Judaism does not know when the day begins
Judaism does not know when a day begins It should be obvious that a new day begins when the previous day end. But it is not so in Judaism. Why? According [...]
4
05, 2016
1
05, 2016
The first paragraph of Pirkei Avot does not say what people think it says
The first paragraph of Pirkei Avot does not say what people think it says The first paragraph of Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of the Fathers, states: Moses received Torah from Sinai And [...]
24
04, 2016
Why Was the First Passover Different From All Other Passovers?
Why Was the First Passover Different [...]
20
04, 2016
Demons and Sympathetic Magic in the Passover Seder
Demons and Sympathetic Magic in the Passover Seder I spoke in the past about the ancient Jews believing in demons, the power of sympathetic magic (doing something on earth that causes heaven [...]
19
04, 2016
A Passover Joke
A Passover Joke A British Jew is waiting in line to be knighted by the Queen. He is to kneel in [...]
17
04, 2016
Reasonable interpretations of the Torah by Nachmanides
Reasonable interpretations of the Torah by Nachmanides Many of Nachmanides’ views are reasonable, more reasonable than those by Rashi, but many are not, for Nachmanides felt that the only truth was Kabbalah. The following are some of his reasonable [...]
15
04, 2016
Modern Jewish thinkers did exist
Torah and Western Thought Edited by Soloveichik, Halpern, & Zuckier Maggid Books, 2015, 329 pages In this age when pulpit rabbis speak almost solely about medrish (despite the correct form being midrash) and the moralistic comments by medieval Bible and Talmud commentators rather than the true meaning of the biblical words and statements, it [...]
14
04, 2016
What is Kitniyot and should we observe the practice?
What is Kitniyot and should we observe the practice? Jewish ancestors developed some laws that go beyond and are more restrictive than what the Torah demands. Among other reasons, they did so out of a [...]
10
04, 2016
The Unusual Thinker Nachmanides
Nachmanides’ View of Himself Most rabbis consider the twelfth century Spanish rabbi Nachmanides one of Judaism’s greatest thinkers. Many do so without knowing [...]
7
04, 2016
The phenomena of two sons
The phenomena of two sons One of the many ways to better understand and enjoy scriptures is to stop [...]
3
04, 2016
Who was Maimonides’ son?
Abraham, Son of Maimonides [...]
31
03, 2016
Esther is not as Simple as People Think
Esther is not as Simple as People Think The biblical book Esther, like Ruth, is one of the five Megilloth, scrolls that are read in synagogues [...]
29
03, 2016
The very strange story of the witch of En-dor
The very strange story of the witch of En-dor I Samuel 28 has a remarkable story that is clearly contrary to the current thinking of most Jews [...]
17
03, 2016
The story of my dad and mom
Today, March 17, is my dad’s birthday. He would have been 110 today. One of the best ways to remember dad is to tell his story, as well as mom’s. Rabbi Dr. Nathan and Celia Drazin My dad passed away in 1976 at age 70, but his story remains. [...]
16
03, 2016
The very strange philosophy of Mark Twain
What is Man? Mark Twain is widely known as a humorist, but there is one very serious book that he wrote, “What is Man?” He held off publishing the book for many years and constantly made changes in it because he felt, correctly, that people would reject his ideas, and he later [...]
13
03, 2016
Did Ruth Convert?
Did Ruth Convert? Many rabbis insisted that Ruth, and perhaps even Orpah converted to Judaism, although the rabbis did not agree when this occurred. There are good reasons to think that the concept of conversion did not exist during the time of Ruth and was only introduced into Judaism around 125 BCE. [...]
9
03, 2016
Rabbis changed the Law of Self-Incrimination
Rabbis changed the Law of Self-Incrimination Virtually all biblical laws were changed. Even Moses altered some commands contained in the first four books of the Torah just before the Israelites entered Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. He did so because his nation was leaving a desert existence where the nation [...]
6
03, 2016
Did the Sun Stand Still for Joshua at Gibeon?
Did the Sun Stand Still for Joshua at Gibeon? Joshua 10 narrates an astounding story. Joshua, Moses’ successor. and the Israelite forces fought against five southern Canaanite kingdoms and defeated them. Then Joshua sang a song praising God for causing the sun to stand still over the city of Gibeon and extending [...]
