About the Author


Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair

In 1972, Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair opened SARM Studios the first 24-track recording studio in Europe where Queen mixed “Bohemian Rhapsody”. His music publishing company, Druidcrest Music published the music for The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973) and as a record producer, he co-produced the quadruple-platinum debut album by American band “Foreigner” (1976). American Top ten singles from this album included, “Feels Like The First Time”, “Cold as Ice” and “Long, Long Way from Home”. Other production work included “The Enid – In the Region of the Summer Stars”, “The Curves”, and “Nutz” as well as singles based on The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy with Douglas Adams and Richard O’Brien. Other artists who used SARM included: ABC, Alison Moyet, Art of Noise, Brian May, The Buggles, The Clash, Dina Carroll, Dollar, Flintlock, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones, It Bites, Malcolm McLaren, Nik Kershaw, Propaganda, Rush, Rik Mayall, Stephen Duffy, and Yes.
In 1987, he settled in Jerusalem to immerse himself in the study of Torah. His two Torah books The Color of Heaven, on the weekly Torah portion, and Seasons of the Moon met with great critical acclaim. Seasons of the Moon, a unique fine-art black-and-white photography book combining poetry and Torah essays, has now sold out and is much sought as a collector’s item fetching up to $250 for a mint copy.
He is much in demand as an inspirational speaker both in Israel, Great Britain and the United States. He was Plenary Keynote Speaker at the Agudas Yisrael Convention, and Keynote Speaker at Project Inspire in 2018. Rabbi Sinclair lectures in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy at Ohr Somayach/Tannenbaum College of Judaic studies in Jerusalem and is a senior staff writer of the Torah internet publications Ohrnet and Torah Weekly. His articles have been published in The Jewish Observer, American Jewish Spirit, AJOP Newsletter, Zurich’s Die Jüdische Zeitung, South African Jewish Report and many others.
Rabbi Sinclair was born in London, and lives with his family in Jerusalem. He was educated at St. Anthony’s Preparatory School in Hampstead, Clifton College, and Bristol University.


 

The Power Of Forgiveness

A childless couple finds out why Hashem is withholding from them the blessing of children.

 

The Giving Heart

It's axiomatic that G-d is perfect in every way and therefore lacks nothing. If so, how can the Torah command the Jewish People to 'give' Him a gift?

 

Are You A Player Or A Supporter?

There are two ways to go through life - as a player, or as a supporter. Which are you?

 

Hail To The Chief

"You shall not have other gods before Me." Why did the Torah add the two words 'before Me?' Why didn't it just say, "You shall not have other gods?"

 

Higher Than The Angels

The word for an angel in Hebrew is the same as for a wild beast - "chaya." What is the connection between the two?

 

Belief In Belief

Belief is not like an on/off switch. It is a character trait that can be weakened or strengthened.

 

Two Questions - One Answer

If Moshe had ten names, why was 'Moshe' the only name that Hashem called him? And why didn't Yocheved, Moshe's mother, hide him somewhere more secure than the river Nile? Two questions with the same answer.

 

The Enigma Code

Yaakov and Yosef gave the Jewish People a secret code so they would recognize the redeemer who would take them out of Egypt. But even the best codes can be broken - what made this code unbreakable?

 

The Scrapbook Of Eternity

The Hebrew word for 'life' is a plural noun. Why?

 

"It's Nothing?"

Saying sincerely, "I forgive you" is sometimes more difficult than saying "Sorry." But it's just as important.

 

Dreaming The Dream

Jews have always been dreamers. Why is it that so often our dreams don't come true?

 

How Long Is The Coast Of Britain?

Life's difficulties are proportionate to the scale you give them.

 

Life After Life

The most certain thing in life is also the most frightening. But death is really no more than a birth into another existence.

 

The Lobbes

The word "Lobbes" or "Lobbus" is part of the vernacular of British Jews, but few Jews in the United States have ever heard it. If one can say such a thing - Yaakov Avinu was a 'bit of a lobbes.

 

The Speed of Time

Why is it that time seems to go faster the older we get?

 

At The Heights Of The Universe

God gave us an enormous power: Our every action can send positive energy to the heights of the Universe, and from there that energy descends to this world to heal and to bless.

 

War of the Worlds

In Parshat Lech Lecha, the Torah devotes a whole chapter to a seemingly unimportant Canaanite war. Why?

Parsha: What's In A Name?

The three sons of Noach (Noah) represent three world views: "The world is what I can feel." "The world is what I can know." And "The world is more than I can know." Their three names reveal this.

 

Why Are The Prayers Of Yom Kipur So Repetetive?

We confess ten times on Yom Kippur for our sins, and we seem to say the Thirteen Attributes of God's mercy over and over again. Is all this repetition really necessary?

Parsha: Allegiance To The Monarch

Last year was the Shmitta (Sabbatical) year. When the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) stood, at the end of the Shmitta year during the festival of Sukkot, the king would read from the Torah to the entire nation. This mitzva symbolized his kingship. Is it mere coincidence that the year of the coronation of King Charles III coincides with this mitzva?

