Life is short.

The average human lifespan of 4000 weeks is, as Oliver Burkeman says, "absurdly, terrifyingly, insultingly short". No increased productivity or efficiency can escape the limits of our mortality.

How do we live with this? How do we confront the fact that our time is finite, and that nothing we do can change that?

To explore this question, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein contrasts Oliver Burkeman's book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, with the Torah's much deeper framework for understanding time itself.

In this talk on Parshat Toldot, we examine the encounter between Yaakov and Esav as a case study in how human beings respond to mortality. Esav declares, "I am going to die. Of what use is the birthright to me?" His philosophy is simple: if everything ends, then only the present matters.

But the Torah offers a radically different view.

Pirkei Avot teaches that "this world is a prozdor - a corridor - before the next," we discover that the way out of the 4,000 weeks is not by stretching them, but by using them to reach something beyond: eternity.

Time is the most precious resource we possess. It is life itself. There is much to be done. And the task is impossible to finish. Yet our lives do not need to be tragic. They can be heroic.

This is a lesson about time, purpose, mortality - and the heroic dignity of the human condition.

Key Insights:

• Life is about 4,000 weeks - and we cannot escape that limit.

• Esav's mistake: "I am going to die. What use is the birthright to me?"

• This world is a prozdor leading to Olam Haba - Pirkei Avot 4:21.

• The way out of the 4,000 weeks is through them and toward eternity.

• "If not now, when?" Rashi teaches: if I don't do it here, I cannot do it there.

• Time becomes meaningful when it becomes eternal.

• Priority is the essence of Torah time management.

• We are born in the middle of things, we die in the middle of things.

• We are mortal, but also heroic - limited beings with access to infinity.

I was invited by The Common Sense - South Africa's newest and most exciting online publication, led by Dr Frans Cronje - for a long-form interview about my journey since October 7th.

In this conversation with Gabriel Makin, I reflect on leading the South African Jewish community through crisis, and standing up to the anti-Israel campaign advanced on behalf of Iran and Hamas.

In this wide-ranging interview, the Chief Rabbi speaks about what it meant to guide the community through two years of uncertainty, pressure, and historic responsibility. The discussion explores the events after the October 7th massacre, the war that followed, the battle of ideas in South Africa, the challenge of rising antisemitism worldwide, and the moral and strategic lessons that have emerged.

This is a conversation about leadership in a time of crisis — the decisions, the dilemmas, the inner work, and the profound sense of mission that shaped these last two years.

• Leadership under pressure - what crisis reveals about values and character

• South Africa's political crossroads and the ANC's stance on Israel

• Why public mobilisation of ordinary citizens matters

• The global struggle against jihadist extremism

• The moral foundations of Western civilisation

• Faith, meaning, and the erosion of spiritual confidence in the modern world

• Lessons from Israel's resilience and miracle-filled survival

• Why true leadership demands responsibility, courage, and clarity

There is a deep psychological need that every human being has to impress other people. To be recognised, to be seen, respected, and to be valued.

This need is real and demands to be fulfilled.

But when we pursue it in the wrong way, it can be harmful to our happiness, our integrity, and our relationships.

In this talk on the Parsha of Chayei Sarah, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein explores a foundational teaching from Pirkei Avot: "Say little and do much." The Gemara contrasts two figures - Abraham and Ephron - as archetypes of righteousness and wickedness. Abraham promises little and delivers abundantly. Ephron promises generously and delivers nothing.

What lies beneath this contrast?

The answer lies in a deep longing that we all have: the search for recognition.

Ephron's grand promises came from a desperate need to impress others. Abraham, by contrast, wasn't living for human applause. He lived for the recognition of Hashem. The Mishnah teaches that those who chase fame lose it, but "the crown of a good name" is bestowed by God Himself. The Rambam explains that true honor flows from integrity, humility, and doing good for its own sake.

Hashem sees the effort, the sacrifice, and the hidden goodness even when no one else does.

And when recognition comes from Him, it becomes steady, lasting, and real.

This talk reveals a Torah model for navigating our deepest need for recognition in a way that frees us from the fragility of public opinion and anchors our self-worth in eternal values.

Key Insights

• Recognition is a core human need, but where we seek it determines everything.

• "Say little and do much" - the Gemara's blueprint for integrity.

• Abraham vs. Ephron: two models of greatness and emptiness.

• Ephron lived for applause - Abraham lived for God's recognition.

• "Those who seek to spread their name lose it," - the Mishnah's warning about human validation.

• "The crown of a good name" is bestowed not by people, but by Hashem (Rambam).

• Hashem sees the effort, the sacrifice and the hidden goodness, even when no one else does.

• True recognition comes from living for a higher purpose, not for approval.