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David Cardozo Academy

Machon Ohr Aaron and Betsy Spijer

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  • מאמרים בעברית

Thoughts to Ponder by Category

Biblical Criticism

Goethe, Herman Wouk and Walter Kaufmann and the Art of Reading the Torah Correctly

An Answer to an Unasked Question is Irrelevant

Biographies

Thoughts at a Wedding of a Grandchild

Thoughts on Forgiveness – The Man Who Made Me Jewish

My Mother Bertha Lopes Cardozo z.l.

My Mother a’h’, Heroism and the Gavra Raba

Sheloshim Reflections

Abraham Lopes Cardozo z.l. – “Ne’im Zemiroth”

An Angel called Chaya Schijveschuurder

Rabbi Bezalel Rakov z.l. of Gateshead

Ilan Ramon. z.l.

Contemporary Issues

Do Not Wait Until COVID-19 is Over

The Latest Controversy Around Spinoza

What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall

The War between Israel and Hamas

Conversion is not about Halachah but about Jewishness

Halachic Jews and Soul Jews

The Chareidi Christian Tragedy and the Idol Worship of Talmud Torah

A Plea to the Secular and Chareidi Communities

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis Part 7 – not what we want, but what we should want.

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 4

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 3

The Unforgettable “Sinterklaas”: A tongue-in-cheek look at a remarkable tradition

The Upcoming Post-Corona Crisis – Part 2

The Upcoming Post-Corona Crisis – Part 1

In Memory of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z.l. – A man of faith & defiance

Pesach and the Coronavirus: Where is God

The Message of The Corona Virus

To Madonna

Radical Otherness and the Israeli Elections

The Sanctity of Shabbat: Yes to the Ayalon Bridge, No to the Eurovision Song Contest

Achieving Unity While Remaining Divided

The Jerusalem Parade: Homosexuality

Scandalous Halachic Decisions: Ethiopians and Wine

An Open Letter to Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the Charedi Leadership

A Call to all Jews – Circumcision: Why Risk Your Child’s Well-Being?

Solving the Conversion Crisis – The Birth of Non-Jewish Jewish Communities: Another Approach

The Turmoil in the USA

In Defense of Rabbi Dweck and Orthodox Judaism

A Modern Day Inquisition – Rabbi Joseph Dweck: The Tragic Story of Rabbinical Small-mindedness

Calling for Religious Unity Only Leads to Division – The Need for Personal Conscience

Syria and the Scandal of Our Orthodox Synagogues

God and the Fires – Part Two

God and The Fires -“Because of Our Sins, This Has Befallen Us?” Part One

The Curse of Religious Boredom

Torah: The Unavoidable and Disturbing Text

The Deliberately Flawed Divine Torah

Let Us Violate Shabbat So As To Sanctify It – The Holy Day and the Tel Aviv Railway

Wanted: Rabbis with Knives between Their Teeth – The Need for a Genuine Upheaval

A Slap in the Face to the Holy One Blessed Be He?-Some Afterthoughts on Tish’ah be-Av

The Kotel – Have We Gone Mad?

Orthodox Rabbi Teaching Halakha Beyond the Shulkhan Arukh, Judaism Beyond the Commandments

Parshat Bechukotai – The Miracle of Satisfaction

Yom Hashoa: The Quest for Authenticity – Rembrandt and the Holocaust

The True Art of Sport: Game or Torture?

The Making of an Enemy – The Birth of Amalek

Purim, God’s Hidden Face, and the Advantage of a Permanent Job

Have Some Pity on the Anti-Semite!

Shut Down the Kotel!

Mission Statement of the David Cardozo Academy – A Remorseless Judaism

Am I Still Orthodox? – Answer to a Jerusalem Rabbi

The Desecration of Halacha

The Threat of Freedom

Spinoza – It Is Time to Lift The Ban

Needed: Redemptive Halakhah – How Halakhah Must Transcend Itself

Oh, that I Could Take Off My Kippah!

Tragedy and the Silence of God

Courage, Rabbis, Courage! The Need For Mass Conversion

Conversion and Annie Fischer’s Interpretation of Schumann’s Klavierkonzert in A Minor

God, Where are You? Murder in Har Nof, Yerushalayim

On The Israeli-Arab Conflict: A Biblical Perspective

The Assault on Circumcision

The bigotry of the anti-circumcision zealots – by Frank Furedi

Gilad Shalit: Justice and Injustice

Rabbi Mordechai Elon and the Challenge of Teshuva

God and the Earthquake

Gilad Shalit

The Courage of Judge Goldstone

Sderot and Human Indifference

The Gay Parade and other Prohibitions

A Call to Fast & Pray: Gush Katif & Tsunami

The Jewish attitude toward killing

DCA

Judaism: Thinking Big

Education

Conversion, the Most Difficult Mitzva, and the Need for Heresy

When Times Change, Jewish Education Changes

The Hardship and Privilege of Honest Teaching: The Baal Teshuva Movement Impasse

Why I am Controversial: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo – Question 1

