Yom Kippur Viduy and the Mechanics of Teshuvah
To be delivered at GGS after Minchah on Shabbat Shuvah 5778 Primary Sources:
Vayikra 16:30
Yoma 86b with Rashi and Rif
Rambam Hilchot Teshuvah 2:7 with Ma'aseh Rokeach
Yoma 81a with Sefat Emet
Mordechai, Yoma 725
Rosh, Yoma 8:25
Sabbatai Zevi and the Feast of Tisha B'Av 1666
GGS 01/08/17
Chametz, Erev Pesach and Transformational Authority
To be delivered at GGS after Minchah, Shabbat HaGadol, 5777
Primary Sources:
Devarim 17:8-13Selections from Pesachim 6a; 87a
Selections from Yad, Hilchot Mamrim 1:1-2; 3:4; 4:1 (with commentaries of Kesef Mishneh & Ribdaz)
Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot Shoresh 1, with Hasagot HaRamban
Kuntres Divrey Sofrim 1:32-33; 41-42
Meshech Chochmah to Devarim 17:11
Rabbi Belovski's Megillah Readings
11th-12th March 2017
7.15pm @ GGS [41 Dunstan Road]
11.00pm @ 41 The Ridgeway
7.00am @ 41 The Ridgeway
8.30am @ GGS
3.00pm @ Goschalk's [46 The Ridgeway]
For full details and other readings, please see Shul website
פורים שמח
As the Gates Close: The Timing and Purpose of Ne'ilah
To be delivered at GGS after Minchah, Shabbat Shuvah 5777
Primary Sources:
Ta'anit 26a
Yerushalmi Brachot 4:1
Yoma 87b with Rashi, Rosh, Ran, Ba'al HaMa'or and Me'iri ad loc.
Selections from Yad Hilchot Tefillah U'Nesi'at Kapayim Chapters 1, 3 & 14
Tur OC Siman 623 with Bet Yosef and Bach ad loc.
Shulchan Aruch OC Siman 623:2 with Magen Avraham and Taz ad loc.
A Song in Two Parts: Hallel at the Seder
To be delivered at GGS after Minchah, Shabbat HaGadol 5776
Primary Sources:
Selections from Mishnah Pesachim: 9:2; 10-5-7Selections from Bavli Pesachim: 85b; 109a; 117a; 118a (with commentary of Ran)
Tosefta Pesachim 10:9
Tosefot Yom Tov to Pesach 10:6
Yerushalmi Megillah 2:1
Teshuvot HaGaonim Sha'arey Teshuvah 120
Yad Hilchot Chanukah 3:6 with notes of Ra'avad and Magid Mishneh
Chiddushey Griz HaLevi ad loc.
Tosefot Rid Pesachim 116b
The Case of the Empty Tefillin: Lo Titgodedu in Action
To be delivered at GGS after Minchah, Shabbat Shuvah 5776
Ta"cht VeTa"t: The Chmielnicki Massacres of 1648-9
GGS 26/07/15
Sermon Notes 11/07/15 - Pinchas 5775
The three recent parshiot – Chukat, Balak and Pinchas are texts of
transition. Chukat includes a chronological
transition, in which the narrative skips from the second year of the Israelites’
desert sojourn to the 40th, in which remainder of the Torah takes
place. Balak is a transition of perception,
in which our ancestors emerged from the bubble of the wilderness to experience the hostility of others, presaging much of Jewish
history. And in today’s parashah, Pinchas, the people are prepared for leadership transition – Moshe knows that he will not enter the
Land of Israel and hands the reigns to Yehoshua some months before his actual demise.
This has stimulated me to think about recent transitions in our
community. There have been so many
changes, not least to the physical infrastructure and the way we deploy the
space for davening (more of this in a future sermon and post). But I’d like to focus on the fantastic growth
in the number of young families and small children attending the Shul on
Shabbat morning. In a few years, we’ve changed from a community with just a handful of youngsters to one swamped with babies
and children every week. This is a
tremendous blessing, but also a challenge, as it represents a completely new
demographic reality for our community.
And it’s one that we must get absolutely right to ensure that this
growth continues and everyone, without exception, feels welcome and loved. Periods of transition are fragile and must be
handled extremely carefully.
Many of the new families enjoy participating in tefillah, but others come along only for the children’s programmes or to hang around with their
friends.
I am delighted that we can provide a range of Shabbat morning
experiences that attract the widest range of people and this means that there’s
lots of unfamiliar noise every week – the beautiful sound of children playing
and babies crying. We’re
doing our best to try to ensure that davening and children’s programmes are
synchronised and to encourage parents to look out for their children, but it doesn’t
always work.
Some of us may be troubled by the new sounds around our building, but
I have one clear message – when there’s a baby crying during the sermon, exuberant
children whooping outside during the kedushah or the announcements are drowned
out by chatter, love it!