There are moments in life when everything shifts. Circumstances change. Crisis strikes. You find yourself somewhere you never expected to be.

In the story of Purim, Queen Esther faces such a moment. A decree has been sealed. The future hangs in the balance.

She hesitates.

Mordechai's response to her is simple, and seismic:

"Who knows if it was for this moment that you became queen?"

If nothing in life is coincidence, then what does that mean for the moment you are in right now?

Drawing on Pirkei Avot and the profound insights of Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein explores an idea that reshapes how we understand crisis, responsibility, and the moment we are in.

KEY QUESTIONS EXPLORED

• What if nothing in your life is coincidence?

• Why does Esther hesitate at the decisive moment?

• What did Mordechai see that she did not?

• What is demanded of us when the moment finds us?

A house protects us from the elements. A home provides something far deeper.

What is it about the human soul that refuses to settle for shelter alone?

In the Parsha of Terumah, the Torah commands the building of the Mishkan, a sanctuary that becomes a dwelling place for the Divine Presence. Redemption from Egypt is followed not only by freedom, but by the act of building a home for Hashem.

Why?

Why does the Torah describe the Mishkan in the language of home?

And why is exile so often defined as being sent away, not merely from land, but from belonging?

There is a deeper pattern woven through the Parsha of Terumah. Even in comfort, many people carry a quiet sense of displacement. Even surrounded by walls, something can feel missing.

Drawing on the Ramban, Pirkei Avot, and the inner meaning of the Mishkan, Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein explores a question that lies at the heart of the human condition:

Where do we truly belong?

Key Questions Explored

• What transforms shelter into belonging?

• Why does exile feel deeper than geography?

• What does it mean to build a home for the Divine?

• Where does the human soul feel most at home?

The recent Roedean antisemitism scandal began when they refused to play a scheduled tennis match against King David. The incident generated national uproar, investigations, and fierce public debate.

But this moment is about more than a match.

At first glance, it appears to be a dispute within two respected South African schools. Yet beneath the surface lies a larger tension. It is a tension that touches education, identity, and the moral direction of our institutions.

What happens when longstanding principles begin to shift? What happens when frameworks once rooted in enduring values are replaced by new moral languages? What happens when institutions that once drew from shared foundations find those foundations quietly eroding?

What sustains a free and pluralistic society? What allows diverse communities to coexist with dignity and mutual respect?

And what happens when the moral architecture that made coexistence possible begins to weaken?

In this address Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein examines the deeper currents exposed by the Roedean controversy, and what they reveal about the state of South Africa's moral foundations.

This is not only a moment for schools, but a moment for South Africa as a whole.