3
03, 2016
More on the Post-Moses Era Possibly Not Knowing about Moses’ Torah
More on the Post-Moses Era Possibly Not Knowing about Moses' Torah As I previously stated,[1] scholars insist that there is no indication in the biblical books that the Israelites knew about Moses’s Torah or observed the laws contained in it until the time of King Josiah (641–609 BCE). An example is the Mishkan [...]
1
03, 2016
A horrible act alleged to be Jewish
A horrible act alleged to be Jewish Outrageously, a supposedly pious Orthodox Jewish man mistreated the wife of my deceased partner, my co-author on many Targum Onkelos books, Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner. On December 4, 2015, his wife Renee Rabinowitz boarded an El Al plane in Newark, New Jersey, for a flight [...]
28
02, 2016
A superb interpretation of biblical Esther
God and Politics in Esther By Yoram Hazony Cambridge University Press, 2016, 262 pages + Hebrew of Esther Hazony offers readers a revised and expanded version of his 1995 book “The Dawn,” which was subtitled “Political Teachings of the Book of Esther,” and gives us one of the best commentaries written on the biblical [...]
25
02, 2016
A true story and a joke
A true story and a joke About sixty years ago, I went to Yeshiva University in New York where I studied for a year and a half before I transferred to Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore. I had a somewhat outspoken Rebbe at YU. One day a student entered our [...]
21
02, 2016
Did the Generations of Post-Moses Israelites Know about the Torah?
Did the Generations of Post-Moses Israelites Know about the Torah? Scholars reject the traditional teaching and suggest that the ancient Israelites knew nothing about the Torah until the time of King Josiah (649–609 BCE).[1] Among much else, it is significant that none of the biblical books before this time mention Moses’s [...]
17
02, 2016
Was Samuel fit for his job?
Was Samuel fit for his job? People tend to accept what they consider the traditional interpretation of the Bible and they ignore the plain sense of the biblical words. They read the Bible in an unmindful manner, not seeking the meaning, even as they piously read prayers. They ignore the fact that [...]
14
02, 2016
Biblical prophecy does not predict what will be
Biblical prophecy does not predict what will be Most people read the Bible literally without much thought. When the Bible has a prophet say that something will occur, they understand this as a vision from God of what will occur. However, the rabbis, or at least some of them, examined the Bible [...]
7
02, 2016
Is the Notion of a Shekhinah Rational?
Is the Notion of a Shekhinah Rational? Many concepts have crept into mainstream Judaism through the persistent teachings of mysticism. While average Jews do not always understand the concept they are accepting, mystics repeat new notions in a manner that causes non-mystical Jews to believe that the concepts must have been ancient tradition. [...]
5
02, 2016
Maimonides and modern scientists on the miraculous parting of waters
Maimonides and modern scientists on the miraculous parting of waters Maimonides was convinced that God does not perform miracle. In his Guide of the Perplexed 2:48, he wrote that whenever the Bible reports that God caused a phenomenon to happen, it should be understood that the event was a natural occurrence. He explains [...]
31
01, 2016
“Tell Me the Truth, Moses, What Really Happened at the Red Sea?”
“Tell Me the Truth, Moses, What Really Happened at the Red Sea?” After years of devastating slavery, God aided Moses in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Several days after the Exodus, the erstwhile slaves reached the banks of the Red Sea, also called the Sea of Reeds. They felt trapped and [...]
27
01, 2016
More about the Oral Torah not being divine
The Sages Character, Context & Creativity Volume 4: From the Mishna to the Talmud Translated by Ilana Kurshan By Rabbi Binyamin Lau Maggid Books, 2015, 319 pages One of the best series of books that I enjoy reading is the very well-written, comprehensive, informative, and engrossing four volumes by Binyamin Lau, a highly [...]
24
01, 2016
The Oral Torah was not revealed at Sinai
The Oral Torah was not revealed at Sinai One of the fundamental principles of Orthodox Judaism is the belief that there is both a Written and an Oral Torah, both of which were revealed by God to Moses. Quite a few Orthodox rabbis declare that if a Jew does not accept this teaching, [...]
