Miracles captivate the imagination. But what are they? Do they still exist? What do they reveal?

These may seem like distant, philosophical questions. But, to understand miracles is to discover something that changes how we see the world, and how we live within it.

And Pesach is the time to do it.

As the Jewish people enter the month of Nissan, preparing for Pesach, the Torah places the miracles of the Exodus at the centre of our story. The ten plagues. The splitting of the sea. Moments that reshaped history.

But Pirkei Avot - the great Talmudic tractate on character, growth, and human greatness - does something unexpected.

In the midst of its teachings, it turns to miracles.

Why?

Because miracles are not only about what happened then. They raise a deeper question about what is happening now.

If the same power that split the sea is required, at every moment, to sustain the world… then what we call the "status quo" may not be what we think.

Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores this idea in a special talk for Pesach and the month of Nissan.

KEY QUESTIONS

• Is reality fixed, or is change always possible?

• How does belief in miracles shape the way we see ourselves?

• If nothing is fixed, what does that mean about the way that we live?

Almost everything important in life happens with other people.

Marriage. Family. Business. Community. Society.

These relationships shape us in powerful ways. They can bring out our greatest strengths, and sometimes our most difficult character traits as well.

It is often in the presence of other people that we feel jealousy, competition, or the desire for recognition. These moments can feel uncomfortable, even frustrating.

But perhaps those very interactions are exactly where human growth takes place.

In the Parsha of Vayakhel–Pekudei, Moses gathers the entire nation together as the Jewish people begin building the Mishkan. Individuals come together to create something greater than themselves, and in the process something profound happens.

In this talk, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores what it means to grow through our relationships with others, and how the associations that fill our lives can become the place where we develop into the people we are meant to be.

Key Questions

• Why do some of our most difficult character traits emerge in the presence of other people?
• Would it be easier to grow as a person if we separated ourselves from the community?
• Or is it possible that the challenge of living with others is precisely where human greatness is formed?

Setbacks and mistakes are part of being human. But for many people, the real struggle isn't the failure itself. It's what comes after.

Some respond with perfectionism. Others settle for mediocrity.

Both of these responses miss something fundamental about life.

In the Parsha of Ki Tisa, the Torah records one of the most devastating moments in Jewish history: the shattering of the first tablets.

And then something extraordinary happens. A second set of tablets is given.

Why?

Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores this question in a powerful reflection on Parshat Ki Tisa, drawing on the timeless wisdom of Pirkei Avot.

KEY QUESTIONS

• Why can perfectionism become a trap?

• Why might mediocrity be just as dangerous?