This week, Rabbi Miriam shares a 90-second video sermon on Parashat Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol. She reflects: "A little vort and some music to inspire for this week's parasha, Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol. Keep the fire burning. Don't let it go out. Oh and by the way, that eternal fire on the alter is kept alive in our shuls today with the ner tamid over the ark. Exciting to be planning one for our own new shul design at the moment. " Watch below:

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat morning on 21st March 2026. My son was sent home with an intriguing homework assignment a few weeks ago as part of the Ancient Egyptian curriculum. Mummify a tomato. We had to scoop out the tomato’s innards, then stuff it with a mixture of salt and bicarbonate of soda. Then record what happens. Well, I can report that weeks later, the tomato is not mouldy. But it is still kind of gross. The salt and bicarb dehydrated the tomato whil

This year, Purim has felt a little different. The usual costumes and celebrations come against a backdrop of worry, both in Israel and at home. On Purim night, Rabbi Miriam Lorie shared the following words after saying tehillim to help frame the moment: Does Purim feel jarring this year? Purim is bavdalah If you were feeling ambivalence coming to Purim tonight, with all its fun and costumes and silliness, given the context in Israel and the world this week, you will not have

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat morning on 31st January 2026. Some people here will have heard of the 5 stages of grief, developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While Kübler-Ross herself said herself that they’re not always linear, she has faced criticism for a theory which seems so neat, with its stages to progress through, ending in acceptance. Closure. Then with grief wrapped up, you can move on. Grief, I thin

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat morning on 17th January 2026. Shabbat shalom all. It is very special to welcome my friend, the Reverend Tom Mumford from Ipswich Minster, soon to be Chaplain to support the Bishop of Selby. Rev. Tom will address us at the end of shul, so I’m going to say something brief today. And the opportunity is too good not to start with a joke about a priest and a rabbi. A rabbi and a priest are the only passengers on a plane, along with the

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Kabbalat Shabbat 9th January 2026 Tomorrow we begin the book of Shemot, literally “names”. But names are strangely absent from the opening story, as our people’s enslavement in Egypt becomes established then embedded. Perhaps this is because slaves, along with the most oppressed people in human history, have not been dignified with names, sometimes as we know, being numbered instead. But onto this scene comes two figures with names. They are

This week, Rabbi Miriam has been representing Kehillat Nashira bringing Chanukah light into many different spaces. Earlier this week, Rabbi Miriam visited Meadow Hill Care Home, a newly opened care home in Castleford Close, Borehamwood. She lit Chanukah candles with residents and staff, sharing songs, blessings, and a moment of warmth and connection. It has also been a painful week for the Jewish community. News from Sydney, Australia has reminded us that even when events tak

Rabbi Miriam's Vayetze sermon - delivered Shabbat 29th November 2025 What does it look like to have a safe home? The home is usually the place where we expect to “switch off” our threat responses. A place where you are physically protected, but also one with psychological safety. If home doesn’t feel safe, the body can stay in a chronic stress state and never truly relaxes. On the other hand, a home with good physical and psychological safety has long-term positive effects o

Rabbi Miriam's Toldot sermon - delivered Kabbalat Shabbat 21st November 2025 Our parasha is Toldot, which contains the story of Yaakov and Eisav’s brotherly wranglings. It all starts with the twins wrestling in utero, which leads their mother to ask the existential question: “לָמָּה זֶּה אָנֹכִי” “if so, why do I exist?” In a time before obstetricians, she speaks to God via an oracle or teacher and is given a prophecy that the older twin will end up serving the younger - th

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Kabbalat Shabbat 7th November 2025 I’m not sure about you, but I’m still waiting for the nice, quiet time beyond the two years of feeling tense. Don’t get me wrong, the news cycle seems better than the awfulness of even a few weeks ago. But that’s not a particularly high bar. I expect that some people here, along with some of my American colleagues, are feeling anxious about Mamdani’s appointment. Others among my colleagues voted for him, s

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat 25th October 2025 on the celebration of Beth and Iona Farshi's Batmitzvah Iona, your dvar Torah brought the words you leined to life, giving us all inspiration for confidence among our own “generation”, our own peers and communities. And Beth, your poem was amazing, combining research and some really deep ideas, with poetic expression, and your amazing, precious essence. The name Noach means “rest” and when he was born, Noach’s fat

The following reflections were made by Rabbi Miriam during the different parts of the Simchat Torah service this week. They offer further explanation, context, and moments of reflection, helping us hold the complex emotions of this time: gratitude, relief, awe, and tenderness. The return of the hostages has brought with it both tears and song, sorrow and celebration. Before Hallel Being Jewish is saying Kaddish and Hallel in the same breath. For now, Hallel feels the predomin

Rabbi Miriam's Rosh Hashana sermon - delivered Tuesday 23rd September 2025 Losing the 'we' In Morocco, Gibraltar, Turkey, Israel,...

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat 8th February 2025 Our parasha begins with the following line: וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה...

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat 18th January 2025 In 2020, I was lucky enough to have a Zoom call with Rabbi Dr Burt Visotsky,...

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Kabbalat Shabbat 10th January 2025 Is it ever ok to lie? A little white lie here or there? The 9th...

Rabbi Miriam's sermon - delivered Shabbat 14th December 2024 If someone knocks on your door, you’ll probably open it. If someone says hi...

Rabbi Miriam's Yom Kippur sermon - delivered Saturday 12h October 2024 This week I watched an extraordinary documentary, called “Living...

Rabbi Miriam's Kol Nidrei sermon - delivered Friday 11th October 2024 Hineni, heani mi’m’us Here I am, empty of deeds At a loss to speak...

Rabbi Miriam's Rosh Hashana sermon - delivered Friday 4th October 2024 Chag Sameach. This drasha has a physical anchor. Some baskets of...