Jeremy Rosen
ARTICLES BY: Jeremy Rosen
Adapting Jewish Law Isn’t a Trick; It Helps Us Preserve Tradition
The Bible emerged in -- and out of -- a world that was predominantly agricultural; a world where seasons and produce determined how societies flourished...
The Yabloner Rebbe
Usually I generate my own material. This time, I am taking it from Pini Dunner, another British rabbi now living in the US. His hobby...
Anti-Israel Hate and the Blood Libel
On March 22, 1144, in Norwich, England, Jews were first accused of killing a Christian child because, it was claimed, they needed its blood for...
Purim, Masks, and How We Disguise Ourselves
In Biblical Hebrew there is no word for "face." The Bible uses the word panim, which literally means "faces." It is an example, like mayim ("water"), of a...
Meir Kahane and Netanyahu’s Shameful Decision
To me, the name Meir Kahane conjures up an aspect of the Jewish people that I deplore -- a racist, violent strain of narrow-minded primitive...
Abortion and Jewish Law
New York’s Reproductive Health Act was signed into law by Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo on January 22, to a standing ovation and acclaim by state legislators. This...
Jewish Political Theory
It is often said that neither the Bible nor Judaism has a theory of politics or, indeed, of political systems. This is untrue. For 2,000 years,...
Forget Saying ‘Sorry’ — Just Be Honest
You are walking down a crowded New York street minding your own business, careful to avoid bumping into anyone else. Then someone smashes into you....
When Jewish Law Is Taken Too Far
"Halacha" is often translated as "Jewish law." But that is inadequate and misleading. Nowadays, we usually use the word law to mean jurisprudence. Halacha, however,...
In 2019, Oaths Are Meaningless
Anyone who has attended a Kol Nidrei service will know that there are seven terms in Hebrew and Aramaic for vows and oaths. They must have...
How Fake News Harms Jews and Jewish Observance
We live in a world where, more than ever before, our ideas and values have come under scrutiny and assault. What makes our times more...
To Truly See, We Must Stop Demonizing Those Who Disagree With Us
“There is none so blind as he who will not see.” That, I think, applies nowadays to very many people. Seeing is not just looking....
Is There a Biblical — and Genetic — Reason Why Jews Support the Kurds?
The Kurds have been treated horribly. Like Jews, they are a religious and secular ethnic group that stands outside the official Christian and Muslim world....
The Lack of Shame in the Orthodox Jewish World
When I do or say something that I regret, I feel shame. I am aware that I have let myself down, and that I should...
