This week, Rabbi Miriam is joined by her colleague, Rabbanit Tali Aronsky to share a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Matot-Masei. She introduces this sermon with: !Hello from Yerushalaim! So great to be with Rabbanit Tali Aronsky, one of over 150 Rabbis gathered at the Rabbinic Torah Seminar. Yesterday, a lecturer shared that in the face of despair at a broken political reality, many people are turning inwards to their family or small community and saying "here is a place

This week, Rabbi Miriam is joined by her chevruta, Rabba Wendy Amsellem to share a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Chukat. Come along for a condensed yet deep mini chevruta (chavrutette?) Rabba Wendy Amsellem, teacher extraordinaire, showed me a pretty challenging midrash on a verse from this week's parasha, Chukat. On a seemingly obscure verse about "the law of a person (Torat Adam) who dies within a tent" the midrash brings us the voice of the first ever Adam. His challe

This week, Rabbi Miriam Lorie joined BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought with a reflection inspired by the recent loss of her grandmother, Shirley, who passed away three weeks ago at the age of 95. "My wonderful grandma Shirley passed away three weeks ago at the amazing age of 95. She has featured in a couple of my Pause for Thoughts because she was quite simply a legend. Witty, elegant, a fabulous cook and host and very cultured - grandma in her heyday could be found serving at

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Korach. She reflects: "A 90 second sermon for Korach, or rather for his family who managed to separate themselves from his unsavory, ambitious ways, and who went on to write some of the most beautiful Psalms in the book. One of these, Psalm 49, is read at most Shiva houses and becomes a blueprint for how Jews think of wealth, power and mortality."

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Shelach Lecha. She reflects: "Our parasha contains a huge story. But what about the back story?" Click below to find out: We All Stood Together - By Merle Feld|for Rachel Adler My brother and I were at Sinai He kept a journal of what he saw of what he heard of what it all meant to him I wish I had such a record of what happened to me there It seems like every time I want to write I can’t I’m always holding a

Volunteers' Week is a UK-wide celebration of the people who give their time, skills and energy to support the communities around them. At Kehillat Nashira, volunteering is not something done by a small group of people behind the scenes. It is woven into the fabric of our community. Every Shabbat, someone prepares children's activities, someone organises kiddush, someone leads the service, others lein from the Torah, chairs are set up and stacked away, washing up gets done, em

This week, Rabbi Miriam Lorie joined BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought. She explains that: "Last week, when the UK was melting in the heat, and my coping strategy was a steady stream of ice cream, I visited a place where not everyone wanted to be cold. Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0nmcr0m It’s because I’m a chaplain at the Chemotherapy suite in a hospital, and there were several people there wearing cold caps, who would gladly have swapped the pain of a free

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Naso. She reflects: "Someone once asked me why I'd draw attention to Sotah, one of the more difficult chapters in the Torah for people today. Shouldn't we skim over it to the nice bits? But I think there's such deep beauty in the dance that each generation has done in interpreting the Torah, with great reverence, starting with Moshe himself, then the Mishna, Gemara and thousands of years to this day. Because

This week, Rabbi Miriam Lorie joined BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought. She explains that: Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nls9sw "Less oy, more joy If there’s one stereotype of the Jewish mother, it’s that she loves to feed people. I’ve been a Jewish mum myself for 11 years, and I can identify with this somewhat, but still have some way to go to keep up with the generations of Jewish mothers before me. My university housemate Gideon would have fish pies, lasa

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Bemidbar. She reflects: "A 90 second sermon for Bemidbar! Beneath the surface of the book we begin tomorrow is the question of which generation is being spoken of - the generation who left Egypt or the generation who entered the Land of Israel 40 years later. That context transforms the meaning of the words we read - is this a generation of downtrodden slaves struggling to channel their new liberty, or a gen

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Emor. She reflects: "As our community absorbs the shock waves of this week, our parasha has a message for how to respond. Kiddush Hashem - sanctify God's name. First and foremost through seeing the Godly sanctity in every human being we meet. " Watch here: "Thank you Rabbi Jonny Solomon for sharing this idea from the Sfat Emet. When I read it, it felt like the right message for this moment."

As Kehillat Nashira grows, so does the opportunity to take part in shaping how our community functions, feels, and flourishes. These roles are about creating and sustaining the structures that allow community life to thrive. They will make a tangible difference. Each role offers something meaningful in return: connection, satisfaction, safety, and the chance to help shape a community you are part of. If you have been looking for a way to step in a little more, this is a good

This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Acharei-Mot Kedoshim. She reflects: A 60 second sermon for Acharei Mot Kedoshim, in which the Torah remind us that we're half way between Yom Kippur and Yom Kippur. Ishay Ribo's Seder HaAvodah lyrics in Hebrew and English are such a great example of how music can help people connect with a potentially alienating text The lyrics can be found here: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/%D7%A1%D7%93%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A2%

We’re pleased to welcome Victoria as our new JAMI Mental Health Ambassador for Kehillat Nashira. In this role, she will be helping to strengthen awareness of mental health within our community, share resources, and support open and thoughtful conversations about wellbeing. Below is a message from Victoria introducing herself and her hopes for the role, including ways the community can get involved and shape this work going forward. "Hi everyone, I’m so pleased to be here! For

Read Rabbi Miriam's latest opinion piece published in the Jewish News. I’ve seen the fingerprints of AI all over sermons and written parasha pieces of late It was a Shabbat morning sermon like any other. The Rabbi began. An interesting talk. Perhaps not up to his usual quality, perhaps more flowery than his usual style, but nothing striking. Then he stopped, looked up, and told the congregation that everything said so far had been written by Artificial Intelligence. A ripple

Each year, the Haggadah invites us into an act of imagination: “In every generation, a person is obligated to see themselves as though they personally left Egypt.” It is a powerful idea, but not always an easy one to access. This year, we tried approaching that question from a different angle. We asked AI to reimagine the Exodus story with us in mind. In one image, the sea is splitting in the distance. At first glance, it feels familiar. But look more closely and the details

We’ve created a fun, interactive quiz for kids and families to test their knowledge of the Passover story, Seder customs, and some of the characters who made the Exodus possible. From Moses and Yosef to the Four Questions and the songs we sing at the Seder, there’s a lot to explore—and we’ve packed it all into 24 questions . Think you know your Seder plate inside and out? Can you name the four sons, remember the plagues, and even recall what items are traditionally used to se

Pesach is a time for more than rituals—it’s a chance to pause and reflect. From considering small acts of kindness that ripple outward, to thinking about the ways freedom shapes our daily choices, the holiday encourages thoughtful moments. Here are a few ideas to explore this year: Climate Change and the Plagues Reflect on how the plagues might look today and what modern environmental challenges can teach us about responsibility and care. Digital Exodus Consider modern “Phara

We continue with our series that seeks to explore the women who shaped the Exodus story. Earlier, we looked at the midwives, Shifra and Puah as well as Miriam , and Yocheved , whose courage ensured Moses’ survival. Now we meet Tzipporah , Moses’ wife, whose decisive action and bold interventions demonstrate a different form of heroism, one rooted in family, faith, and protective care. Meet Tzipporah We first meet Tzipporah in Midian at a well (wells were Biblical dating hot