Building Together

This week we read the double parashah of Vayakhel and Pekudei, which conclude the book of Exodus. After the turmoil of the golden calf in Ki Tisa, the Torah turns toward rebuilding. Moses gathers the people and calls upon them to contribute toward the construction of...
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When Leadership Falters and Faith Is Tested

This week’s parashah, Ki Tisa, contains one of the most troubling episodes in the Torah. Only weeks after standing at Sinai and hearing the commandments, the people grow anxious when Moses delays on the mountain. In their uncertainty they turn to Aaron and demand...
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The Courage to Keep the Light Burning

Parashat Tetzaveh is unique in the Torah because it is the only portion, from the moment of Moses’ birth onward, in which his name does not appear. The leader who confronted Pharaoh, stood at Sinai, and guided the people through the wilderness is suddenly absent from...
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A Sanctuary We Choose to Build

Parashat Terumah opens not with a command to obey, but with an invitation to care. The people are asked to contribute materials for the Mishkan, yet the Torah is precise in its language. The offering is taken only from those whose heart moves them. The first dwelling...
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When Freedom Becomes Responsibility

Parashat Mishpatim begins where the thunder of Sinai seems to fade, but in truth, this is where revelation becomes real. After the drama of commandments spoken from fire and cloud, the Torah turns to laws that govern everyday life. Damages and debts. Workers and...
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The Sound That Still Echoes

There are moments in Jewish history that do not merely belong to the past but continue to speak into the present. Parashat Yitro is one of them. The giving of the Torah at Sinai is not only something that happened to our ancestors. It is a moment we are meant to keep...
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Walking Forward When the Sea Has Not Yet Split

Parashat Beshalach is often remembered for its miracles. The splitting of the Sea, the Song of the Sea, manna falling from heaven. Yet beneath the drama lies a quieter and more demanding message. Freedom is not secured by miracles alone. It is shaped by trust,...
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Choosing Freedom, Choosing Responsibility

Parashat Bo brings us to the threshold of freedom. The plagues have reached their final, devastating stages. Egypt is on the verge of collapse. The Exodus is no longer a distant promise but an imminent reality. Yet the Torah does something unexpected. At the very...
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When Hope Feels Impossible

Parashat Vaera meets us in the middle of despair. The people of Israel are still crushed beneath the weight of Egyptian slavery. Moses has already spoken once in the name of HaShem, and instead of relief, the suffering has intensified. The Torah tells us that the...
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From Silence to Calling: When Redemption Begins in the Dark

Parashat Shemot opens quietly, almost deceptively so. A new king arises over Egypt who does not know Joseph, and suddenly a people who once thrived become strangers, feared and oppressed. The descent into slavery happens gradually, normalised step by step, until...
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What’s in a name?

by Simon Gottlieb-Cohen In the beginning of the second book of the Torah, we are told about the enslavement and affliction of the Children of Israel in the land of Egypt. The actual event of the exodus from bondage comes much later. Yet Exodus was the name given to...
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Surviving the Storms of the Soul

The story of Noach begins with this famous line: “Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations.” G-d sees that the earth has become corrupt and filled with violence. He instructs Noach to build an ark to save himself, his family, and pairs of animal species....
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A world shaken yet unbroken

This week I learned that Talmud gives 3 reasons for building a Sukkah. The key one is explicit in the Torah: “You shall live in Sukkot for 7 days, so your generations know that children of Israel lived in Sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt”. Torah also commands...
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Take a census

7th June 2025 - Dr Puya Afshar ️  Parashat Summary Parashat Nasso is the longest Torah portion in the entire Torah. Congratulation for surviving it! Within this long Parasha are some short, powerful lessons. We get a mix of topics: the duties of the Levites,...
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Dvar Torah – 17th May 2025

Sacred Responsibility in a Time of Crisis: This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Emor, offers a detailed description of the festivals and sacred times in the Jewish calendar, but it ends with a more troubling episode: the case of the blasphemer, who speaks God's name in...
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Who We Are

Welcome to Kehillat Or Tzion! We are a vibrant and welcoming community of traditional, yet egalitarian, Zionist Jews, based in Manchester, England, dedicated to upholding the timeless values of Torah, the sanctity of Shabbat, and the importance of Halachah in today’s world.

At Kehillat Or Tzion, we believe that the teachings of the Torah are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. In our fast-paced, modern society, we strive to live with integrity, compassion, and faith, guided by the wisdom of our sacred texts. We hold steadfast to the observance of Halachah, recognising it as the path to a meaningful and spiritually fulfilling life.

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The Rabbinical Assembly

The Rabbinical Assembly is the international association of Conservative rabbis. Since its founding in 1901, the RA has been the creative force shaping the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. They are committed to building and strengthening the totality of Jewish life. The RA publishes learned texts, prayerbooks, and works of Jewish interest; and it administers the work of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards for the Conservative movement. It also serves the professional and personal needs of its membership through publications, conferences, and benefit programs, and it coordinates the Joint Placement Commission of the Conservative movement. Rabbis of the RA serve congregations throughout the world, and also work as educators, officers of communal service organisations, and college, hospital, and military chaplains.

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Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogue

Kol Nefesh is a Masorti (Conservative) community located in Edgware, North West London. They were established in 2001 with a simple aim: to provide a platform where traditional Judaism could coexist with an open, inclusive attitude toward religious practice and learning. When they started, they were the only fully egalitarian Masorti community in the UK! Today, they remain committed to a passionate, involved and egalitarian Judaism.

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