Judaism: Thinking Big

Introduction to Torah – The Unavoidable and Disturbing Text

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu: On Being Controversial and the Art of Teaching

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu – Lectures and the Academy

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu

Handicapped Students and Secular Indoctrination

Kohanim: The Challenge of Educational Dissent

Calling for Religious Unity Only Leads to Division – The Need for Personal Conscience

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control (2)

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control – Part 1

The Curse of Religious Boredom

Torah: The Unavoidable and Disturbing Text

Yes to Faith, No to Dogma – For Poets, Musicians, Artists and Deep Souls

Wanted: Rabbis with Knives between Their Teeth – The Need for a Genuine Upheaval

Tisha B’Av – Rabbinic Despair and Simple Courage

The Chaos Theory of Halacha – Part 3 of 3

Faith is the Joy of Religious Doubt and Uncertainty – Part 2

Faith is the Joy of Religious Doubt and Uncertainty – Part 1

Israel, the American Elections and the Turmoil in Our World

Yom Hashoa: The Quest for Authenticity – Rembrandt and the Holocaust

Parshat Shemini – Are You Really Eating Kosher?

The Making of an Enemy – The Birth of Amalek

Purim, God’s Hidden Face, and the Advantage of a Permanent Job

Rabbinical Courage and the Frozen Text

Mission Statement of the David Cardozo Academy – A Remorseless Judaism

Milk and Meat: The Dangerous Mixture – Parshat Mishpatim

Am I Still Orthodox? – Answer to a Jerusalem Rabbi

The Desecration of Halacha

Admitting A Mistake: Even God Does.

Yeshivot and the Toy Industry The Art of Imagination

Biblical Studies: Relevance, Eternity and Unawareness

Why I Love to Teach at Limmud

Siyum Ha-Shas

The Number of Generations Before Him

Educating Cohanim

The State of Jewish Education Today

Thoughts on Dolls & Other Toys

Weariness and Gentile Advice

Tolerance and Personal Conscience

Tolerance and Dialogue

Dershowitz, Klotz Kashes & Chozrim B’she’ela

Changes in Jewish Education

Educating Towards Enjoyment

Halacha

It is time to stop eating “Kosher”

Adar Sheni and God Awareness

Shemita: Do Not Become a Chimpanzee

Chanukah: To Pretend to Be Religious?

The Wisdom of the Bus Driver: Love Your Fellow As Yourself!

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 5

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 3

Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven: How to be a Genuine Halachic Expert

Some Bold Ideas How to Observe Shabbat, take the Tram and go to a Restaurant!

Parashat Re’eh: The Purpose of Judaism is to Disturb

The Divine Insanity of Halachic Chess

The Sanctity of Shabbat: Yes to the Ayalon Bridge, No to the Eurovision Song Contest

Torah beyond Halakhah – Interview with Rabbi Cardozo – Part Two

Torah Beyond Halakhah – An Interview with Rabbi Cardozo

The Curse of Religious Boredom

Introduction to Torah – The Unavoidable and Disturbing Text

The Search for God: The Struggle to Achieve the Greatness of Halachic Living

Scandalous Halachic Decisions: Ethiopians and Wine

Wonder and the Question of Revelation

Halacha means Liberty

The In-Authenticity of Codifying Jewish Law

Be Fearful of Religion – Parashat Vayetze

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu: Embryonic Judaism

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu – The Scandal of Halachic Performance

Betraying Judaism in the Name of Halacha

Halacha: To Trouble the Comfortable

Halachic Fundamentalism and Intellectual Dishonesty

The Problem and Future of True Halacha

In Defense of Rabbi Dweck and Orthodox Judaism

Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik and his Paradoxical Influence

The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l

The Chief Rabbinate and Its Disgrace: Who Is an Exceptionally Great Sage?

Rabbinical Tyranny and Freedom of Thought

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control (2)

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control – Part 1

Succot, Approaching Tragedy with Joy

The Chaos Theory of Halacha – Part 3 of 3

The Chaos Theory of Halacha (Part 2 of 3)

The Chaos Theory of Halacha (Part 1 of 3)

Parshat Bechukotai – The Miracle of Satisfaction

Blessed Are Those Who Eat Chametz!

Parshat Shemini – Are You Really Eating Kosher?

Milk and Meat: The Dangerous Mixture – Parshat Mishpatim

Halacha as the Art of Playing Chess – Divine Insanity

The Desecration of Halacha

Needed: Redemptive Halakhah – How Halakhah Must Transcend Itself

Chanukah: Hypocrisy or Authenticity

Oh, that I Could Take Off My Kippah!

Courage, Rabbis, Courage! The Need For Mass Conversion

Conversion and Annie Fischer’s Interpretation of Schumann’s Klavierkonzert in A Minor

Bold Ideas: Take the Bike or Tram, Get a Free Coffee, and Observe Shabbat!

