Is God Involved in Human Activities?
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07, 2017
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07, 2017
A new website calls me the author’s teacher
You may be interested in this new website where Jeffrey Radon, who runs the site, calls me his teacher. I do not post articles on this site, only here and the blog at Times of Israel where I place the same articles that I place here. This is what Jeffrey Radon wrote to me. The [...]
18
07, 2017
Must a Jew Obey a Rabbinical Decision He knows is Wrong?
There are various views about mistaken rabbinical decisions. Maimonides answers "no." Here is what I wrote in my book “Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind.” Rabbi Solomon Yitzchaqi (1040–1105), better known as Rashi, the acronym of his name, makes a rather remarkable and, in the mind of many, counterintuitive statement in his commentary to Deuteronomy 17:11. [...]
13
07, 2017
The Truth About Conversions: It is not Biblical
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate insists that conversions must be done their way, implying that the Torah tells us how it must be done. They blackballed dozens of rabbis by name who they charge did not convert people using their method. There are good reasons to think that the concept of conversion did not exist [...]
12
07, 2017
Fasts Observed for Events That Did Not Occur on the Day of the Fast
Fasts Observed for Events That Did Not Occur on the Day of the Fast The Jewish calendar contains a mourning period during the summer months. It begins and ends with fast days, whose precise dates [...]
9
07, 2017
Questions about the Torah that bothered scholars for centuries
In “Inconsistency in the Torah,” Rabbi Dr. Joshua A. Berman, addresses questions that have bothered scholars and clergy for centuries—the many seeming contradictions that are found in the Torah, in both its narrative and legal portions. He offers a solution that they ignored, a solution that makes sense. He suggests that many of the [...]
4
07, 2017
M – A superb film, wonderfully directed and acted
Fritz Lang (1890-1976) one of the greatest German film directors, who directed German and American films, considered M his greatest film. His mother was born Jewish but converted to Catholicism. Because of his family's Jewish origin, he escaped Germany in 1934 and came to the US. M was filmed while he was still in Germany [...]
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07, 2017
The Bible does not discuss ethics
The Bible does not discuss ethics Ethics is a subject that people speak about often and most people think that the Torah must discuss [...]
30
06, 2017
A victory for women
Finally, after many years of demeaning mistreatment by ultra-orthodox haredi men who ignore some of their teachers who tell them it is ok to sit next to a woman, people who were also created by God, people who deserve the same respect given to men, the Israeli court has ruled that El Al acted [...]
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06, 2017
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06, 2017
Are women equal to men in respect to prayer?
I just read "Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law" by Rabbis E. Tucker and M. Rosenberg. It is an excellent thoughtful book. Whether a reader agrees with the two rabbis who authored the book or not, he or she will find a wealth of information in the book that will prompt thought. Whether the [...]
21
06, 2017
The mysterious origin of the monthly “sanctification of the moon”
The Mysterious Origin of the Monthly “Sanctification of the Moon” When a person examines the history of a religious practice, or any practice for that matter, he or she must be careful not to insist [...]
18
06, 2017
A great Israeli writer
Elsewhere, Perhaps By Amos Oz Amos Oz, born in 1939, is properly regarded by many readers and critics as Israel’s most famous living author. He won numerous international literary prizes, such as the “Peace Prize of the German Book Trade” and “The Israel Prize.” His works have been published in over forty languages in [...]
14
06, 2017
It is now revealed that the Torah teaches preventive medicine
New revelations about the Torah and preventive medicine Dr. Michael Lebowitz’s “God’s Preventive Medicine” is a fascinating, eye-opening, and thought-provoking book that reveals never-before-known information about several biblical [...]
12
06, 2017
Words worth thinking about
Some Words of Wisdom One of our readers sent me three wise thoughts that are worth pondering. I will add a fourth. Tikkun Olam - The repair of the world: If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that [...]
11
06, 2017
Translations of the Hebrew Bible are not correct
The basic idea of “The Grammar of God” by Aviya Kushner, an interesting and informative book, is that readers of the Hebrew Bible who do not know Hebrew and read only the English translation will generally not know what the Bible is saying. What the Bible states is misrepresented or obscured in the translation, [...]
9
06, 2017
A joke about translating foreign words into English
As seen below translation is a problem throughout the world. Wonderful English from Around the World … In a Bangkok Temple: IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN. Cocktail Lounge, Norway: LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR. Doctor's Office, Rome: SPECIALIST IN WOMEN [...]
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06, 2017
A Great Orthodox Rabbi Offered a Huge Unorthodox Idea
Rashbam (1085) was the grandson of the famed Bible and Talmud commentators Rashi (1040-1105) and brother to the famed Rabbeinu Tam (1100-1171). Rashbam’s commentary to the Torah is very rational, so much so that the far right modern volume ArtScroll deletes some of his comments. The following is a chapter from my latest book, “Mysteries [...]
4
06, 2017
American support of Israel in photos since 1840
I learnt much from this book. American Interest in the Holy Land Revealed in Early Photographs from 1840 to 1940 By Lenny Ben-David Even people like me who are familiar with the history of the State of Israel and the relationships between Israel and the United States will enjoy reading this book, [...]
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05, 2017
There Are Not 613 Biblical Commands
When sacrifices were discontinued, the rabbis developed a new idea about Shavuot. They said the holiday commemorates the giving of the Torah. Soon, many Jews began to believe that the Torah contains 613 commandments. What is the origin of this view and is it correct? The following is chapter 23 from my book "Mysteries of [...]
29
05, 2017
A Joke
One of our readers sent this joke: The medical community is unable to reach consensus on what to do with America's health insurance situation. - The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. - The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, [...]
28
05, 2017
What Did Ruth and Boaz Do on the Threshing Floor?
The following is a chapter from my rather popular book "Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, and Judith." What Did Ruth and Boaz Do on the Threshing Floor? The two widows, Naomi of [...]
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05, 2017
The current Shavuot is not a biblical holiday
The following essay is from my book "Mysteries of Judaism" in which I pointed out that all the biblical holidays were changed. In "Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism," I describe Maimonides' view that the Torah wanted the Israelites to change what is in the Torah. For example, he writes [...]
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05, 2017
The prophet Malachi does not say what many people think he says
What does Malachi actually say? Most people, clerics of all religions and even scholars read the three chapters (in the Christian Bible [...]
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05, 2017
The Rape of Tamar
I am writing a couple of books about King David. Here is a draft of one chapter. [...]
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05, 2017
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05, 2017
A really good book
David Grossman is one of the great Israeli writers. People we should know about him. David Grossman, born in 1954, who lives in Jerusalem, Israel, is the author of ten acclaimed novels and four non-fiction books. His works have been translated into forty languages, he is the winner of numerous prizes, his writings appeared [...]
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05, 2017
Some jokes
One of our readers sent me these jokes: Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age. As your beauty fades, so will his eyesight. Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance? Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops [...]
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05, 2017
Some information about Maimonides’ Code of Jewish Laws
Many Jews turned to the Talmud to discover what the rabbis felt God desired them to do. The problem was that the Talmud was not composed to teach this. The Talmud is a compendium of the views of a host of rabbis on various subjects, but it does not state which view is the [...]
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05, 2017
God does not want people to obey all biblical laws
Dr. Israel Drazin’s Newest Book [...]
