Jeremy Rosen
ARTICLES BY: Jeremy Rosen
Shabbat Terumah: The Lost Ark and Why Objects Don’t Connect Us to God
The Tabernacle was the House of God, symbolizing the Divine Presence. It was the center of religious ceremonies. The Mishkan, as it was called, was the...
God Can’t Answer the Question of ‘Why’
Innocent worshipers were shot outside a synagogue in Israel. Children were mowed down intentionally at a bus stop in Jerusalem. Eleven people were shot in...
Is Israel Becoming a ‘Theocracy’? Hardly.
In the political polemic of our times, language is often a victim, as people use words loosely, inaccurately, and without thinking of their significance or...
How the Exodus Narrative Is a Cry for Femininity
Rashi, commenting on this week’s amazing events at the Red Sea, quotes the Midrash (Mechilta 15:22), saying that at the Red Sea, God was seen...
We Have a Mezuzah to Tell the World We Are Jews
This week, we read about the preparation of the Israelites to leave Egypt. They were told to prepare a lamb for each household to eat...
If God Is in Control, Do We Really Have Free Choice?
In this week's Torah portion, Moses and Aaron are locked in a power struggle with Pharaoh, who seemingly holds all the cards. It is a...
What the Torah Teaches About Heredity, Meritocracy, and Guilt
As we come to the end of the Book of Bereishit (Genesis), we can look back and see a thread in the narrative of human...
Shabbat Vayigash: How to Conduct a Successful Negotiation
Is there a set formula for negotiations? We see two examples in this week's reading from the Torah. It begins with Judah approaching Joseph to...
Hanukkah and the History of Antisemitism
As children at Hanukkah time, we would sing “Maoz Tzur Yeshuati" as we lit the candles. This translates as, “The strength of my Rock [referring...
Shabbat Toldot: Is Deception Ever Justified?
The Torah is very clear about deception: “Do not deceive or lie to each other” (Leviticus 19.11). But can deception ever be justified? Are there...
The Meaning of Jewish Burials
This week’s reading of the Torah starts with a burial and ends with a burial, after the deaths of Sarah and then Abraham. It sounds...
Shabbat Vayeyra: Who Was Hagar?
The character of Hagar -- Sarah’s maidservant, Abraham’s concubine, and Ishmael’s mother -- has always fascinated me. At first glance, she seems to be the...
The Torah and Moral Ambiguity
Women play an important part in the narrative of Genesis. And I have always been struck by the ambiguous way that the Torah deals with...
The Tower of Babel and the Importance of Different Views
The Biblical narrative about the Tower of Babel was based on or inspired by the Mesopotamian Ziggurats, -- huge, step-like pyramids, built initially some 4,000...