Halacha: The Disturbing Search for God

The Dangling Bridges of Halacha

Yeshivot and the Toy Industry The Art of Imagination

Jumping Into Deep Waters -The Cornerstone of Judaism

To Be Secular Would Be Hell, Everything Would Be Forbidden

One Should Listen to Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, Before Ruling on a Halachic Problem

Halacha, Paradoxes and Constraints

My Brother and the Kosher Wine Bottle – Defensive Halacha and Prophetic Halacha

The Divine Word Is Deadly, Only A Melody Can Rescue it.

Halacha and Absurdity – Part 2

In Search of a New Posek HaDor

The Ideal and Idyllic: A View of Halacha as a Musical Sonata

Halacha and Absurdity – Part 3

The Absurdity of Halacha – Part 1

Real or Artificial: The Dilemma of Halacha

Religious Hypocrisy

I Am Taking Off My Kippah

The Halachic Toleration of Heresy

The Great Compliment

On Hypocrisy and Being Kosher

The Handwriting is on the Wall – Part 3

The Gay Parade and other Prohibitions

Aggada and Halachah

The Protest of a Bracha

Halacha and “trivialities”

Idol Worship

Technology and the Existential Meaning of a Sefer Torah

Halachic Limits to Halacha

Mitzvoth, Minhagim and Their Dangers

Johann Sebastian Bach & Halacha

Religious Stringencies, Good or Bad?

Book Review: One People, Two Worlds

Israel/Zionism

Entering Israel’s Army is like Immersing in a Mikve

The Spiritual Uniqueness of the Israeli Army

Yom HaAtzma’ut is Thousands of Years Old!

Yom Ha’atzmaut – The Eternal Marriage

Radical Otherness and the Israeli Elections

The Sanctity of Shabbat: Yes to the Ayalon Bridge, No to the Eurovision Song Contest

Yom HaShoah – Jewish Life or Merely Israeli Life?

An Open Letter to Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the Charedi Leadership

O Jerusalem!

The Unchallenged Holiness of the Jew: A Dangerous Claim

A Slap in the Face to the Holy One Blessed Be He?-Some Afterthoughts on Tish’ah be-Av

A Prophetic View: The Gentile Aliyah Epidemic

Israel: The Blessing of Insecurity

The Survival of Israel and the Art of Recognizing Miracles

On The Israeli-Arab Conflict: A Biblical Perspective

Rockets and Survival, Israel and Miracles

Gilad Shalit: Justice and Injustice

Jerusalem, The Echo of Eternity

The Mystery of Israel – A Reminder

Boycott? The Trauma of the Anti-Semite

Yom Yerushalayim

Gilad Shalit

The Courage of Judge Goldstone

To President Barack Obama

The Splitting of the Red Sea and the State of Israel

Prayer on Behalf of the Jewish Soldier in Gaza (Long Version)

Prayer on Behalf of the Jewish Soldier In Gaza (Short Version)

Prayer of the Jewish Soldier Before Going into Battle

The Prisoner Exchange-Part 2

The Prisoner Exchange – Part 1

The State of Confusion

Sderot and Human Indifference

The Handwriting is on the Wall – Part 2

The Handwriting is on the Wall – Part 1

Wanted: Rabbis with Knives between their Teeth

An open letter to President Shimon Peres

Rabbi Yacov Emden, Bilaam & Yeshu

Israel and the Nations

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and A.B.Yehoshua

The Future of Israel and the Zionist Enterprise

The Tragedy of Amona

Israel’s Predicament and the Need to be a Stranger

Jewish Nobel-ness

God, Gush Katif and New Orleans

The Future of the State of Israel

The Day after the Disengagement

To Marry, to Buy and the Future of Israel

The Solution

Israel is Gush Katif

Israel’s Uniqueness and its Future

A Call to my Brothers in the Diaspora

Hating War against the Enemy

The Jewish Tradition and the Intifada (1)

The Jewish Tradition and the Intifada (Part 2)

The Pain of Lacking Pain

The Faith of the Pained

What will you say to your children?

The Jewish attitude toward killing

A personal letter from Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Prayer of the Jewish Soldier

On the Israeli-Arab Conflict

The Future of the Miraculous State of Israel

It is Time to go to Synagogue

Why they Hate us at The Hague

Purim & the War with Iraq

World, Sadam

The failure of the Religious Parties

The Birth of Amalek

The Danger of Holiness & Future of Israel

Palestinian’s Claim to Israel

The Holocaust: Divine Retribution?

The Chosen People?

Jewish by Choice

Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur: A Eulogy for a Christian Who Helped my Religiosity

Struggles – Illumination of My Personal Challenges

Conversion is not about Halachah but about Jewishness

Conversion: An Open Letter to Israel’s Chief Rabbis

Solving the Conversion Crisis – The Birth of Non-Jewish Jewish Communities: Another Approach

Jewish Law as Rebellion: Soul Jews & Halachic Jews

Who Is Really a Jew?

Yitro and Franz Rosenzweig – Jews by Choice

Thoughts on Forgiveness – The Man Who Made Me Jewish

What is Conversion?(1)

Solving the Conversion Crisis and Global Judaism – Part 2

Solving the Conversion Crisis (Part 1)

Is conversion really possible?

