Halakha, theology, practice, and the inner life of Jewish observance.
Culture and values. People talk a lot about culture and values. Almost always from a collectivist viewpoint – almost never in regards to the personal culture, the subjective values, of the human individual. And to a certain extent, this is understandable. Culture is something most of us experience socially, as a group; most of us … Read more
Every day is Holocaust remembrance day. We live in an indelibly post-Auschwitz world. There is no going back. Auschwitz proved the depths to which man may sink if he rejects the image of God in his fellow man. Revealed the abyss that gapes under the vaulted ceilings of modern civilizational achievement. Demonstrated that the raucous … Read more
“I see the rot more clearly than I see the healthy tissue.” The healthy tissue is there The image of the Creator yearning to breathe free, to come through in realization in human society That logos of love is ever present Promote that image always in all ways and it will emerge
The Horizontal Society: Lessons for an Ashkenazi Audience R. José Faur’s The Horizontal Society offers a profound exploration of Jewish philosophy and law, emphasizing the unique structure of Judaism as an egalitarian and covenantal society. For an Ashkenazi audience, this perspective is both thought-provoking and instructive. By drawing from the Sepharadi tradition and contrasting it … Read more
The Horizontal Society by R. José Faur: An Analysis of Context, Thesis, Structure, Themes, and Implications R. José Faur’s The Horizontal Society is a profound and nuanced exploration of Jewish philosophy, law, and identity. Published in 2010 as part of the “Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah” series, this work draws on Faur’s Sephardic/Maimonidean intellectual heritage … Read more
The intersection of Rambam’s Guide for the Perplexed with modern science and postmodernism, especially through the lens of R. José Faur’s Homo Mysticus, opens up a range of surprising and impactful insights. Below, we outline how each of the Guide’s three sections might contribute to a mindset that critiques and engages with these paradigms: Part … Read more
Despite my doctrinal differences with most people, I can’t in good conscience condemn them all as heretics. I can keep the truth my ancestors and their teachers kept, and learn from the truth of the person before me. Every truth is different and yet in their common root I can taste their unity. And from … Read more
Read from the Torah in public today for the first time in well over fifteen years. Was nervous as hell but made it through ok. I’m going to have to do it a lot more frequently if I want to be a rabbi. #facts Here’s to taking baby steps out of the comfort zone!
A Jewish person is employed as a linecook in a restaurant and cooks an omelette on Shabbath for a customer. Can any leftovers from the omelette (let’s say they made a double portion accidentally) be eaten by other people after Shabbath? Is any food that cook makes afterwards categorically prohibited? Even when the cook is … Read more
Morning Musing: Rambam in his introduction to his comprehensive compendium of Jewish law declares that Jewish law is based on the rulings found in the classical sources up until the closing of the Talmud. After that, all opinions are equal and we go with the most reasonable opinion; all new enactments are local and we … Read more