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Rabbi Ben Tsion Uziel’s Compassionate but Pragmatic Approach to Halacha

There is a tendency among most Jews to think that Halacha by definition must always lean toward conservatism. However, the historical facts do not support this hypothesis.

Modern Halacha examines an interesting question: Should we go out of our way to attract potential conversions? There are serious circumstances where we should openly encourage conversion whenever possible- specifically when we have an intermarried couple. There is every valid Halachic reason to go out of our way to welcome the non-Jewish spouse and ...

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Categories: American Jewish Issues, Askarabbi, Bible, biblical history, biblical theology, Contrarian wisdom, Conversion, Current Events, ethics, Halacha, Heart-Centered Judaism, Israel, Jewish customs, Jewish History, Maimonidean Wisdom, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash

Using Compassion in Determining Halacha: An Early 20th Century Example

Rabbi David Tzvi Hoffman was a most unusual rabbi for his time. His attitudes toward a perspective convert was pretty liberal–especially when compared to the positions taken by numerous Modern Orthodox and Haredi rabbis living today. It is unfortunate the past generations of rabbinic scholarship expressed far more imagination and creativity than the newer generations of rabbinic leaders we have today.

R. Hoffman was born in Verbo, Hungary in 1843, and he died in Berlin in 1921. His great erudition encompassed all ...

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Categories: American Jewish Issues, Bible, biblical history, biblical theology, Contrarian wisdom, Conversion, Current Events, Halacha, Heart-Centered Judaism, Israel, Jewish History, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash, The Future of Judaism

Why is homosexuality described as an “abomination”?

I think within the Halachic world there has been a remarkable redefinition of many of the more traditional attitudes concerning the congenital homosexual. Traditionally, most biblical translations render tôʿēbâ as “abomination.”

According to Etymology Online, the noun “abomination” is a 14th term term that means: “feeling of disgust, hatred, loathing,” from O.Fr. abomination,which in turn derives from the Latin word abominationem (nom. abominatio) “abomination,” from abominatus, pp. of abominari “shun as an ill omen,” from ab- “off, away from” + ...

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Categories: Bible, biblical history, Contrarian wisdom, Current Events, ethics, Halacha, Jewish History, Jewish sexual ethics, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash, The Future of Judaism

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A Midrashic Deconstruction of the Miracle at the Sea

There is a well-known Midrash that tells of God’s reluctance to perform the miracle until He saw Israel make a move itself to deal with the prodigious problem.

All the tribes of Israel were afraid to jump into the water. Each tribe competed with the other in vacillation and retreat from the joint destiny of the nation. Finally Nahshon ben Aminadav, a prince of the tribe of Judah, fearlessly, he jumped in, and then the members of his tribe ...

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Categories: Bible, biblical theology, Midrashic Deconstructions, Stories for the Searching Heart, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash

Respecting the Limits of Human Knowlege

Most Jews tend to identify Maimonides, Saadia Gaon, Judah HaLevi, Martin Buber as among the great Jewish philosophers of all time, but there are a number of ancient Jewish thinkers whose ideas are rich with originality; in fact, their insights are no less valuable today than they were over two thousand years when they first introduced their wisdom to the world.

Among those scholars we are quoting, we will cite the Wisdom of Ben Sira, who is better known by his ...

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Categories: Bible, biblical theology, Contrarian wisdom, Read Rabbi Michael Samuel in over 20 foreign languages!!, Talmud, Zohar, and Midrash

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