Harris Bor, at The Blogs

Harris Bor

Apr 15, 2024, 1:20 PM

On the ‘night of guarding’, the locust plague, and our need for a sign

It felt too prescient. Pesach approaching and the people huddled in their homes, hoping the destroyer would not enter (Exodus 12:23). From multiple directions they came, a mighty swarm of missiles and drones, but almost none hit their mark....

Oct 10, 2023, 3:12 PM

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A lament for these times: ‘Oi Meh Haya Lanu’

Let the lioness rise, let her shatter the mountaintops with her deafening roar and devour those who provoked her. Return us.

Jan 13, 2023, 5:48 AM

Moses’ (and our) speech difficulties – ChatGPT to the rescue?

Moses was given the mission of a lifetime – to free the people from Egyptian slavery. Of all his objections, the following arouses the most sympathy: “Please, O Lord, I have never been a man of words, either in...

Nov 30, 2021, 9:20 PM

The Continuing Allure of Spinoza

Detail of a letter from Rabbi Joseph Serfaty, a leader of Amsterdam’s Sephardic community, to philosophy professor Yitzhak Melamed, sent 28 November 2021 It’s amazing how a man who was excommunicated in 1656 for unspecified crimes and misdemeanors can still...

Nov 12, 2020, 6:43 PM

Chayei Sacks – A Poem

This poem, in memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z’l, blends descriptions of Sarah, Abraham, Rebecca, and Eliezer from Parshat Chayei Sarah, and personal reflection. Source references can be found in the notes below. Chayei Sacks The span of your life...

Nov 5, 2020, 1:58 PM

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Vayera: We would all have looked back

Mrs. Lot did the wrong thing, sure, but admit it: You'd take your chances with the salt and look back because it was your life, and because you care

Oct 27, 2020, 3:49 PM

Lech Lecha: Borat and Abraham Moviefilm

The Kabbalists tell us that holiness is to be found even in the basest things, and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is undoubtedly base, but it also contains sparks of holiness. For example, I can’t help but notice the uncanny parallels...

Oct 22, 2020, 3:03 PM

Noah: Of rainbows, gay pride, and Corona health professionals

In London, where I live, there are rainbows everywhere. Children’s drawings in shop and house windows, tied to trees, stuck to bus stops. During our initial lockdown, the rainbow became a symbol of gratitude for the health professionals battling...

Oct 15, 2020, 11:30 AM

Bereishit– Blind servants, enlightened sinners, the Haredim and us

Many of us have felt saddened and angered by the conduct of some in the Haredi community; the failure to socially distance, to wear masks, to abide by the rules, to care about anyone but themselves. Why does their...

May 17, 2019, 5:27 PM

We need Judeovision

Watching the news these days, it is no wonder that so many of us feel like history has taken a terrible wrong turn – the rise of the far left and far right, Iran and US spoiling for a...

About Me

Dr Harris Bor is a barrister (trial advocate), author, rabbi, and research fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies. His blog Staying Human can be found at https://harrisbor.substack.com/