Rabbi Michael Leo SamuelOne of the famous and most important questions asked about Hanukkah reads: What is Hanukkah? [i.e., “Why do we celebrate Hanukkah?”]. The question strikes a modern reader as odd. Surely, the Jews must have known about the holiday’s significance for several centuries! On the surface, one could argue that the question is purely rhetorical in nature. It serves to help provide the rabbinical teachers with a new interpretation of the famous Maccabean ...
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Dr. Paul Shrell-Fox is someone I admire. As a clinical psychologist and researcher living in Israel, he has researched a social and religious phenomenon about a subject that many of us rabbis would sooner deny than admit: there are an increasing number of Orthodox and Conservative atheist rabbis! By “Orthodox,” I do not necessarily mean your typical Modern Orthodox rabbi. ...
Putin Expresses His Support of Israel in the War Against the Gazan Jihadists
President Vladimir Putin is a tough but very effective leader. He is never afraid to take a stand and fight for the interests of his people. True, his methods can be heavy handed at times—if not downright ruthless.
His support for Assad in his civil war against ISIS showed a real skillful understanding of what Jihadist Islam stands for the threat that it poses for the civilized world. In contrast, ...
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