Irene Lancaster

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  Where was God during Purim?

  G-d can be there in absentia, while human beings wrestle with doing the right thing.

• Have Christians got Jeremiah 29:11 all wrong?

  Jeremiah 29:11 has become the most popular verse on social media, according to a recent analysis.

• Elijah and the prophets of Baal: A lesson in doing the right thing

  'How long will you skip between two stools'? Elijah asks. 'Make up your mind: come to a decision.'

• New beginnings: A sermon on Exodus 15-17

  As in Isaiah, in Genesis 1 and the following verses depicting the creation, the whole mood is one of anticipation. In order to allow Israel as a body to act, G-d constantly restrains her physically.

• 10th anniversary celebrations are a tribute to Jewish-Christian dialogue

  The Broughton Park Jewish Christian Dialogue Group of Salford, Greater Manchester, met to celebrate its 10th anniversary in a reunion which included members both past and present from all parts of the country.

• 'God meant it for good': A Jewish reading of Joseph's story

  At the end of the book of Genesis Joseph reassures his brothers that he does not bear them a grudge for their horrific treatment of him when they were all younger.

• 80 years after Kristallnacht: Why Jews keep the 'commandments'

  Even nowadays, some mitzvot can only be carried out in the Land of Israel, but that still leaves Jews in the Diaspora with a few hundred mitzvot that we should carry out daily.

• Noah and Abraham: Keeping the faith and breaking the rules

  Why does the Bible say (Genesis 6:9): 'Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. With G-d walked Noah'?

• 'And G-d saw that it was good': In a world defined by science, what does creation mean?

  Whatever the counter-arguments by the world's thinkers, as a swimmer and music-maker Mandy knew that the key to life is immersion.

• At the turn of the year, Jews return to G-d

  Last week, on Rosh Hashana (the Head or Beginning of the Year), we were inscribed in G-d's book and beginning on Tuesday evening, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, our fate will be sealed.

• Review: Morality in the 21st Century is about learning to love our neighbours

  The series motto so far could be 'only when I learn how to properly love myself, will I be able to properly love you in a way from which society at large will benefit'. And for this, the Bible, it seems to me is still the key.

• Isaiah and Adam Smith: What the Hebrew prophet tells us about nationhood

  Isaiah's wonderful chapter 60, to be read in Shul on Shabbat, must be one of the most famous and beloved biblical passages ever.