Shekalim – Sephardic Charity
Perashat Shekalim recalls the annual half-shekel gift given by each Jew to the Temple. We read this portion every year before the month of Adar, as the gift was due […]
Category Archives: Torah
Torah Thoughts Informed by my AshkeSephard Worldview
Ki Tisa – ‘Sin’ and the Western Sephardim
I used to think of the significance of Torah portion of Ki Tisa as being about the sin of the Golden Calf, and of how the people turned away from […]
Tezave – Moses and Moses Montefiore
Moshe Rabbenu, the great leader of the Exodus, is so prominent in the Torah, that once born, there is henceforth nearly no Torah portion in which he does not appear, […]
Mishpatim – Sephardim and Slavery
The Torah contains laws that govern slavery, whether captured in war or enslaved to pay off debts. In fact, it is no secret that Sephardim owned slaves. This is particularly […]
Yitro -The Minhag to Stand or to Sit
There are different customs with regards to standing or sitting during the Ten Commandments. The source of the standing/sitting debate is anchored in a Mishna. Tamid 5:1 states that originally […]
The Sephardi Origins of the Dreidel
Whilst visiting Portugal this past summer, I was given a gift. It appeared to be a dreidel, though I was told that it was actually a Rapa, a Portuguese top […]
Lekh Lekha – The Secret of Circumcision
The practice of newborn male circumcision is synonymous with Jews and Judaism. The Torah records that the commandment of this procedure was first directed at Abraham and his family. Since […]
Rosh Hashanah – Britain, Bevis and the Blitz
This Rosh Hashanah British Jews will simultaneously celebrate a new year while they recall the horrors and heroics of the Blitz. September 15, 2015 is both the 75th anniversary of […]
Selihot – Collective Caring
The month long recitation of Selihot provides Sephardim with ample opportunity to consider the sometimes theologically challenging language of penitence. Rabbi Gaguine (1884-1953), in his monumental work ‘Keter Shem Tob’ […]
Shofetim – Immigration, Portugal, and Prohibitions
I finally feel like the proverbial Jew. For the first time in my life I am an immigrant! All joking aside, Jews are accustomed to relocating, whether forced to do […]
Shalom Says Hello 