Rabbi Michael Leo SamuelGender roles continue to challenge the Orthodox world of Haredi Judaism in Israel-and elsewhere in the world today even now as women continue to be arrested for wearing a tallit at the Western Wall.
A Primer on the History of Torah Reading
The idea of women’s aliyot (being called to say a blessing over the Torah) continues to pit the world of the past with the world of the present. I guess we could call it , “The Halachic War of the ...
Learn More ShareThe subject of demonology has fascinated me ever since I first began reading scary stories as a child. In our culture today, the belief in demonic spirits continues to play a role in literature, movies, and religion. The recent stories about Rabbi Batzri and his exorcisms show that in Haredi and Hassidic communities, the belief in demonic possession is still very much alive and well-irregardless whether such malevolent entities exist or not.
In the world of the psyche, the imagination runs ...
Learn More SharePhilosopher Moses Maimonides believed that superstition undermines Judaism as a rational belief system. For him, the purpose of mezuzah has nothing to do with protection, but rather, serves as a didactic device that teaches us about the importance of making ethical monotheism a part of our daily lives. There can be no doubt that Maimonides would have considered the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s mitzvah campaign of promoting the mezuzah as well-meaning, but theologically foolish-and perhaps even pagan-esque, since it devalues the purpose ...
Learn More ShareThe ancients believe that an amulet is supposedly charged with magical power that can ward off misadventure, disease, or the assaults of malign beings-whether demonic or human. A talisman is an object similarly used to enhance a person’s potentialities and fortunes. Amulets and talismans are two sides of the same coin. The former are designed to repels evil; the latter, to attracts blessing and prosperity. Historically, the mezuzah combines both features in rabbinic folklore and history.
The Mezuzah as an Amulet
Since Late ...
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When “Halacha” becomes “A goodly apple rotten at the heart”
Although Shammai had his differences with Hillel with respect to how one receives perspective converts to Judaism, one thing is evident—not even Shammai ever believed that a Beit Din [rabbinical court] has the right to keep perspective converts in a state of permanent probation. As we pointed out in the earlier postings on conversion, the Halacha makes it clear that even if the newly converted candidate goes astray from his Judaism, he is still nevertheless considered to be a Jew—a ...
Learn More ShareCategories: Anti-Semitism, Bible, biblical history, biblical theology, Contrarian wisdom, Conversion, Current Events, ethics, good and evil, Halacha, Hassidic Theology, Israel, Jewish customs, Jewish History, Judaism and Feminism, Political Commentaries, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash, The Future of Judaism