Afterthoughts on Ruth and Conversion

“Not yet” Jews by choice

Jewish Holidays

Chanukah: The Art of Balancing

The Art of Making Winter into a Sukkah

Sukkot, the Desert and the Eternity of the Torah

Shavuot: Sinai, the Mystery and Myself

Pesach: It All Started With Karpas

Purim, or How to Win a Chess Game

The Eternity of Purim

Adar Sheni and God Awareness

Chanukah: To Pretend to Be Religious?

Yom Kippur: Repenting Religious Exhaustion

Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and the Curse of Indifference

Humor, Rosh HaShana, and the Impossible Shofar

Parashat Vayikra – The Challenge Of Tisha B’av And The Temple Sacrifices

Pesach and the Exodus from COVID-19

The Challenge of Purim and the Coming of the Mashiach

Chanukah: History is written by Choice, not by Truth

The Absurdity of Yom Kippur – The Confrontation with Our Undeserved Lives

Rosh Hashana: Daring to Blow New Life into Judaism

Torah: The Confrontation with Ourselves

Yom Yerushalayim: The City and People of Eternity

The Dangerous “Day After” Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, Family, and Time-Traveling

Music, Children and Israeli Politics

Why the Shofar? An Introduction to Rosh Hashana

Rabbinic Despair and Simple Courage

Is the Torah Divine? Thoughts for Shavuot on Combustibility

Yom Ha’atzmaut – The Eternal Marriage

Bread is an Arrogant Matza

Book Review: The Passover Haggadah of Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Berkovits

Purim – Serious Reflections on the Proper Use of Alcohol

Simchat Torah: The Unapproachable Text

Simchat Torah – Technology and the Outdated Torah Scroll

Yom Kippur: Do We Deserve Life? The Art of Spiritual Administration

Rosh HaShanah: What Really Counts

Tisha b’Av – Who needs the Temple?

Pesach: The Mystery of Karpas

Plato’s Haggada in the “Dialogues”

Megillat Esther and the Nervous-Syndrome Chess Game

Simchat Torah: The Unbending Sefer Torah

Rosh HaShana: The Curse of Indifference

Sefirat HaOmer: What really counts

Pesach: God’s Sporadic Presence and Overwhelming Absence in Human History

Purim and the Challenge of the Holocaust

Thoughts to Reject – For the Early Connoisseur

Simchat Torah, The Rush and the Stagnation – the Need for Independent Torah Interpretation

Succot, Approaching Tragedy with Joy

Yom Kippur: Who is Able to Eat?

Rosh Hashana – Do We Dare to Blow the Shofar?

Tisha B’Av – Rabbinic Despair and Simple Courage

Shavuot: Would You Convert? Like Yitro?

Blessed Are Those Who Eat Chametz!

The Making of an Enemy – The Birth of Amalek

Purim, God’s Hidden Face, and the Advantage of a Permanent Job

Chanukah: Hypocrisy or Authenticity

Simchat Torah – Needed: Extraordinary Torah Commentary

Sukkot: Joy in Insecurity

The Secret of Kal Nidrei – We Are All Marranos

Rosh Hashana: Is Judaism Your Supreme Passion?

The Temple is of Little Importance

Shavuot: The Wonder and Glow of God’s Word

Yom Ha’atzmaut – There Is No Security For Israel Unless It Is Secure In Its Own Destiny

Jumping Into Deep Waters -The Cornerstone of Judaism

What Is Really Wrong With Chametz?

Rejection or Integration: The Secret of Pesach

Purim and the Alcohol of Berkeley and Kant

Simchat Torah: The Unyielding Sefer Torah

Rosh HaShanah: Profundity and the Challenge of the Deed

Shavuot – Bible Criticism and the Problem of Revelation

Sefirat HaOmer: What Really Counts

Yom HaShoa – Jewish Life or Israeli Life

Looking Through the Clouds: The Red Sea and the State of Israel

Purim: The Call for Eternity

Yom Kippur – To Dream Harder

Yom Ha’atzmaut – The Mystery of Israel

The Holocaust, Rembrandt and the Quest for Authenticity

Simchat Torah – Technology and the Outdated Torah Scroll

The Trouble with Kal Nidrei – We Are All Marranos

Rosh Hashana – The Need for Ideological Repentance

Shavuoth, The Torah is No longer in Heaven

Yerushalayim, The City of Eternity

Pesach, Deus Absconditus and Divine Silence

The Trouble with Chametz

Pesach, Modern and Ultra Orthodox Judaism, To Roast or to Boil?

