Avraham’s Sacrifice
By Rabbi Dovid Markel In each generation the question of the notability of Avraham’s sacrifice is asked and answered depending on the paradigm of the individual probing the question. Some answers say it...
Category: JEWISH PERSPECTIVES & VALUES
Israel’s Defense Is Not a Right
Whenever Israel talks of its security, it declares that it is has a right to defense, that is an axiomatic error. It is time to change the narrative.
Kapparot – A Lesson in Empathy
Every year there is a huge outcry about the practice of kapparot. This article attempts to reframe the issue.
On the Origins of the Chassidic Movement – A Critique
A critique on Yaffa Eilach’s work “The Russian Dissenting Sects and Their Influence on Israel Baal Shem Tov, Founder of Hassidism.” There she postulates that the Besht was directly influenced by Christian priests.
Respecting Tradition
Only when we respect the scholarship of the generations that came before us can we ensure the continuity of the Jewish People.
The Importance of Kaddish
The importance of the recitation of kaddish, contrary to those that deprecate the practice.
On Understanding the Zohar
Who understands the zohar better the kabbalists of the academic?
Hermann Cohen and Chassidic Thought
This essay investigates some aspects of Hermann Cohen’s thought process and its relationship to chassidic thought.
Wissenschaft des Judentums vs. True Torah Study
Ironically, it seems that the project–founded by Zunz and Gans–of the “Wissenschaft des Judentums” (Academic Judaic Studies) sought to accomplish, undermined its own end.
Socrates vs. Avraham
While Socrates is seen as the paragon of virtue and self-sacrifice, chassidic literature explains that he in no way compared to our forefather Avraham–and for that matter even the most simple of Jews.
