While some other Jewish boys may throw lavish parties to celebrate their Bar Mitzvahs, one 13-year-old was given a sermon to remember thanks to his musical Rabbi.

Rabbi Danny Bergson has served as the Rabbi at Pinner Synagogue in Cecil Park, Pinner, for four years, after settling in Harrow following a move from Glasgow with his family.

A trained musician, he received tuition at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now contining to train in Opera and traditional music.

Both a singer and guitarist, Rabbi Bergson is involved with two musical projects – one as part of an interfaith band, while also having completed his first album with his band Sappir.

He said: “Music is a huge passion in my life, after family and religion it is the next most important thing to me.

“I’ve sung with choirs, I’ve done charity performances, I’ve played in venues all across the country – it really is something I love doing.

“But I also try to incorporate music into what I do with my religion, and spread messages to the Jewich community through singing.”

Now, the affectionately known “Rockin’ Rabbi” has taken a new musical direction – in the form of rapping.

With the help of his friends and community members, Rabbi Bergson, 37, gave one Bar Mitzvah boy a sermon to remember.

The Manchester-born father-of-five said: “I was sitting preparing the sermon for the Bar Mitzvah boy when I thought about how Gabe is into rap music and suddenly I thought about actually rapping the entire sermon to him.

“Initially I dismissed the idea as crazy but then I wrote a few lines and then a few more and before I knew it the ‘sermon rap’ was unfolding and developing.

“As the lyrics came together I began to believe in it more and plucked the courage to do my debut rap.

“There was a rapturous applause afterwards, which was brilliant – you would never get that if I had said the exact same thing as a sermon, quoting scriptures.”

As the Bar Mitzvah was held on the Sabbath, the Rabbi performed without a music track but members of the congregation insisted he produced a video to re-enact the day.

But to him, the rap meant a lot more than just a gimmicky way to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah.

He added: “Rapping is very new form for me, but the main thing was to spread the message that Rabbis can view modern culture with a Jewish, religious or spiritual message and cross over the boundaries of generations.

“You can use rap or any form of music or art form to deliver a message but it can’t be tokenistic.

“Ultimately it is the message that is the most important part and the rap, although it has rhythms and rhymes, comes second.”