Purim and its Irrelevance

Simchat Torah and the Stagnation of the Text

Rosh Hashana: The Introduction of Bold Ideas

Rosh Hashana Without End

Rembrandt, the Holocaust and the Quest for Authenticity

Pesach. To Roast or To Boil

Megillath Esther: Purim and Human Importance

Chanukah: The Menorah, Religious Equilibrium and the Jewish Mission

Sukkot and the Paradox of Life – Judaism’s Realistic Joy

Yom Kippur and Arthur Schopenhauer

Yom Yerushalayim

The Challenge of Freedom

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

Tisha B’Av/The Ninth of Av

Shavuoth

Pesach, and the Silence of God

Kal Nidre – We are all Marranos

To Be a Matza

Yom Kippur – The Art of Spiritual Administration

Thoughts to Ponder on Shavuoth

Shavuoth, Torah, the Tabernacle and Bach’s Compositions

Shavuot, Revelation and Learning

Adar, Pesach, and the Month of Nisan

Jealousy on Erev Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur: The celebration of the Human Deed

Tisha be Av and the Parah Aduma in us

Simchat Torah, The Endless Beginning

To Roast or to Boil, That is the Question

Megillath Esther: The Story of Human Importance

Revelations of a Committed Alcoholic

Rosh Hashana Teshuva

Afterthoughts about Simchat Torah

The Mystery of the Second Day Yom Tov

Shavuoth and Combustibility

Succoth and the Twin Towers

Yom Kippur: A Day Like Purim

Rosh Hashana

Jewish Thought and Philosophy

The Art of Smiling – Fearing my Kippah (2)

Fearing My Kippah

Birth and Death – The Ultimate Paradox

Chanukah: The Art of Balancing

It is time to stop eating “Kosher”

Goethe, Herman Wouk and Walter Kaufmann and the Art of Reading the Torah Correctly

An Answer to an Unasked Question is Irrelevant

The Art of Making Winter into a Sukkah

Sukkot, the Desert and the Eternity of the Torah

Entering Israel’s Army is like Immersing in a Mikve

Struggles – Illumination of My Personal Challenges

Abraham and the US President and their Irritation with God

The Brilliance of Judaism When You Do Not Believe

The Blessing of the Religious Atheist in Haarlem

Theism and Atheism: the Twofold of Real Faith Which is One

Shavuot: Sinai, the Mystery and Myself

God for Atheists (2) – Belief in God and the Human Brain

God for Atheists

The Hopelessness of Judaism and its Rescue

Shemita: Do Not Become a Chimpanzee

The Latest Controversy Around Spinoza

Living Like a Jew: Playing Music and Saying “to Me”

The Wisdom of the Bus Driver: Love Your Fellow As Yourself!

The Rabbi’s Gift and the Mashiach

Children’s Toys and Trivializing Torah

The Mystery of the Missing Verse and the Problem of Evil

A Short Introduction to God

Parashat Bereshit: The First Divine Commandment is to Enjoy the World

Tractatus Dialogico Philosophico De Faceta – A Modern Humorous Dialogue

The Map Problem and the Fly

Parashat Vayikra – The Challenge Of Tisha B’av And The Temple Sacrifices

God as an Idol: The tragedy of being religious

Achieving Joy: Be a Simpleton

Afterthoughts on the Pandemic: the Black Spot or the White Page?

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 6: Talmudic Rainbows

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 5

The Upcoming Post-Corona Crisis – Part 2

In Memory of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z.l. – A man of faith & defiance

Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven: How to be a Genuine Halachic Expert

Who can be Mashiach? He who knows how to sing!

Pesach and the Coronavirus: Where is God

The Message of The Corona Virus

Fundamentalism, Education and The Wisdom of the Gentile

Praying, Soulmates, Army Service and the Halachic Chess Game

75 Years After the Holocaust: Rembrandt and the Quest for Integrity

Conversion, the Most Difficult Mitzva, and the Need for Heresy

The Talmudic Olympic Games

Bilaam, Pontius Pilatus, Jesus and the Jewish Tradition

The Tragedy of Jesus and a Hand Wave

Two New Podcasts: On the Jewish Mission and the Most Difficult Mitzva

The Religious Value of Doubt

Chaye Sarah: Leader or Captain

The Dangerous “Day After” Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur, Family, and Time-Traveling

Music, Children and Israeli Politics

Is Torah from Heaven

Parashat Re’eh: The Purpose of Judaism is to Disturb

Shabbat: To Postpone is to Profane

The Divine Insanity of Halachic Chess

“Limmud” – An Open Letter to the Chief Rabbi of South Africa

On Being Called a Rabbi & Third-Epoch Halacha – Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

The High Priest, the Pope and I – Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

My Struggle with Persuasion and the Truth Concerning other Religions – Question 10 (part 1)

Is the Torah Divine? Thoughts for Shavuot on Combustibility

A Vote of Confidence

On Music Baths And Art As Protest

My Chareidi and Modern Orthodox Struggles

Book Review: The Passover Haggadah of Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Berkovits

The Hardship and Privilege of Honest Teaching: The Baal Teshuva Movement Impasse

Critics, Laughter and Writing Serious Stuff: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo – Question 7 (Part 2)

My Controversy with the Mainstream Orthodox Community – Part 1

My Fascination with the Chaotic World of the Talmud: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo

The Kotzker, Spinoza and I – Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

My Search for, and Momentary Loss of, God: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

Why I Ask and Doubt but Have Strong Faith: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

Why I (Refuse to) Pray: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz

Why I am Controversial: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo – Question 1

The Great Paradox: The Non-Existent God and the Need to Serve Him

Torah beyond Halakhah – Interview with Rabbi Cardozo – Part Two

Faith, Death and Frontal Encounter

The Curse of Religious Boredom

God and Natural Disasters: God is not a “What,” or a “When,” and not even a “Who”

The Joy of Saying “I am Sorry” – The Portuguese Spanish Selichot

The Controversy Surrounding My Louis Jacobs Memorial Lecture

Atheism Belief in the Unbelievable

Sefirat HaOmer: The Secret to Human and Rabbinical Autonomy

The Tragedy and the Challenge: A Forgotten Mission

Yom HaShoah – Jewish Life or Merely Israeli Life?

