The Chofetz Chaim and a man who kept his factory open on Shabbat
“I can't afford it. If I close my factory on Shabbat, I will lose 4000 rubles each time," he said, but the Chofetz Chaim had the answer.
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Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
News and updates about Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
German Jewish soccer star murdered in Auschwitz honored
UK ceremony led by Chief Rabbi Mirvis commemorates Julius Hirsch and other Jewish soccer players killed in Auschwitz.
Why is the Book of Esther included in Tanach?
The answer is particularly apt for our times.
Terumah: The most extraordinary custom I’ve ever heard of!
A practice of the hassidim of Medieval France - what it is and what it signifies.
Beshalach: If not for them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
We need to show more respect to parents and grandparents.
Bo: It’s not just the thought that counts!
The Aramaic translation of Onkelos, translates totafot as tefillin, in the plural. Why?
How you can be as great as Moshe
Read what Rabbi Moshe Feinstein says about comparing the greatness of Moshe and Aharon.
Vayechi: Our most precious communal organisations!
‘Chessed v’emet’ is the slogan of every single Chevra Kadisha organisation in the world. Read below to understand why.
'Historic for Anglo Jewry:'
UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis receives Knighthood
Rabbi Mirvis knighted by King Charles as Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to interfaith dialogue, education.
"I am Joseph - is my father still alive?"
22 years are encapsulated in those first few words.
To be ‘shomer mitzvot’ does not mean to keep mitzvot!
To be ‘oseh mitzvot’ of course means to fulfil the mitzvot, but from here we learn a very relevant and important lesson for us today.
What is the best way to describe God?
Whose G-d is He? How can we know?
Britain:
Chief Rabbi to attend closing of 60-year-old Wembley Synagogue
London congregation moving to smaller venue due to dwindling numbers after six decades.
Vayetse: You can only win the lottery if you buy a ticket
“Open for me just the space of the eye of a needle and I will expand that to be the space of an entire hall.”
Are good deeds valid even when we don’t intend to perform them?
How much do we need to concentrate when performing a mitzva?
Chayei Sarah: How can anyone have two lives on earth?
Words repeated, but not redundant. How is that if the Torah gives importance to every word?
Vayeira: What will we become the parent of?
What do we mean when we refer to Avraham as being Avraham Avinu, Abraham our father?
How Britain's Chief Rabbi will join a coronation on a Saturday
King Charles is expected to be crowned on a Saturday, leading to special accommodations to allow England's Chief Rabbi to participate.
UK Chief Rabbi to stay with King Charles night before coronation
Chief Rabbi Mirvis and his wife will stay in royal residence so they can walk to coronation which falls on a Saturday.
Bereishith: Why the world is built and preserved with 7 and 28
Three places in the Torah and prayer with the same number of words and letters cannot be coincidental.
Sukkot: So many festivals in just a few weeks!
This month is packed with major festivals, but we need them all.
Is Rosh Hashanah on the wrong day?
The answer depends on which anniversary the holiday is meant to recognize.
Palace moves King Charles event to avoid conflict with Shabbat
Rescheduled meeting allows Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis to attend meeting with new king with enough time to return to synagogue for Shabbat.
Ki Tavo: The legacy of HM The Queen
We have a responsibility, mindful of the extraordinary role model the Queen was, to be selfless, committed, dedicated in service of others.
'I am for my beloved'
Three mnemonics filled with messages for the word Elul.
How not to confuse your children
A holistic approach to Jewish education combines both home and schoool, one enhancing the other.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Pinchas (Diaspora):Great leaders care about their flock
The mark of a true leader is somebody who is there in the interests of those who they are serving.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Who has the most important role in our synagogue services?
if you want to find out how important something is, the best way is to do without it for some time and then you’ll really appreciate it.
A post-pandemic lesson from Parshat Behaalotecha
Why the Torah praise Aaron for listening to G-d's command? Would we expect anything else?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Naso: A sin against a person is a sin against God
Sins between you and your fellow man are doubly harmful.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Connecting Shavuot and Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee
There is surely a message in the juxtaposition of the two events.
