of their final year of high school – and for those about to enter it – matric really does feel like the be-all-and-end-all of life. Well, for most people. Frankly, I only really noticed it when my second prelim results were, for most subjects, much too close for comfort. For most matric students though, they are confronted with exams (and portfolio work, if that’s still a thing) that, they are told, will determine not…

School’s out forever!