A Jewish Head – Franz Rosenzweig
Rabbi Dovid Markel Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) was a Jewish thinker and Philosopher. At one point in his life, he was about to convert to Christianity. He decided that before he would convert, he...
Category: JEWISH PERSPECTIVES & VALUES
A Cosmic Game of Tug of War
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The following is a based on a radical teaching of Reb Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin.[1] In this dissertation he explains, that in a certain sense, when Jewish people sin,...
An Overview of Pesach
By Leibel Estrin Nissan Pesach Pesach celebrates the birth of the Jewish nation with the Exodus from Egypt. The Torah calls Pesach z’man cheiruseinu, the “season of our freedom.” Chassidus explains that the...
The Essence of Idolatry
By Rabbi Dovid Markel The Parsha of Yisro holds the pinnacle of G-dly revelation to the Jewish People. The Israelites merit the giving of the Torah and the Ten Commandments. In the Ten...
The Essence of Shabbos
By Leibel Estrin “And G-d rested on the seventh day… and He blessed it and made it holy.” (Genesis 2:3) “Remember the Shabbos day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you...
Love Your Fellow
By Leibel Estrin Vayikra 19:18, the Torah commands us ‘You shall love your fellow like yourself.’ This is the mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel, “love of a fellow Jew.” According to Rabbi Akiva, it...
The Mitzvah of Tzedokah
By Leibel Estrin Often, Tzedokah is translated as “charity.” But its true meaning is “righteousness.” The less fortunate deserve help and the Torah commands us to provide it. The mitzvah to help those...
Honoring a non-Jewish parent
By Rabbi Dovid Markel Question: In today’s society intermarriage is unfortunately not uncommon. Oftentimes, a situation arises that an individual will have a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father. The Torah states[1]...
An Overview of Kashrus
By Leibel Estrin In Vayikra 11:9, the Torah presents the signs of kosher animals, birds, fish, and insects, and permits or prohibits various species of animals. The Torah also has many other laws...
The Mezuzah
By Leibel Estrin It is the custom of a king’s palace to have guards at every gate. The guards serve two functions: they publicize the importance of the location, and protect the contents...