Bechukotai: We must appreciate community Rabbis and Rebbetzens.
Putting a comma in a different place in a verse in the Parasha changes the whole meaning of the verse.
Emor-Shabbat UK: A journey beyond Shabbat UK
After a Covid-caused lapse of two years, we finally have ShabbatUK! It’s going to be an exceptionally special Shabbat.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Acharei Mot (Diaspora): The Torah’s travel insurance
When we represent another perrson while doing something, who bears ultimate responsibility for those deeds?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Pesach: Are you thirsty without knowing it?
How do you enable a person to come and partake of the Pesach experience if they have no desire; if they feel no need, no thirst?
The Torah’s 30-day renewal programme
How long does it take to form a habit, and how do we know when it's time to renew? The Sfat Emet finds this in the secrets of the moon.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Shmini: The most important ingredient for great leadership
At the crucial moment, the nation's spiritual leader holds back from approaching the altar. What was holding him back?
UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis tests positive for COVID
Chief Rabbi Mirvis is reportedly feeling well but is waiting for the results of a PCR test.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Tzav: The beauty of compromise
"Zot torat Haolah" is a verse telling you about a certain kind of person. Are you that person?
Where do we find Adam in Vayikra?
Rashi finds his name right at the beginning of Vayikra and this is no coincidence.
Why is Purim celebrated in the second Adar and not the first?
Thanks to the inspiration we’ve received from our rabbis, we guarantee that indeed when it comes to celebrations we are on a roll.
What will you be doing on the day after?
Moshe didn’t want the new tablets to be a one day memory. He wanted it to change their lives for the better. A lesson in educational goals.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Ki Tisa: Palindrome in the parasha
Palindromes in the Torah - yes, they can be found and there is a reason they are there.
Enablers are as important as achievers!
The poles were an inseparable part of the Ark. They were never removed. "A tree of life to those who suppot her."
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Mishpatim: Do your pets know when it is Shabbat?
Why does the Torah say to rest on the Sabbath "in order that" your animals should rest?
Yitro: The best entry points to greater Jewish engagement
What is the best entry point through which more people can engage better with their Judaism?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Integration without assimilation
He is probably the most outstanding Biblical role model for our times.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Bo: The slave to the compass has freedom of the seas
T"he slave to the compass has the freedom of the seas." How can we harness the power of this statement to find our own freedom?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Va’era: Never tolerate the intolerable!
Sometimes one can be enduring a totally unacceptable situation, but have gotten used to it.
Getting to know you...
What is the antidote to polarization? Pharaoh and Joseph are a case in point.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
What is your greatest blessing?
You might think it is the greatest blessing if your children are blessed, but there is a step beyond that.
Old wine, new bottle
Vayigash: Are you like old wine in a new bottle?
Office of UK Chief Rabbi
Eight lights for eight nights
The Maccabees discovered that an uncertain future and having peace of mind were not mutually exclusive..
VAYESHEV:
Our greatest inspiration can be found within ourselves!
Information can be taught, but strength of character and integrity are your own responsibility.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Vayishlach: The legacy of those who perished in the Holocaust
Holocaust victims have no headstones, no matzeiva. I derive some chizuk, some support, from the beautiful teaching in Parshat Vayishlach.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Vayetze: After Covid, will we go back to sleep?
Hashem was saying something to us. What will our response be? Will it be to turn over and ignore it, or will we respond appropriately?
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Toldot: The key to our survival in a missing letter!
A missing letter allows a different reading and a different meaning to a verse.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Chayei Sarah: In this world, we’re all just passing through
UK Jewish community at odds over assisted dying legislation
Proposed assisted dying legislation has been opposed by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis but many leading Jewish legal experts are in support.
Office of the UK Chief Rabbi
Vayeira: True kindness has empathy at its heart
Avraham “rushed to the tent, to Sara,” and said,“Mahari!” – “Quick!” – We’ve got to get a meal going as soon as possible. Why the rush?
