This week, we finally come to our first Jewish novel: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot. There was too much to talk about in just one episode, so this discussion will be split into two parts. Look out for part 2 on Thursday.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott begins a new series on Jewish novels. He begins this week with a discussion of why he is choosing to look at novels, and why he has made the particular selection he has.

There are a couple of good articles on Harry Kemelman's Rabbi/Detective series. From the Los Angeles Review of Books (https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/rabbi-knew-much/) and the Jewish Journal (https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/books/378025/sixty-years-ago-a-crime-solving-rabbi-appeared-remembering-harry-kemelmans-rabbi-small-series/)

Next week: Elliott begins to delve into novels, starting with George Eliot's Daniel Deronda.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott speaks to Dr Jeremy Smilg about his research into the Jews of England during the time of the French Revolution (1789-1815).

You can find out more about Jeremy's book here.

Next week, we are finally beginning our series on Jewish novels, and to begin with Elliott is taking some time to explain why he wanted to talk about novels – why novels have something to tell us in particular, and what they can help us learn about Judaism.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott concludes his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.

This week we reach the Lurianic tradition and Elliott brings us fully up-to-date, even thinking about tikkun olam of the future.

Next week: A recording of a conversation Elliott had recently with historian Dr Jeremy Smilg about the Jews in England at the time of the French Revolution.

If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott continues his series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.

You can read the Jewish sources Elliott talks about here.

You can read Avi Shafran's piece in the Jerusalem Post here, and Thomas Friedman's Op-Ed in the New York Times here.

Next week: Elliott finishes the series by considering the idea of tikkun olam we find in Lurianic Kabbalah, and finally reflects on what ideas from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries we might want to keep.

If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott begins a series of 3 episodes looking at the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam - the repairing of the world.

You can read the transcript of Obama's full speech at AIPAC here.

To listen to the BBC World Service Programme about Tikkun Olam, click here.

To read the section of the Mishnah that Elliott is talking about, you can visit Sefaria: https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Gittin.4.2?lang=bi

Next week: Elliott continues the discussion of Tikkun Olam by looking at the Aleinu prayer and reading some of the texts of the Maharal of Prague.

If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we're also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are releasing two special episodes which are very different to usual. Elliott has collected sermons from among his colleagues in Progressive congregations across the UK. Today we release a collection from Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Josh Levy is Chief Executive of the Movement for Reform Judaism, Co-Lead of the new Movement for Progressive Judaism, and Rabbi Emeritus at Alyth.

Rabbi Alexandra Wright is Senior Rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue. You can watch her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Gabriel Kanter-Webber is Rabbi of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue. You can read his sermon in full here.

Rabbi Kamila Koprivova is Rabbi at Westminster Synagogue. You can watch her sermon in full here.

Student Rabbi Yael Tischler is a final year student at Leo Baeck College, and serves Mekkor Hayim, the progressive community in Willesden. You can read her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Lev Taylor is Rabbi at Kingston Liberal Synagogue. You can read his full sermon here.

Rabbi Deborah Blausten is Rabbi at Finchley Reform Synagogue. You can watch her full sermon here.

Rabbi Elliott's sermon at Alyth can be read in full here.

Rabbi Igor Zinkov is Rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue. You can watch his full sermon here.

Rabbi Naomi Goldman is the Rabbi at Kol Chai Hatch End Jewish Community and in an earlier life was a Senior Broadcast Journalist for BBC News.

Rabbi Richard Jacobi is Rabbi of East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue. You can read his full sermon here.

Rabbi Elana Delal is Rabbi at the Liberal Jewish Synagogue. You can watch her full sermon here.

Rabbi Leah Muehlstein is Senior Rabbi at the Ark Synagogue in Northwood. You can read her full sermon here.

Rabbi Nicola Feuchtwang is Rabbi at Alyth. You can read her full sermon here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are releasing two special episodes which are very different to usual. Elliott has collected sermons from among his colleagues in Progressive congregations across the UK. Today we release a collection from Rosh Hashanah, and on Thursday a collection from Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Colin is Rabbi Emeritus at Sha'arei Tsedek in London, and now works part-time at Alyth Synagogue. You can read his full sermon here.

