WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.610 align:middle line:90% 00:00:01.610 --> 00:00:05.880 align:middle line:84% - My name is David Lister, and I'm a rabbi of Edgware United 00:00:05.880 --> 00:00:06.800 align:middle line:90% Synagogue. 00:00:06.800 --> 00:00:10.329 align:middle line:84% A rabbi is a religious leader for Jewish people. 00:00:10.329 --> 00:00:16.430 align:middle line:90% 00:00:16.430 --> 00:00:18.980 align:middle line:84% My day starts at about 6 o'clock in the morning. 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:21.950 align:middle line:84% I come to the synagogue for about 6:45, 00:00:21.950 --> 00:00:23.600 align:middle line:90% where we have a prayer service. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.120 align:middle line:84% It's entirely in Hebrew, and sometimes we 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:27.945 align:middle line:84% will also be reading from the Torah scroll 00:00:27.945 --> 00:00:28.945 align:middle line:90% as part of that service. 00:00:28.945 --> 00:00:34.220 align:middle line:90% 00:00:34.220 --> 00:00:36.890 align:middle line:90% [SPEAKING HEBREW] 00:00:36.890 --> 00:00:52.040 align:middle line:90% 00:00:52.040 --> 00:00:54.330 align:middle line:84% I'm always there in the services, 00:00:54.330 --> 00:00:56.360 align:middle line:84% and I pray along with everybody else. 00:00:56.360 --> 00:00:57.860 align:middle line:84% I don't like to lead the services, 00:00:57.860 --> 00:01:00.170 align:middle line:84% because I find it easier to concentrate if I just 00:01:00.170 --> 00:01:04.670 align:middle line:84% do my own thing rather than leading the whole congregation. 00:01:04.670 --> 00:01:07.430 align:middle line:84% After the service, it's an unofficial time 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:08.940 align:middle line:84% for people to come and speak to me 00:01:08.940 --> 00:01:11.439 align:middle line:84% if they've got a question or something they want to tell me. 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.200 align:middle line:84% And I can be around at the end for that as well. 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:16.810 align:middle line:84% We don't have breakfast until after the service is finished, 00:01:16.810 --> 00:01:19.150 align:middle line:84% because we want the service to be the first major thing 00:01:19.150 --> 00:01:20.500 align:middle line:90% of our day. 00:01:20.500 --> 00:01:24.610 align:middle line:84% The official English word for this place is a synagogue. 00:01:24.610 --> 00:01:26.950 align:middle line:84% In Hebrew, it's also called beit knesset, which 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:28.570 align:middle line:90% means "a place of gathering." 00:01:28.570 --> 00:01:30.850 align:middle line:84% The synagogue is also called a shul, 00:01:30.850 --> 00:01:33.430 align:middle line:84% which is based on the German word schule, 00:01:33.430 --> 00:01:34.810 align:middle line:90% meaning a "school". 00:01:34.810 --> 00:01:36.760 align:middle line:84% This is because there's a close connection 00:01:36.760 --> 00:01:39.910 align:middle line:84% between Jewish prayer and Jewish learning. 00:01:39.910 --> 00:01:43.630 align:middle line:84% We regard Jewish learning as a big religious duty, 00:01:43.630 --> 00:01:46.270 align:middle line:84% and therefore, for us, it's a natural thing 00:01:46.270 --> 00:01:49.750 align:middle line:84% to have learning in the same place as where we pray. 00:01:49.750 --> 00:01:51.430 align:middle line:84% We don't have any pictures of God 00:01:51.430 --> 00:01:53.290 align:middle line:84% in our synagogue or anywhere, because we 00:01:53.290 --> 00:01:54.910 align:middle line:90% say that God can't be drawn. 00:01:54.910 --> 00:01:56.890 align:middle line:84% And whatever you were to do to draw 00:01:56.890 --> 00:02:01.280 align:middle line:84% him would limit him to a physical form. 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:02.870 align:middle line:84% Our holy book is called the Torah, 00:02:02.870 --> 00:02:05.382 align:middle line:84% and it's written in classical Hebrew. 00:02:05.382 --> 00:02:07.340 align:middle line:84% On the Saturday mornings, the Sabbath mornings, 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.320 align:middle line:84% we read a particular portion known 00:02:09.320 --> 00:02:10.639 align:middle line:90% as the portion of that week. 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:13.840 align:middle line:90% 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:16.300 align:middle line:84% And we have 54 portions all together, 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:20.890 align:middle line:84% and we read a different portion, or portions, each week. 00:02:20.890 --> 00:02:23.470 align:middle line:84% This cap is called a kippah, which means a "hat", 00:02:23.470 --> 00:02:26.520 align:middle line:84% and it reminds us that God is in charge of us, 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.630 align:middle line:84% and we are not in charge of ourselves. 00:02:28.630 --> 00:02:32.170 align:middle line:84% It's only worn by Jewish men, not by Jewish women. 00:02:32.170 --> 00:02:33.980 align:middle line:84% We don't wear it literally all the time. 00:02:33.980 --> 00:02:36.280 align:middle line:84% So if I'm having a shower, I take it off. