Posts Tagged: Rabbi Nathan Cardozo
The Deeper Meaning of Shavuot — Balancing Authenticity and Norms
One of humanity’s strongest longings today is the need for authenticity. We want to be ourselves -- or to become ourselves. We admire childrens' spontaneity, because they...
A Forgotten Mission: The True Responsibility of Being Jewish
There is a high price to pay for living as a Jew. One must be holy in order to be accepted. One is commanded to...
New Book About Halacha Is Exciting and Invigorating
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo developed his philosophy on Halacha -- Jewish law -- over many years. His views on the subject include what he sees as problems in...
The Enduring Preciousness of the Secular Jew
We live in an age of unabashed irreverence. Debunking has become the norm, and at every turn, we experience a need to expose the clay...
Moses — The Successful Failure
Throughout history, some of the greatest people have often failed time and again, until they eventually made it to the top. Others thought that they had...
How to Solve the Jewish Conversion Crisis
Conversion is a serious matter. It signals a transformation and involves a tremendous amount of soul-searching. Human beings are more than just accumulations of plasma,...
The Retreat of Creative Thinking From Judaism
Most of our yeshivot have retreated from creative thinking. We encourage the narrowest specialization rather than push for daring ideas. We are producing a generation...
Teachers, Students and Judaism
It is out of the notion expressed in earlier essays that my philosophy on Judaism has gradually emerged. It is a slow process that has...
Why We Need a Year of Mourning for Our Parents
The Torah warns us against excessive mourning in a most unusual way: “You are the children of God your Lord. Do not mutilate yourselves and...
Jews Are Not Inherently Righteous; Only Our Actions Make Us So
No word in the Torah is as central to Judaism as the word kedusha (holiness). But no word in the Jewish tradition is as dangerous as this...
Purim and the Challenge of the Holocaust
In the midrash on Mishlei, we read the following: All of the festivals will be nullified in the future [the messianic age], but Purim will never be...
The Unknowable, Loving and Aggravating God
Jewish Tradition forbids the pronunciation of the four-letter name of God. This name, rooted in the Hebrew word for “being,” consists of the Hebrew letters...
Syria and the Scandal of Our Orthodox Synagogues
“Lord of the Universe, I beg You to redeem Israel; but if You do not want to do that, then I beg You to redeem...
The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Religious Law Under Control
Judaism is in trouble. More and more unacceptable things are being done and said in its name. Aside from causing infinite damage to Judaism’s great message, these...
