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The Jewish Year

  • Megillat Esther

    The Eternity of Purim

    In The Jewish Year and Purim

    The Purim story, as depicted in Megillat Esther, is miracle-less. Certainly as the events were unfolding the hand of God is absent, and it is only the keen reader who will identify the divine intervention as the drama that threatened the very existence of the Jewish People unraveled. God's covert involvement in the world is extremely difficult to ascertain, and yet it surrounds us every moment of every day, and like the Festival of Purim, will be celebrated for all eternity.

  • New moon rising

    Adar Sheni and God Awareness

    In Halacha and The Jewish Year

    The Jewish Calendar is an intricate, complex and complicated system that requires the input of the greatest sages, astronomers and mathematicians in order to have a calendar based on the lunar year yet coincide with the solar calendar and seasons. Seemingly, it would be far simpler to follow either the lunar or solar calendar. The secret of the Jewish calendar is the creation of a constant awareness of God's presence.

  • Chanukah Menora

    Is it Possible to Be Religious?

    In Halacha, The Jewish Year and Hanukkah

    One of the great problems any religious person should struggle with is whether it is actually possible to be religious. In fact, what is the essence of genuine religiosity? The concept at the root of all religions is the awareness that it is extremely difficult to live up to the awe of the moment. The famous dispute regarding the order of lighting the Chanukah lights illuminates a practical approach to this issue.

  • Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur

    The Curse of Indifference

    In The Jewish Year, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

    Our greatest challenge is that, living under miraculous conditions through no merit of our own, we fall prey to the curse of indifference--indifference to the miserable and impossible situation of our fellow humans who are threatened by suffering and death.

  • Humor, Rosh HaShana, and the Impossible Shofar

    In The Jewish Year and Rosh Hashanah

    It is Divine humor that tells us to live with absurdity, and supreme holy witticism that asks us to live with laughter. We are asked to enjoy the journey and realize that there is no arrival.

  • Parashat Vayikra – The Challenge Of Tisha B’av And The Temple Sacrifices

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and The Jewish Year

    Regardless of the many traditional approach to offering sacrifices in our day, there is no question that the Temple and its rituals once played an enormous role in Judaism, and that offering sacrifices was at the very center of its holy service. So, what was it that made sacrifices such an essential part of Judaism in bygone times? Was it merely primitivism? Or was it something that we are no longer connected to today and are missing out on? What holiness could there have been in the offering of sacrifices? And were we to discover this holiness, would that mean we should reintroduce the sacrificial rites in our own contemporary times?

  • Insights for Yom HaAtzmaut

    In Israel & Zionism and The Jewish Year

    As we celebrate 73 years of independence here in Israel, below are some essays which I hope will make the holiday more meaningful. 

  • The Challenge of Purim and the Coming of the Mashiach

    In The Jewish Year and Purim

    Redemption does not happen overnight; it develops over a long period of intermediate hester panim, until the last stage in the drama of history is fulfilled. The story of Purim reminds us that such periods when God "hides" from us are temporary. It gives us a framework in which to understand our lives and remain optimistic, even in the midst of darkness.

  • Chanukah: History is written by Choice, not by Truth

    In The Jewish Year

    Judaism suggests that at certain times God sends emanations to this world in order to awaken human beings to act. We see this in the story of Chanukah. God created a notion of revolt within the minds of the Maccabees, whose greatness was manifest in their correct reaction to this heavenly directive.

  • The Absurdity of Yom Kippur

    The Confrontation with Our Undeserved Lives

    In The Jewish Year

    Yom Kippur leads us to realize life itself is a gift and that gifts confer obligations. The more we receive, the more we become obligated to respond adequately.

  • Rosh Hashana: Daring to Blow New Life into Judaism

    In The Jewish Year

    The blowing of the shofar proves that we can surpass ourselves. On our own, using only our vocal cords, we are unable to produce this sound—a terrifying, awesome, penetrating resonance. This is a sound that can cause us to break down, pick ourselves up again, and transform ourselves into new individuals.

  • Torah: The Confrontation with Ourselves

    In The Jewish Year

    The people of Israel, according to Jewish tradition, are not the authors of the Torah. Rather, the Torah is the author of the people. As a covenant between God and humankind, the Torah is what brought the people into being. Moreover, despite the fact that the people have often violated the commanding voice of this text, it created the specific and unique identity of the Jewish nation.