Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

Bechukotai: We must appreciate our 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.

Acharei Mot (Diaspora): The Torah’s travel insurance

When we represent another perrson while doing something, who bears ultimate responsibility for those deeds?

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.

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.

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 month of 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.

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."

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?

Integration without assimilation

He is probably the most outstanding Biblical role model for our times.

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?

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.

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?

Eight lights for eight nights

The Maccabees discovered that an uncertain future and having peace of mind were not mutually exclusive..

Our greatest inspiration can be found within ourselves!

Information can be taught, but strength of character and integrity are your own responsibility.

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.

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?

Toldot: The key to our survival in a missing letter!

A missing letter allows a different reading and a different meaning to a verse.

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.

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?

UK Chief Rabbi: Assisted dying bill is 'profoundly disquieting'

Rabbi Mirvis joins Catholic and Anglican leaders in joint statement opposing Assisted Dying Bill on its second reading in UK parliament.

Jewish history in a nutshell.

Two blessings that appear beside one another in Hashem's words to Avraham are a synopsis of what keeps happening to the Jewish people.

How responsible was Noah for the flood?

In Isaiah, the flood is called "the waters of Noah." What does that imply?

How inaccuracy was the undoing of Eve

A puzzling story that's been told for millennia, there is much to question in the tale of Adam and Eve.

Shmini Atzeret: The conclusion we’ve been waiting for

In Temple times there was a fascinating halakha relating to visitation to Jerusalem, one which has a message beyond its content.

Succot: Fast asleep with your eyes wide open!

We might have our eyes open and be walking around, but if we aren’t contributing to the world around us, there’s no value to our lives.

What Creation can teach us about New Year's Resolutions

When Hashem created the world, He embedded clues for how to start, continue and finish a project-clues that we can use in the New Year.

Shoftim: We are separate but always together

We are individuals in our own right and at the same time we are part of our nation.

Re’eh: What we have always had is new every day!

How we should relate to the mitzvot on every day of our lives - how lucky we are!

Va'etchanan: Climate Change and Moshe Rabbeinu

A very current message about climate change can be derived from the actions of Moshe Rabbeinu.

Can one ever graduate from Jewish education?

In the book of Dvarim, Moshe reminds the Israelites that they stayed at Mount Sinai for a long time and left it enriched with Torah.