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Thoughts to Ponder

Thoughts to Ponder is a weekly invitation to think dangerously and question passionately. Drawing on the Torah portion, classical Jewish sources, philosophy, and the crises of contemporary life, Rabbi Cardozo challenges religious complacency and spiritual comfort. These essays are written for readers who seek a Judaism that disturbs, questions, and ultimately deepens the human encounter with God and responsibility.

  • Gilad Shalit

    In Contemporary Issues and Israel & Zionism

    According to Israeli media, Gilad Shalit is soon to be released from his long and inhuman captivity in the hands of Hamas. This gang of murderers has managed to terrorize all of us using one young Jewish boy.

  • I Am Taking Off My Kippah

    In Halacha

    Don't be shocked. But I need to be honest. I am contemplating taking off my kippah. No, do not worry. I have no intention of becoming irreligious, or even less religious. Far from it.  In fact, I want to become more religious and have come to the conclusion that my kippah prevents me from doing so.

  • The Courage of Judge Goldstone

    In Contemporary Issues and Israel & Zionism

    Judge Goldstone must be a frustrated man.  If not, he really has a problem. By now it has become abundantly clear that the Goldstone Report is not merely filled with inaccuracies.  It is replete with procedural and substantive injustices and is a terrible disgrace for all those who believe in integrity, the supremacy of law and moral standards. It is the ultimate blunder for a respectable judge of international standing. Tens of articles penned by famous legislators and men of intellectual integrity, together with experts in other fields of jurisprudence and military knowledge, have demonstrated that this report is not worth the paper on which it is written. Judge Goldstone not only deviated from the truth, playing into the hands of Israel's worst enemies, but he willingly contributed to an international climate which gives credibility to the worst forms of terrorism and in which legitimate countries can no longer defend themselves. In fact, this report lays the ground for great human suffering, far beyond the borders of Israel, and is a recipe for a future major war which cannot be won by those who deserve to win.

  • Thoughts on Forgiveness – The Man Who Made Me Jewish

    In Biographies and Jewish Thought and Philosophy

    There is only one time I have ever forgiven an anti-Semite. But it was for a good reason. He had successfully helped me to become Jewish!

  • Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

    Starting is more important than completing

    In The Jewish Year and Yom Kippur

    Moshe Rabbenu teaches us that real religious life is not defined by where one finds oneself spiritually, but rather by how hard one tries to get there! 

  • Boredom and the Elderly

    Boredom is a multi-faceted phenomenon in our days and we may well be justified in considering another dimension of this destructive force. (See last weeks' Thoughts to Ponder.)

    In the "olden days," it was a privilege to be mature. It was something people would strive for. It meant maturity of attitude, a great amount of experience and knowledge of how to deal with the problems of life. It also meant well-considered opinions. This is no longer the case. Most of the time this is not due to the fact that younger people have become more experienced or knowledgeable, but because the older generation, i.e. those who used to be considered mature, have suddenly shown signs of immaturity.

    This is shown in the way our older generation deals with free time. W

  • Tisha B’Av/The Ninth of Av

    In The Jewish Year

    The Sacrifices, a Foretaste and the Eye of a Needle: One of the most puzzling dimensions of Jewish Tradition is the institution of the sacrificial rites in the Temple. Although there are many other purposes to the Temple, it cannot be denied that sacrifices stand at the very heart of the Temple service. Profound differences of opinion exist between the early and later commentators regarding how to understand the institution of sacrifices. (1)

  • The Wilderness of the Cardozo Academy – Graduation lecture – June 2009

    In Miscellaneous

     "All Noble Things Are As Difficult As They Are Rare"

    Benedictus de Spinoza

    Ethics

     

    Dear Friends,

     

    The purpose of the David Cardozo Academy is to be a Midbar, a desert and a desolate place. This may sound imprudent for an academy which is constantly in search of novelty. In what way can an academy be a desolate place where nothing grows? Is this not a paradox, a non-starter, and its undoing?

  • To President Barack Obama

    In Israel & Zionism

    I am a Jew

    standing at the Western Wall.

     

    How long do I stand here?

    Nearly 4000 years,

    since the days of my grandfather Abraham,

    when he nearly sacrificed his son

    at Mount Moriah.

     

    I see the Wall, its tears frozen.

    Passing clouds with many sighs.

    I read millions of Jewish names,

    born in Egypt, Babylon, Rome, Poland,

    Spain, Hungary, America and South Africa

  • Shavuoth

    In The Jewish Year

    "Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai and the "Portable Fatherland

    In a fascinating narrative in the Talmudic tractate of Gitin (56b), we are told that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, outstanding leader of the Jewish people during the days in which the Roman Empire invaded the land of Israel, was confronted with a question of life and death.  Vespasian, who would soon become the new Roman emperor, had brought the Jews to total exhaustion after years of intensive battles. Yerushalayim had fallen, people were dying, there was nothing to eat and complete despair had overtaken the Jewish community. At any moment the (second) Temple would be destroyed.  There was no way the Jews could rid themselves   of the enemy, and only one question remained. Do they surrender and save whatever could be salvaged, or do they fight until the death without any hope or future?

  • The Great Inner Struggle of Benedict XVI

    In Miscellaneous

    Some reflections on the Pope's visit to Israel
    And the Future of Christianity

    Benedict XVI is confused. He has a hard time with himself. He is sandwiched between the old Catholic teachings in which he was raised and the new Christianity which his great predecessor John Paul II initiated and of which he, Benedict, was partially the theologian without wanting to admit it. This gnaws at his conscience, especially now that he's the pope and is visiting the Jews.

  • Who is a Gavra Rabba, a Great man?

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy

    The Talmud in Makkoth 22b discusses the identity of a "Gavra Rabba", an exceptionally great man or Talmudic sage. It quotes a most remarkable observation made by the well-known sage, Rava, who states: "How foolish are some people who stand up out of  respect for a Sefer Torah but do not stand up out of respect for a Gavra Rabba, an exceptionally great person, a great Torah sage." When asked what is so exceptionally great about these men, Rava ignores their astonishingly vast knowledge of Torah, and even their outstanding ethical and religious qualities. Instead, he accentuates their power and courage to change the obvious and literal meaning of a commandment as mentioned in the Torah. This is, to say the least, most remarkable!