Posts Tagged: Rabbi Jeremy Rosen
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....
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...
The One Easy Answer: Blame the Jews
Every year when we come around to reading about Joseph and his brothers, I am reminded of a part of the Yom Kippur Ashkenazi service....
Making Sense of the Midterm Elections
Everyone seems to agree that the midterm elections in the US have been particularly bitter and antagonistic. But as an outsider who is now an...
Abraham: A Man for All Seasons
Abraham is revered by the major monotheistic religions. In Judaism, what he went through is constantly being re-examined to provide us with an example we...
Billy Rose — and Why We Can’t Write Off ‘Secular’ and Non-Religious Jews
Who was Billy Rose? If you have visited the museum complex in Jerusalem, not far from the Knesset, you will be familiar with the Billy...
Are Bible Stories Really True?
At this time of the year, we re-read the early chapters of Genesis with their fantastic tales of creation and early humanity struggling to cope...
In Good Faith: Challenging Religion and Atheism
In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism by Scott A. Shay (Post Hill Press; 2018). We now live in a world where, more than ever before, our...
Yuval Harari and Religion
I always enjoy reading books that challenge my preconceptions. Whether it was Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens, Pinker, or all the other atheists who hated religion,...
For All Our Sins
The Torah introduces us to the idea that we confess our sins to God (Leviticus 5:5 and 16:21) -- not to humans, priests or otherwise. According to our...
Charity Begins at Home
This is the time of the year when many of us have spent a great deal of money on summer vacations. Therefore, it is appropriate to...
Wine and Racism
Last month, there was a huge fuss in Israel over wine. It was known as the Barkan Affair. Barkan Wines, one of many relatively recent...
Why I Fast in the Season of Fasts
We are now in the season of fasts. What actually happened on the fasts of the 17th day of Tammuz and the 9th of Av? Well,...
The Legacy of Judah Halevi
Judah Halevi is one of my all-time favorite Jews. Born in Toledo, Spain in 1075, he had a traditional Torah and Talmudic education. He was...