Rabbi Lily Solochek is the newest member of the rabbinic team at the Liberal Jewish synagogue in St John’s Wood. You can view their sermon in full here.

Rabbi Jordan Helfman is Senior Rabbi at Oaks Lane Synagogue. You can read his sermon in full here.

Rabbi Deborah Blausten is Rabbi at Finchley Reform Synagogue. You can find her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Michael Hilton is Rabbi Emeritus of Kol Chai Reform Synagogue in Harrow. You can read his sermon in full here.

Rabbi Hannah Kingston is Rabbi at Alyth. You can read her sermon in full here.

Student Rabbi Yael Tischler is a final year student at Leo Baeck College, and serves Mekkor Hayim, the progressive community in Willesden. You can read her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Leah Muehlstein is Senior Rabbi at the Ark Synagogue in Northwood. You can read her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Daniel Lichman recently returned to London from a long pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he is currently undertaking PhD studies in the history of Jewish thought at the Leo Baeck Institute. You can read his sermon in full here.

Cantor Sarah Grabiner has studied and worked in Oxford, Jerusalem, New York, and London, and is now writing her PhD dissertation in the language of Jewish liturgy. You can read her sermon in full here.

Rabbi Howard Cooper is Director of Spiritual Development at Finchley Reform Synagogue. You can read his sermon in full here.

Rabbi Lev Taylor is Rabbi at Kingston Liberal Synagogue. You can read his full sermon here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Elliott is joined by Irit Burkeman to discuss Hebrew poems that have been written in the wake of the 7 October attacks.

You can find a handout with the poems they talk about here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Poetry-for-7-Oct.pdf

Next week: Elliott has been busy collecting High Holy Day sermons from Progressive clergy colleagues across the UK - he'll be introducing them and letting you hear their words.

If you have any comments or questions, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week a special episode for Kol Nidrei. Elliott sits down with Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah to talk about a sermon she gave on Kol Nidrei 1996 - a sermon that proved to be controversial because of it's mention of Same-Sex Marriage. Elliott and Elli reflect on the context of the sermon and how it fits into the story of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK, what would have been different about the sermon today, and what controversial topics would have caused the same anger in our contemporary communities.

You can follow the text of Rabbi Elli's sermon here.

You can find out more about Rabbi Elli and her writing on her website: https://rabbiellisarah.com/

Next week in our regular slot: Rabbi Elliott speaks to Alyth member, Irit Burkeman, about poetry inspired by the events of 7 October.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there is a sermon that you remember that you would love us to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shanah tovah! We really hope you had a meaningful Rosh Hashanah.

This week we present the recording of a conversation Elliott had over the summer with Student Rabbi Mati Boulakia-Bortnick about another story from the Talmud about rabbinic hierarchy. Student Rabbi Mati adds in his reading of the Talmud through an autistic lens.

You can follow the section of the Talmud they are studying here: https://www.sefaria.org/Horayot.13b.11?lang=bi

You can find Student Rabbi Mati on Bluesky (@autisticrabbi.bsky.social). And you can find out more about the École Rabbinique de Paris here: https://www.ecolerabbiniquedeparis.org/

Next week in our regular slot, Elliott is in conversation with Alyth member, Irit Burkeman, as they mark the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks by reading poetry that has been written in response. Before then, on Wednesday we bring you a Kol Nidrei special: Elliott speaks to Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah about a sermon she gave on Kol Nidrei 1996 about the issue of Same-Sex Marriage.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any talmudic stories you would love Elliott and Kath to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for series 2 and this week, Elliott is again joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler for a special Rosh Hashanah episode about the biblical character of Hagar.

You can follow the texts they are reading here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hagar-Source-Sheet_-All-Else-is-Commentary.pdf

If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. 

