Purim | Fate or Destiny?

A talk that I gave in tribute to my late Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav HaGaon Rav Azriel Chaim Goldfein zt'"l on his 14th yahrzeit (14 Kislev) - teachings from Chazal that he would emphasize again and again have become etched so clearly into my consciousness that they accompany and guide me every day in whatever it is that I do.

5781 has been a year filled with real and unique challenges for all of us. Like all challenges; these ones are pregnant with opportunity. On the eve of Rosh Hashana 5782, I’ve recorded this essay for you that outlines what I believe is the greatest opportunity for us all. Writing it has given me a lot of clarity, direction and hope. I hope that hearing it will do the same for you.   Wishing you and yours, and our entire blessed community, a shana tova umetuka, a good and sweet new year and כתיבה וחתימה טובה, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein

If we want to hold our communities, our families, our society together – it starts with respect, because respect is the foundation of all human interaction.

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein chats to world-renowned speaker, thinker and author of ‘Permission to Believe’, Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen.

Chief Rabbi Goldstein and Rabbi Tatz discuss key ideas on Purim and important lessons that we can take out of the Megillah for the challenging times we are living through

What we have all been going through this last year is a deeply 'Purim' experience. Will we respond as people of fate or as people of destiny?

Every Sunday night, Gina and I sit down with our children to learn the weekly Torah portion together. Our focus is exploring the big picture. We do this by sharing, debating, arguing as a family, and – most importantly – by listening to each other and making space for every question and opinion around the table.    It’s one of the highlights of our week and we thought it would be great to share.

Your Feedback please Every Sunday night, Gina and I sit down with our children to learn the weekly Torah portion together. Our focus is exploring the big picture. We do this by sharing, debating, arguing as a family, and – most importantly – by listening to each other and making space for every question and opinion around the table.    It’s one of the highlights of our week and we thought it would be great to share. We have created this pilot for a podcast and would love to know what you think. Is it something you would like to hear every week? And if that's a yes – let us know what you think we should name our podcast! Thanks for taking the time to listen. Let me know at [email protected]

Is ours a story of freedom for its own sake? Or is there something else at play? If we look closely we begin to see the real value in freedom that is connected to a deeper purpose.

Superficially, the struggle between the Maccabees and the ancient Greek Empire looked like a political struggle for freedom, a military fight. But beneath the surface, it really was a struggle of values. The brave Maccabees confronted a world superpower in order to defend our eternal values. And when we light Chanukah candles, we fulfil that same mitzvah to publicise and proudly proclaim our faith and mission to ourselves, our families and our world.