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.189 align:middle line:84% If I'm going to sleep, I take it off. 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:39.980 align:middle line:84% If it's going to get blown off in the wind, 00:02:39.980 --> 00:02:42.021 align:middle line:84% I'll not bother putting it on in the first place. 00:02:42.021 --> 00:02:44.480 align:middle line:90% 00:02:44.480 --> 00:02:47.900 align:middle line:84% Married Jewish men will also wear a tallit or prayer shawl, 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:51.500 align:middle line:84% which is a big sheet with four corners and a special fringe 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:54.870 align:middle line:84% called a tzitzit on each of the corners. 00:02:54.870 --> 00:02:58.210 align:middle line:84% The tzitzit starts off with lots of knots and curls, 00:02:58.210 --> 00:03:01.030 align:middle line:84% but then it becomes very loose and free. 00:03:01.030 --> 00:03:04.720 align:middle line:84% And this is a symbol for a Jewish journey. 00:03:04.720 --> 00:03:08.119 align:middle line:84% When we start off being good, it can be difficult, 00:03:08.119 --> 00:03:10.660 align:middle line:84% and it can feel very restricted, like the knots and the curls 00:03:10.660 --> 00:03:12.310 align:middle line:90% are all tied up and tight. 00:03:12.310 --> 00:03:14.920 align:middle line:84% But if we can break through that and persist 00:03:14.920 --> 00:03:17.050 align:middle line:84% to the end of that time, then we will 00:03:17.050 --> 00:03:19.120 align:middle line:84% come to a time of freedom, which is 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.960 align:middle line:90% much greater and much better. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:26.620 align:middle line:84% Tefillin are leather boxes with long straps attached. 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:30.550 align:middle line:90% 00:03:30.550 --> 00:03:37.270 align:middle line:84% We put one box on our upper arm and the other box on our head, 00:03:37.270 --> 00:03:40.225 align:middle line:84% and we wear these when we pray on weekday mornings. 00:03:40.225 --> 00:03:43.010 align:middle line:90% 00:03:43.010 --> 00:03:47.540 align:middle line:84% The boxes contain these scrolls that have messages for us 00:03:47.540 --> 00:03:49.490 align:middle line:84% about how we should conduct our lives, 00:03:49.490 --> 00:03:51.170 align:middle line:84% and we think about those messages 00:03:51.170 --> 00:03:52.700 align:middle line:90% when we put them on our arms. 00:03:52.700 --> 00:03:56.120 align:middle line:84% And that reminds us to act with our hands in a particular way. 00:03:56.120 --> 00:03:59.000 align:middle line:84% And also, the box on our head reminds us 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:02.410 align:middle line:90% to think in a particular way. 00:04:02.410 --> 00:04:04.970 align:middle line:84% I do a lot of work at my kitchen table with my laptop. 00:04:04.970 --> 00:04:07.180 align:middle line:84% I do a lot of communication that way, tapping away. 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:09.850 align:middle line:84% But I also meet people here in the synagogue 00:04:09.850 --> 00:04:11.410 align:middle line:90% or I meet people in their homes. 00:04:11.410 --> 00:04:13.300 align:middle line:84% I meet people in all sorts of places, 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:15.820 align:middle line:84% like hospitals, cemeteries, anywhere 00:04:15.820 --> 00:04:17.440 align:middle line:90% where somebody might need me. 00:04:17.440 --> 00:04:20.260 align:middle line:84% So there's lots of things that I do, and I'm all over the place. 00:04:20.260 --> 00:04:22.843 align:middle line:84% And it's one of the things that makes my job nice that there's 00:04:22.843 --> 00:04:25.840 align:middle line:90% no two days the same. 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:28.540 align:middle line:84% I am the principal of a school here in Edgware, 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:30.670 align:middle line:84% so I'll pop in there at least once a week 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:34.195 align:middle line:84% and talk to the kids about a particular aspect of Judaism. 00:04:34.195 --> 00:04:41.680 align:middle line:90% 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.050 align:middle line:84% A mezuzah literally means "door post," 00:04:44.050 --> 00:04:48.330 align:middle line:84% although it is taken to refer to a little square of parchment 00:04:48.330 --> 00:04:49.722 align:middle line:90% with writing on it. 00:04:49.722 --> 00:04:51.180 align:middle line:84% And it reminds us that when we walk 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:52.700 align:middle line:84% into a particular room in our home, 00:04:52.700 --> 00:04:54.540 align:middle line:84% we are supposed to behave in accordance 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:57.520 align:middle line:90% with the rules of the Torah. 00:04:57.520 --> 00:04:59.980 align:middle line:84% The word kosher means "appropriate," "fitting", 00:04:59.980 --> 00:05:02.485 align:middle line:84% and it means that we're allowed to eat it 00:05:02.485 --> 00:05:04.420 align:middle line:90% and it's suitable for us to eat. 00:05:04.420 --> 00:05:07.870 align:middle line:84% We're only allowed to eat meat from certain animals, animals 00:05:07.870 --> 00:05:10.630 align:middle line:84% that chew the cud, which means they have several stomachs. 