Wonder and the Question of Revelation

Finding One’s Neshomeh

The Enduring Preciousness of the Secular Jew

The Challenge of Yitro – Would you convert?

Parashat BeShalach – Jewish Self-Delusion

A Call to all Jews – Circumcision: Why Risk Your Child’s Well-Being?

Moses: The Successful Failure

The Universal Commotion about a Little Jewish Boy Called Jesus: A Warning to Our Rabbis

Solving the Conversion Crisis – The Birth of Non-Jewish Jewish Communities: Another Approach

Jewish Law as Rebellion: Soul Jews & Halachic Jews

The In-Authenticity of Codifying Jewish Law

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu – Lectures and the Academy

The Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu: The Wonder of Judaism

Freud’s Subconscious Discovery of God

Halachic Fundamentalism and Intellectual Dishonesty

Speaking Lashon HaRa about the World

The Holocaust: Divine Retribution?

The Ban on Circumcision: Blatant Anti-Semitism and Ignorance

Boredom and the Immature Elderly

Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik and his Paradoxical Influence

The Chief Rabbinate and Its Disgrace: Who Is an Exceptionally Great Sage?

The Unknowable, Loving and Aggravating God

Syria and the Scandal of Our Orthodox Synagogues

God and the Fires – Part Two

God and The Fires -“Because of Our Sins, This Has Befallen Us?” Part One

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control (2)

The Abuse of Halacha: Keeping Halacha under Control – Part 1

Walking Mountains, Shabbat and the Buddha

Torah: The Unavoidable and Disturbing Text

The Deliberately Flawed Divine Torah

Simchat Torah, The Rush and the Stagnation – the Need for Independent Torah Interpretation

Rosh Hashana – Do We Dare to Blow the Shofar?

God Does Not Exist

Yes to Faith, No to Dogma – For Poets, Musicians, Artists and Deep Souls

Wanted: Rabbis with Knives between Their Teeth – The Need for a Genuine Upheaval

A Slap in the Face to the Holy One Blessed Be He?-Some Afterthoughts on Tish’ah be-Av

The Chaos Theory of Halacha (Part 2 of 3)

The Chaos Theory of Halacha (Part 1 of 3)

Faith is the Joy of Religious Doubt and Uncertainty – Part 2

Faith is the Joy of Religious Doubt and Uncertainty – Part 1

Israel, the American Elections and the Turmoil in Our World

Shavuot: Would You Convert? Like Yitro?

Orthodox Rabbi Teaching Halakha Beyond the Shulkhan Arukh, Judaism Beyond the Commandments

Parshat Bechukotai – The Miracle of Satisfaction

The Omer: Giving Birth

Yom Hashoa: The Quest for Authenticity – Rembrandt and the Holocaust

Blessed Are Those Who Eat Chametz!

The True Art of Sport: Game or Torture?

The Making of an Enemy – The Birth of Amalek

Rabbinical Courage and the Frozen Text

Mission Statement of the David Cardozo Academy – A Remorseless Judaism

Milk and Meat: The Dangerous Mixture – Parshat Mishpatim

Halacha as the Art of Playing Chess – Divine Insanity

Am I Still Orthodox? – Answer to a Jerusalem Rabbi

Spinoza – It Is Time to Lift The Ban

Admitting A Mistake: Even God Does.

The Religious Scandal of Akeidat Yitzchak and the Tragic God Parashat Lech Lecha

The Immortal Highway – Parashat Re’eh

Torah: Hearing the Divine Voice at Sinai Now

Needed: Majestic Mountains, Rembrandts, and Music Baths

The Supreme Court of the United States, Same-Sex Marriage and Other Prohibitions

Faith Means Joyful Uncertainty

Religion is Dangerous – Plato, Halacha and Dreams

In spite of Religion, God is still around

Bold Ideas: Take the Bike or Tram, Get a Free Coffee, and Observe Shabbat!

Halacha: The Disturbing Search for God

Make Anti-Semitism a Source of Jewish Pride

Judaism: The Art of Rebellion

Circumcision, Jesus, Elisha ben Avuyah and Spinoza – A Warning to Our Rabbis

What is Death?