 

Charles III -The Last Circumcised King?

Hitler said, "Conscience is a Jewish invention. Like circumcision it mutilates man..." What is the connection between conscience and circumcision?

 

It's Not What You Say...

Apparently, the Chafetz Chaim zt"l, was not a brilliant orator, however he was extremely compelling to listen to. What gave him this power?

 

As Lovely As A Tree

The Torah prohibits planting trees in the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. Why?

 

The Apprentice

In the ancient world, when grieving for a dead person, idol worshippers would make a bald spot in their hair between the eyes. The Torah explicity forbids this practice in Parshat Re'eh. Why?

Parsha: Big on the Little Things

The whole human frame stands on the tiny heel bone, so too our relationships "stand" on the little things.

Parsha: The Power Of Prayer

Praying every day isn't easy. But if you've ever prayed well - even once - it leaves you a different person.

 

Respect Yourself - Respect Others

The tragedy of Tisha B'Av begins with the sin of the Spies and their lack of self-respect.

Parsha: The Cancel Culture (Three Weeks)

"Sinat Chinam" - Dislike of the Unlike - is the cause of the destruction of the Jewish People throughout the ages. The cancer of the 'cancel culture' is still well and alive today. It's easy to respect people when they think and behave exactly the way we do, but true respect means respecting people even when they are wrong.

 

A Man Of Spirit

An artist may be able to create without knowing how to teach others how to create. That doesn't make him less of an artist. But even if an artist is not a great teacher, given a pupil of spirit, that pupil will flourish with very little instruction. Yehoshua's was like the Moon. Because he was 'a man of spirit', he shone from the inspiration of his teacher Moshe.

 

It Takes A Lot Of Faith To Be An Atheist

When opening up their morning newspaper, why do atheists turn to the horoscope page?

 

The Blue Beyond

The 'tzitzit' - the fringes that a Jew wears on a four-cornered garment give us a glimpse of infinity.

 

Psst! Wanna Fake Rolex?

Is it true that "You can't always get what you want?"

 

We Are Family

The Jewish People are like one soul in many bodies.

 

Like The Stars

Why are the Jewish People compared to the stars?

 

There Are No Limits

When Roger Bannister ran the first mile in less than four minutes, he broke a lot more than a record.

 

The Promise Of The Land

"As long as Yisrael does not dwell on its Land, the Land does not give her fruits as she is accustomed. When she will begin to flower again, however, and give of her fruits, this is a clear sign that the end — the time of the Redemption — is approaching when all of Yisrael will return to its Land.” The Maharsha

 

Inventing Religion

If you're going to make up a religion, you'd better not make promises you can't keep. Parshat Behar contains a huge promise that only the Creator could make.

 

Saving Life With One Word

A drop of encouragement may seem like a drop in the ocean, but sometimes it can save a life from drowning in sadness.

 

Do You Hate Shabbat?

Is your Shabbat an out-of-this-world spiritual experience? Here's how to make it one.

 

Is There A New Israel?

In the Purim story, Achashverosh, Ahasuerus, dresses himself as the High Priest in the Holy Temple. What did he hope to gain by doing this?

 

Do Jews Have Horns?

Michaelangelo may have been the greatest sculptor who ever lived, but his knowledge of Jewish anatomy was a bit off.

 

A Jewish Woman's Power

We often refer to God as "He" - but God's presence on earth, the "Shechina" is a femine noun. "He" is "She."

 

Sticks And Stones – The Power Of An Insult

"...but words can never harm me." Why do words hurt so much, they're nothing more than puffs or air with a sound wave attached, aren't they?

 

You Are Someone's Lifeline: A Hassidic Tale of the Holocaust

How the Rabbi of Bluzhov and his friend were miraculously saved from death.

 

Mystical Worlds

Why is the word for a 'thing' in Hebrew - 'davar' - from the same root as the word for 'speech' - 'dibbur? As solid as 'things' seem, they are no more than God 'speaking' them - keeping them in existence by His word.

 

The Great 'Blander'

If you had your choice, would you choose to live in a world with the potential for great good but the danger of great evil, or a blend of the two resulting in a great blandness?

 

Weapons Of Mass Distraction

If the original sound of the giving of the Torah never fades, how come we don't hear it anymore?

 

How The Japanese Saved The Jews

During World War II some 40,000 Jews found themselves under Japanese occupation in Manchuria, China and countries of South East Asia. Virtually all of them survived the war, but the Germans repeatedly pressured the Japanese to implement their "Final Solution." This is a famous story of how The Amshinover Rebbe, zt"l dissuaded the Japanese from complying with Hitler's dictate.

 

Is Gene Editing Playing God?

The current Covid pandemic has a silver lining: It has accelerated research into Gene Editing techniques that promise to put an end to many lethal hereditary diseases. But should Man interfere in the work of God?

 

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