00:05:10.630 --> 00:05:12.160 align:middle line:90% And also they have split hooves. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:15.670 align:middle line:84% So for example, we're allowed to eat meat from sheep and cows, 00:05:15.670 --> 00:05:17.980 align:middle line:84% but we're not allowed to eat meat from pigs or horses 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:18.670 align:middle line:90% or rabbits. 00:05:18.670 --> 00:05:21.340 align:middle line:84% We're only allowed to eat the meat of certain birds. 00:05:21.340 --> 00:05:24.140 align:middle line:84% We may eat meat from chicken or ducks, 00:05:24.140 --> 00:05:27.880 align:middle line:84% but we're not allowed to eat the meat of an eagle or a vulture. 00:05:27.880 --> 00:05:31.390 align:middle line:84% If a fish has fins and scales, we're allowed to eat it. 00:05:31.390 --> 00:05:33.820 align:middle line:84% So we may not eat shrimps or shellfish, 00:05:33.820 --> 00:05:37.360 align:middle line:84% but we're allowed to eat salmon and trout. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:38.739 align:middle line:84% So we're only allowed to eat meat 00:05:38.739 --> 00:05:40.780 align:middle line:84% from animals and birds that have been slaughtered 00:05:40.780 --> 00:05:42.196 align:middle line:84% in a particular way, and then they 00:05:42.196 --> 00:05:44.320 align:middle line:84% have to be salted so that the blood is taken out. 00:05:44.320 --> 00:05:48.820 align:middle line:84% Because all blood is non-kosher for Jewish people. 00:05:48.820 --> 00:05:50.470 align:middle line:84% In addition to all of that, we're 00:05:50.470 --> 00:05:53.380 align:middle line:84% not allowed to eat meat that has been being cooked together 00:05:53.380 --> 00:05:54.010 align:middle line:90% with milk. 00:05:54.010 --> 00:05:56.020 align:middle line:84% So in a Jewish person's kitchen, you'll 00:05:56.020 --> 00:05:59.560 align:middle line:84% find two sets of everything-- two sets of knives and forks 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:01.450 align:middle line:90% and plates and cups and spoons. 00:06:01.450 --> 00:06:06.640 align:middle line:84% And you may even have different cookers for meaty and milky. 00:06:06.640 --> 00:06:09.640 align:middle line:84% I speak English at home with my wife and children, 00:06:09.640 --> 00:06:12.130 align:middle line:84% although we could speak in Hebrew if we chose to. 00:06:12.130 --> 00:06:14.050 align:middle line:84% But English comes more naturally to us, 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:15.310 align:middle line:90% as it is our mother tongue. 00:06:15.310 --> 00:06:18.040 align:middle line:84% And we can express ourselves more warmly in our mother 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:19.960 align:middle line:84% tongue, so I like to speak that way. 00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:21.060 align:middle line:90% Yeah, that's right. 00:06:21.060 --> 00:06:22.397 align:middle line:90% It was mincemeat and lasagne. 00:06:22.397 --> 00:06:25.810 align:middle line:90% 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:28.047 align:middle line:84% I go to bed at different times, depending on how much 00:06:28.047 --> 00:06:29.130 align:middle line:90% there is to do in the day. 00:06:29.130 --> 00:06:31.770 align:middle line:84% It's normally about 11:00 or midnight. 00:06:31.770 --> 00:06:34.860 align:middle line:84% I'll be particularly interested in staying up late if I've not 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:38.190 align:middle line:90% seen my wife all day. 00:06:38.190 --> 00:06:40.830 align:middle line:84% My main role as a rabbi is like a bridge. 00:06:40.830 --> 00:06:43.860 align:middle line:84% If people want to have access to Judaism, 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:45.870 align:middle line:84% if they want to learn or get involved, 00:06:45.870 --> 00:06:48.040 align:middle line:90% I'll be there for them. 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.570 align:middle line:84% I personally find Judaism an extremely inspiring thing. 00:06:51.570 --> 00:06:55.050 align:middle line:84% It's something which informs and encourages 00:06:55.050 --> 00:06:57.660 align:middle line:84% and helps us to believe in ourselves, 00:06:57.660 --> 00:06:59.940 align:middle line:84% reminds us that God loves us and cares for us. 00:06:59.940 --> 00:07:02.160 align:middle line:84% And it's also very rich and very deep, 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.890 align:middle line:84% and it's full of surprises about how to see ourselves 00:07:04.890 --> 00:07:06.750 align:middle line:90% in the world and what we do. 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:08.820 align:middle line:84% And if I can share that with somebody else 00:07:08.820 --> 00:07:12.550 align:middle line:84% and see the same excitement and wonder in somebody else, 00:07:12.550 --> 00:07:14.520 align:middle line:84% that's the most satisfying and enjoyable part 00:07:14.520 --> 00:07:16.340 align:middle line:90% of being a rabbi. 00:07:16.340 --> 00:07:20.218 align:middle line:90%