The Joy of a Bar Mitzvah

The Great Challenge for Judaism: Thinking Big

Retirement: Time to Start Living

Judaism: Thinking Big

God and the Philippine Typhoon

Debating Orthodox and Reform Beliefs – Wanted: Rabbinical Courage

Bravo, Chief Rabbi Mirvis! Courage, Dayan Ehrentreu!

Who is a Jew? What is a Jew?

Religious Hypocrisy

Human Autonomy and Divine Commandment – Part 2

Human Autonomy and Divine Commandment – Part 1

The Preciousness of My Children – A Terrifying Story

The Death and the Life of the Word

The Stagnation of the Text

God is Unjustifiable

Rabbi Mordechai Elon and the Challenge of Teshuva

Confronting the Torah

God and the Earthquake

Who is a Gavra Rabba, a Great man?

Our Greatest Challenge “Kiddush Hashem”

“Ein Keloh-enu” There is nobody like our God / Who is like our God?

Faith – Frontal Encounter

How Holy is Life?

Prayers for the Wicked

A Personal Encounter with the Divine

Rabbi Yacov Emden, Bilaam & Yeshu

Abraham Lopes Cardozo z.l. – “Ne’im Zemiroth”

The Future of the Torah

The Rabbi Slifkin Case – Part 3

The Rabbi Slifkin Case – Part 2

The Rabbi Slifkin Case (Part 1) – The Hopelessness of a Ban

The Courage to Admit a Mistake

The Crisis and Challenge of Parshanuth

Why I am proud to be a Jew

A “Brenn” or “Familiarity breeds contempt”

The Struggle for Faith – Part I

Parashat Vayera – The Struggle for Faith – Part II

The Struggle for Faith – Part III

The Struggle for Faith – Part IV

The Struggle for Faith – Part V

The Sensitivity of the Torah and the Power of Language

The Dimensions of Prophecy and the Eternity of the Torah

Finding One’s Neshomeh

Surround Yourself with Cleanliness

Mixing with this World

To Marry is an Act of Courage

The Waters of Strife

The Mystery of Revelation

The Holiness of Man

Freedom of Will and Determinism

Introduction to God

Life Cycle Events

Birth and Death – The Ultimate Paradox

The Art of Making Winter into a Sukkah

Entering Israel’s Army is like Immersing in a Mikve

A Command to Cancel the Commandments

Life: The Courage to Say “Li”

A Vote of Confidence

The Omer: Giving Birth

The Immortal Highway – Parashat Re’eh

What is Death?

Bar Mitzvah as a Vote of Confidence

Brit Mila: An Oath of Loyalty

Thoughts at a Wedding of a Grandchild

Some Perspectives on Mortality

Miscellaneous

The Spiritual Uniqueness of the Israeli Army

Do Not Wait Until COVID-19 is Over

How to Conduct a Dialogue, Discussion or Debate

Faith Means Joyful Uncertainty

Parshat Pekudei and Johann Sebastian Bach (TTP-431)

Purim and the Alcohol of Berkeley and Kant (TTP-430)

Unmasking Anti-Semitism (TTP-426)

To Be Religious Is To Be a Halachic Poet

Our Struggle with God’s Goodness, part 1and 2

Will Our Boys Fight Again?

The Fight for a 4,000-Year Marriage

Let Us All Sit Shiva and Mourn the Death of a Child

An Open Letter to God: The Murder of Our Sons

God Is Too Great to Be Justified – Part 1

The Frustrating but Beautiful World of Halacha

The Paradox of Who Is a Jew

Shavuot – Bible Criticism and the Problem of Revelation

Jews, Sisyphus and Sports – ( With tongue in cheek!)

Soccer Talk: The World Cup Some Rabbinic Advice from a Dutch Expert

The Danger of Universal Love

Spinoza’s Sub Specie Aeternitatis, Yeshiva Students and the Army

Halacha and Absurdity – Part 3

Halacha and Absurdity – Part 1

Anti-Semitism at Its Best – Two Essays

Kaddish: The Ultimate Way to Be a Child Again

Heresy Is a Necessity – A Plea to Bring Spinoza, Locke and Sartre into the Beit Midrash

The Abuse of Halacha

Secular Prohibition and Religious Endorsement

The Joy of Religious Doubt – The Road to Faith is Paved with Uncertainty

JDOV VIDEO: Johann Sebastian Bach, Judaism and the Art of Being a Rebel

The Ban on Circumcision, and the Council of Europe

The Sweetening of the Divine Word

The Joy of Saying: I am Sorry

Rosh Hashana and the Missing King

Rosh Hashanah, Nicolaes Maes and the Uproar in Our Souls

Halacha, Legal Hairsplitting and The Great Compliment

God Does Not Exist – The New Thirteen Principles of Faith – Principle Two

The Strenuous Balancing Act of Halacha

The Rebellion of Chief Rabbi Sacks

Judaism: Thinking Big (1)

The Challenge and Opportunities at Limmud – Reflections from Australia

Imagination, Torah and Toys

Protesting the Tragic God of Sublimity

Autobiography – Lonely But Not Alone

Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

God Is Relocating

The Rise and Fall of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and Benedict XVI

