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.
Last Sunday night my synagogue in Yerushalayim celebrated the inauguration of a new Sefer Torah, Torah scroll. It was a very happy occasion during which hundreds of people danced in the streets while the children carried torches which made it, together with the stars in the sky, a nearly mystical experience
"For the sake of Zion I will not remain silent"
American Jewry must rise up like a roaring lion. It is obligated to organize massive demonstrations in every city as many times as necessary till the American administration starts to realize that it has crossed the borders of what is acceptable.
"Perhaps one day we will forgive our enemies for killing our boys, but we will never forgive them for forcing our soldiers to have to kill ". Golda Meir
Part 1 of a Two-Part Essay
As religious people we are asked to look for the deeper meaning of world history, since our belief is that God has a hand in the unfolding of history. We consult biblical and Talmudic sources, examining them and drawing conclusions. Above all, we must try to discover the moral lessons from these texts that inspire us to be better human beings and Jews.
In Parashat HaShavua and Parashat Yitro
What makes a legal case truly “major”? Is it the amount of money at stake — or the depth of moral and legal complexity it demands? In Parashat Yitro we see a subtle but radical change that Moshe makes to Yitro’s judicial reforms, revealing a vision of justice in which complexity, not power or wealth, determines what truly matters.
This essay was written by Daniel Soibelmannm -
"What we need is a story that starts with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax" - Sam Goldwyn 1882 - 1974
Amid the crisis surrounding Israel presently, is an increasing awareness, particularly by Jews living in Israel of the biases that plague journalism. Although this is not a rage I feel inclined to put aside verily, a more disturbing phenomenon calls me into its discussion at this moment.
(This essay was written by Moshe Dan).
In order to understand the Parah Adumah we have to go back (at least) to the story of what happened to the scouts (meraglim). Their negative report so confused and demoralized the people that they refused to follow Moshe into Eretz Yisrael - sealing their fate (to die in the desert) and changing the course of history (settling the Land.without a struggle, bringing the messianic age). They failed to appreciate themselves and to believe in their relationship with God. It was catastrophic; the first Tisha B'Av.
Commentary on a eulogy in Israel: It is told that there was once a great rabbi who was known never to be involved in any secular endeavor. His whole life was dedicated to spiritual matters, to the study and teaching of Torah. Once his students saw him reading the New York Times before leaving his home for the morning prayers.The students were not a little shocked: How could it be that their holy teacher would lower himself to read such mundane material as the NY Times?
One of the most astonishing facts about the current situation in the land of Israel is the outpouring of unprecedented faith. While confronted by ongoing terrorist attacks in which hundreds of people have been murdered and thousands have been injured we are encountering a new phenomenon in modern Jewish history: The capacity of trust in God and Judaism in the face of unparalleled pain and disaster by those who should have been the first ones to lose it.
Jewish learning is a tradition of constant beginnings without any end in sight. At the end of Succoth, Jews over the world will be completing the reading of Torah in their synagogues and immediately starting all over again. This is a most remarkable tradition which takes place on Simchat Torah. Instead of being satisfied with this last reading, they conclude that they really did not read it well enough and that there is a need to read it once more. Taking into account that this kind of re-reading has already gone on for thousands of years and that there are no indications it will end in the future, one wonders when Jews will ever complete their reading of the Torah
The great Chassidic leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, complaining about the Jews' detachment from Judaism once said: When a bridegroom stands under the chupa (bridal canopy) he can say hundreds of times to his future bride: "You are betrothed" but it is as if he said nothing and they are not married. Only when he adds one more Hebrew word: "Li" "You are betrothed to me " is there a marriage. All the family and friends can be present, the music may be playing, the food served and the new home ready, but nothing has happened till the word "Li" is been uttered.
In these unusual days in which Jews are once more condemned for being Jews and some of our own brothers try to deny or even abhor their Jewishness, I believe, paradoxically, that the Jewish people will soon experience the most glorious opportunity of all time.