Halakha, theology, practice, and the inner life of Jewish observance.
The Covenant of Fragments: Towards a Jewish Theology of Religions Introduction The religious history of humanity is marked by astonishing diversity. Across continents, cultures, and centuries, peoples have devised systems of law, worship, myth, and wisdom to grapple with the great questions: mortality, suffering, justice, transcendence. The world’s religions vary: some aspire to universal dominion, … Read more
Very happy to see how many people are sharing the Orthodox rabbinic letter on Gaza and the state of religious Zionism today. Not surprised by the knee-jerk backlash they’re all facing in the comments …. But the public sharing itself is important. People should be confident in the stance that religious Judaism does not recognize … Read more
Honestly, with the world 🌍 the way it is right now – with our country 🇮🇱 the way it is right now – bringing a child into it is a declaration of emuna: “Ribbono shelaOlam! Your world is broken and we did not break it! But we believe! – that it can be fixed, it … Read more
All my posts are public these days. Someone recently left a bizarre comment on one of my posts about halakha and sexual orientation, and proceeded to try and tag a third party into the comment thread, not for clarification of a law or a text but evidently for the purposes of fomenting argument, discord, and … Read more
After considering recent literature reviews of peer-reviewed studies, my understanding that the consensus of the best scientific findings available regarding sexual orientation is that it is a combination of attraction and behavior, and is biologically-based with psychological next-order correspondences, stimuli, and effects, has been reinforced. This does not mean much regarding a specific biblically-prohibited act … Read more
I’m honestly confused by the opposition to gay rabbis. To my limited knowledge as someone who is not gay, it would seem obvious that being gay – or even being in a gay marriage – does not necessarily mean that one does something that is clearly prohibited by our law (at the present time). Where … Read more
Imperfect vessels containing overwhelming light… Alone they shatter, together they hold. How sacred are Your people, joining together below with the heavenly host above. Together, they carry the light into the darkest corners of our world and our souls. Together. ——- In times like these, ahabath Yisrael stands as not just an ethos but an … Read more
I don’t want another king. I want the revival of the court. The rebuilding of the sanctuary. The return of prophecy. The resumption of our national mission. But I don’t want another king. I have a King.
“Morir habemos” – we all have to die“Ya lo sabemos” – I know it And with that the Sabbath departs and 9 Ab begins. With the departure of our additional consciousness and with a step across the edge of madness. A return to our worst memories from which we can only hope will be birthed … Read more
I spoke with someone yesterday and the conversation has stayed with me. He is a Rambamist, a learned student of a great scholar who passed on to his world, and someone who works tirelessly on behalf of the community, providing educational resources to audiences from underserved communities. Yet when I mentioned that an individual with … Read more