Next week: A recording of Elliott's conversation over the summer with Student Rabbi Mati Boulakia-Bortnick about disability and neuro-diversity in the Talmud.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by Prof. Tony Kushner (Southampton University) to talk about his new book, The Jewish Pedlar, in which he tells the story of a triple murder. But it's not just about murder - they talk about a number of themes in Jewish history, and British Jewish identity over the last two hundred years.

You can buy Tony's book here: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526178022/ (you can receive a discount with the code 'Event30')

That was the last episode of our first series, and we will be taking a break over August, but we’ll be back in September with more Progressive Sermons from the last 50 years, more Jewish philosophy, a series on Jewish novels and a lot, lot more. Please look out for news. 

If you have any comments or questions, or if there is a sermon that you remember that you would love us to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary.

Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is again joined by Student Rabbi Yael Tischler to discuss another woman of the Hebrew Bible of whom we may not have heard. This week, they discuss Queen Ataliah - the only woman to reign in Israel as sovereign.

You can follow the texts they are reading here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Athaliah-Sources-All-Else-is-Commentary.pdf

If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. 

Next week: Elliott is joined by Prof. Tony Kushner to talk about his new book, The Jewish Pedlar.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rabbi Yael Tischler returns to discuss another woman of the Hebrew Bible of whom we may not have heard. This week, she and Elliott discuss the Ba'alat Ein Dor, the Witch of Ein Dor.

You can follow the story they are reading here: https://www.alyth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Source-Sheet-All-Else-is-Commentary-Baalat-Ov.pdf

If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. 

Next week: Student Rabbi Yael Tischler returns as we discuss another woman from the Hebrew Bible about whom you may not have heard before. A more unambiguous villain in the form of Queen Ataliah.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two special episodes this week, each featuring an incredible rabbi being ordained by the Leo Baeck College on Sunday 6 July. In this episode, Elliott speaks to Student Rabbi (Erev Rav) Dr Hannah Altorf about the Jewish idea of machloket (disagreement) - is it good thing? And what does it mean for our communities?

If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. 

Next week: Student Rabbi Yael Tischler returns as we discuss another woman from the Hebrew Bible about whom you may not have heard before: the Witch of Ein Dor.

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two special episodes this week, each featuring an incredible rabbi being ordained by the Leo Baeck College on Sunday 6 July. In this episode, Elliott speaks to Student Rabbi (Erev Rav) Andrea Kulikovsky about the theology of the cloud - what does it mean to live our Jewish lives online?

If you want to find out more about Leo Baeck College, and what it takes to study for the rabbinate, and how you can support the college, please check out their website: www.lbc.ac.uk. 

If you have any comments or questions, or if there are any particular topics you would like us to about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on Facebook page, and we have just arrived on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Elliott speaks to Rabbi Josh Levy about a sermon he gave about the judicial reforms in Israel on Kol Nidrei in 2023, just a few days before the 7 October attacks. Elliott asks him about the context of the sermon, how things have changed since then, and Rabbi Josh tells the subsequent story of the formation of the Movement for Progressive Judaism.

To read the sermon along with us, you can find it here.

You can find out more about the Movement for Progressive Judaism here: https://pathtoprogressivejudaism.org.uk/

If you have any comments or questions, or if there is a sermon that you remember that you would love us to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Elliott is joined by Prof. Gavin Schaffer (Manchester Metropolitan University) to talk about his new book, An Unorthodox History, in which he approaches the history of the Jewish community in the UK from the margins.

You can buy Gavin's book here: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526165473/

If you have any comments or questions, or if there is a sermon that you remember that you would love us to talk about, please be in touch with us at allelseis@alyth.org.uk – we would love to hear from you. You can also join the conversation on our Facebook page, and we also on Bluesky, so please head over there to give us a follow as well.

If there are people in your life who you think would be interested, please tell them about All Else Is Commentary. Please visit our website: https://www.alyth.org.uk/learn-us/adult-learning/all-else-is-commentary/

All Else Is Commentary is brought to you by Alyth.

We are incredibly grateful to be supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.