By Israel Rozenson

In the summer of 1948, Rav Shaul Yisraeli, zts’l, Rav of Kfar HaRo'eh, gave a speech at an IDF swearing-in ceremony at a training base in the Hefer Valley. In his speech, he called on the soldiers "to maintain purity of character, the morality of Israel, and purity of arms [tohar haneshek]. He said the soldiers were opening a new page in the liberated land, and blessed are those who on this day join the lineage of the first commander, Joshua son of Nun, and the last, Rabbi Akiva son of Yosef, both of whom displayed immense spiritual strength."

In my view, Rav Yisraeli clearly saw no contradiction between purity of arms and Joshua's war.

By Daniel Greenberg CB, for the Jewish Ethics Project

Here we are again, at the centrepiece of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, the “Unetaneh Tokef” prayer: the angels trembling in dread as all humanity passes one by one, like sheep through the gap, under God’s omniscient gaze as He decides what lies ahead for each of us this year. As a child, this was always the imagery of Yom Kippur that touched me most closely. As I grew older, the picture grew less poignant, retreating further and further into the mists of unreality each year.

By Professor David Hillel Ruben, for the Jewish Ethics Project

“Learn to do good; devote yourself to justice, aid the wronged; uphold the rights of the orphan, and defend the widow’s cause,” (Isaiah 1:17). The novi’s command is categorical. It simply says: seek justice. In short, morality unconditionally requires that persons act or avoid acting in certain ways, full stop. Put it this way: there is no escaping morality. It presses on us and calls us to action, whether we want it to do so or not.

By Rabbi Michael Pollak, for the Jewish Ethics Project

I have long thought that Israel Radio and Television have been missing a trick. Rather than mimicking our own very dear “Desert Island Discs”, the Israeli equivalent should draw on the familiarity of the Yom Tov Machzor or the Haggadah to ask guests to choose their favourite Pesach songs or their favourites from the Yamim Noraim (High Holidays) services. I have long been preparing for that phone call comes. My list is ready – every choice is drawn from the Tefilot of Yom Kippur.

Reflections for Yom Kippur

The words of Jonathan Sacks, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Rav Kook, and others open a dialogue across generations. They do not always agree. Differences teach us that the moral life resists simple resolution. But all share the conviction that human life is sacred, that our choices matter. That ethics lies at the heart of religious life.

As we enter Yom Kippur, may these words challenge us to examine not only how we pray but what we prioritise: our responsibilities to our people, our nation, and to all humanity created in the image of God.

By Elkan Adler, for the Jewish Ethics Project

It is a mainstay of our belief that the Tenach speaks within its historical context but also for the contemporary world.  The article discusses the ethical stance written into our foundational texts, which forms the backbone to our Judaism.

By Dr Brian Berenblut, for the Jewish Ethics project

Let us search our ways and examine them, and let us return to the Lord. (Eicha 3:40)

Born out of the pain of exile, these words speak to the heart of the Yamim Noraim, not just regret, but reflection, change, and return. Not part way, but עד ה׳ - all the way to God. The verse moves us through three steps: honest awareness, moral transformation, and meaningful return.

By Dr Donald Franklin, for the Jewish Ethics Project

Last January, the incoming United States Vice President JD Vance sparked some controversy by invoking the doctrine of ordo amoris to justify giving priority to family and fellow citizens over foreigners. The late Pope, Francis, apparently taking issue with Mr. Vance, wrote in February that “the true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover … by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”

What has Judaism to say?