Lying to the Bet Din
By Yael Valier
Following a lecture by Rabbi Cardozo, I was thinking about the problem of converts coming before a beit din and feeling pressured to lie to the effect
Jewish Thought and Philosophy
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The Expulsion of God from Halacha
Halacha has been disconnected from a conscious awareness of God. Today, halachic living ignores Him.
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How “True” are Religious Beliefs?
The public is invited to attend the 5772/2012 Jerusalem Lecture Series "Judaism, Heresy and Secular Philosophy" by Professor Tamar Ross
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Man, God and the Torah – The Death and Life of the Word
Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: When at Mt. Sinai the Israelites heard the word “I” (the first word of “I am the Lord your God” in the “Ten Words”), their souls left them...It may perhaps be argued that this Midrash, like no other text, summarizes the essence of Judaism and its dialectic nature...
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No Mashiach Without a Song
Whether the angels play only Bach praising God, I am not quite sure; I am sure, however, that en famille they play Mozart. (1) When attending synagogue services around the world, one is often confronted with a lack of religious enthusiasm. In many synagogues, services are heavy and often depressing. It is not always the […]
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Word Painting, US Customs, and God’s Wonders
Reflections on a recent trip to America
Some reflections on a recent trip to America: the good, the bad, and the sublime.
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Human Autonomy and Divine Commandment – Part 2
In Part 1 we discussed the issue of human autonomy versus divine commandment. Which is of higher religious value: serving God in a spontaneous outpouring of religious devotion, or obeying the divine imperative? We concluded that it is the divine imperative that makes an ordinary act into a religious one. In the words of Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz: "Faith is expressed in the act which man does due to his awareness of his obligation to do it and not because of an internal urge".
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Human Autonomy and Divine Commandment – Part 1
One of the most discussed issues in today's world of religious thought is the question of human autonomy versus man's obligation to carry out God's command. Which is the higher religious value: to serve God in a spontaneous outpouring of religious devotion (autonomy), or to obey the divine imperative (obedience)?
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The Preciousness of My Children – A Terrifying Story
Recently, I experienced the great embarrassment of living in the presence of God, thinking that I knew what it entailed, only to realize that I had no clue. It was a rude awakening, dreadful as can be. I was confronted with a situation that I have always known exists but have never experienced before. In an instant I learned what no book could ever teach me in hundreds of years: that I should sense the ultimate in the ordinary; that I should live in awe when I encounter the trivial.
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The Death and the Life of the Word
Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Jochanan said: When at mountain Sinai the Israelites heard the word "I , (the first word of "I am the Lord your God" of the "Ten Words" ) their souls left them, as it says, "If we hear the Voice….any longer, we shall die,"(Devarim 5:22) and also it is written, "My soul failed me when He spoke" (Shir Hashirim 5:6). Then the Word turned to the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, " Lord of the Universe, Thou are life and Thy Torah is life, yet Thou has sent me to the dead!, for they are all dead!." Thereupon the Holy One blessed be He sweetened the Word for them…. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: The Torah which God gave to
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God is Unjustifiable
It is time to stop justifying God. Morally speaking (1), His ways are sometimes inexcusable. Allowing a Holocaust in which six million Jews were killed in the cruelest ways imaginable, causing unbearable pain to innocent children, is morally intolerable. Creating earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and other "natural" disasters which kill people and other creatures is insufferable. Any attempt to justify these deeds of God is to profane His holy name.
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Rabbi Mordechai Elon and the Challenge of Teshuva
I will teach transgressors Your ways
that sinners may return to You
[Tehilim 51: 15]
Despite everything, I have great hopes for Rabbi Elon and believe he will deliver. I do not know what really happened, what is true and what is not. Surely something awful seems to have taken place. Nevertheless, though he may have seriously erred, caused people suffering, and damaged the honor of Judaism, and though he deserves to take responsibility and pay for his actions, I believe that it is in his power to teach us an important lesson.