The New Thirteen Principles of Faith

Purim and the Intricate Web

Faith, Death and Frontal Encounter

To Be a Stranger Is to Be Moral

Yitro and Franz Rosenzweig – Jews by Choice

The Great Bar Mitzvah of Compliments

Denial and Self-Loathing

To Be Religious Means to Be Rebellious

The Trouble with Jesus

Christmas, Jesus and the Rejection of a Jewish Child

Grandparents, Grandchildren and the Fraternity of the Committed (TTP-324)

Introducing the Unknowable: God

God and Sandy

To Be an Example – The Tragedy and the Challenge

The Mortal Danger of Retirement

The Inadequacy of Jewish Dogma – part 3

Mind Control – Rabbinical Tyranny and Freedom of Thought Part 2

Rabbinical Tyranny and Freedom of Thought – A Protest

Wanted: Rabbinical Courage

The Talmud and the Olympics Who won?

Tisha B’Av – Of Simple Courage and Rabbinical Despair

The Cutting Edge of Circumcision

Animosity, Jesus and Circumcision

Halacha: The Greatest Chess Game on Earth

Halacha: The Microscopic Search for God

Shabbath, Carrying and the Buddha

The Expulsion of God in Halacha (1)

Freud and Belief in God

Judaism’s Palette of Colors – Thank You Rabbi Francis Nataf, Welcome Daniel Sheer

The Wilderness of the Cardozo Academy – Graduation lecture – June 2009

The Great Inner Struggle of Benedict XVI

Preface to Rabbi Francis Nataf’s book

The King

The medium of media, a rendezvous with death

Lashon Hara About the World

“Es Past Nicht” and Jewish Pride

Surround Yourself with Art and Beauty

Rabbi Bezalel Rakov z.l. of Gateshead

The Jewish Astronaut and My Worries

Ilan Ramon. z.l.

News

What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall

News from the Cardozo Academy plus Two New Podcasts

How “True” are Religious Beliefs?

Parashat HaShavua

Parashat Bereshit: The First Divine Commandment is to Enjoy the World

Parashat Terumah: On the Tabernacle, Silence, and Prayer

Parashat VaYigash – Yosef’s Remarkable Revenge

Fundamentalism, Education and The Wisdom of the Gentile

Parashat Bo: Knowing How to Lose

God’s False Accusations and the Mystery of this World

Avraham and Individuality: Old Age and Facelifts

Chaye Sarah: Leader or Captain

The Religious Challenge of Akedat Yitzchak

Praying – Suffering – Noach and Spinoza

Parashat Va’etchanan: Sweetening the Divine Word

Shabbat: To Postpone is to Profane

Parashat Miketz – The Pain of Being a Tzaddik

Parashat Vayeshev: Divine Emanations, Chanuka and the Future of the State of Israel

Parashat Vayishlach: Amalek, Jewish Injustice, Converts, and a Warning to the Chief Rabbinate

Parashat Vayetze: Be Fearful of Religion

Parashat Toldot: Admitting A Mistake: Even God Does

Parashat Noah – Natural Disasters: Are We To Be Blamed?

Parashat Shoftim: Surround Yourself with Cleanliness

Parashat VaEtchanan: The Revelation is Taking Place Today!

Parashat Chukat – The Curse of Religious Coercion

Parashat Korach: The Curse of Camouflaged Jealousy and the Blessing of Enjoying the Achievements of Others

Parashat Behaalotecha Theocracy, Democracy, and Halacha

Why a Second Day of Yom Tov? The Incomparable Greatness of the Land of Israel

Parshat Bechukotai – To Have or to Be, That Is the Question

Amalek: A warning to the Chief Rabbinate

The Challenge of Yitro – Would you convert?

Be Fearful of Religion – Parashat Vayetze

Traveling to Home Base and Eternal Life

The Waters of Strife – the Devastation of Religious Coercion

Kohanim: The Challenge of Educational Dissent

The Unchallenged Holiness of the Jew: A Dangerous Claim

Parashat VaYikra: The Trouble with Sacrifices

The Tent of Meeting and Johann Sebastian Bach

Sinai Now!

Parshat Yitro: Racism and the Wisdom of a Gentile

The Unknowable, Loving and Aggravating God

Parshat Shemini – Are You Really Eating Kosher?

Milk and Meat: The Dangerous Mixture – Parshat Mishpatim

The Threat of Freedom

The Religious Scandal of Akeidat Yitzchak and the Tragic God Parashat Lech Lecha

Spinoza’s Blunder And Noach’s Misguided Religiosity

The Immortal Highway – Parashat Re’eh

Parshat Vayikra – Sacrifices: Progressive or Regressive Judaism?

Parshat Pekudei and Johann Sebastian Bach

Avraham and the Impossible God: The Challenge of Akeidat Yitzchak

Noah: The Danger of Misguided Frumkeit, Spinoza‘s Accurate Critique and Terrible Blunder

Akedath Yitzchak and Avraham’s mistaken presumption

Moshe’s Fatigue and the Need for a Gentile’s Advice

Parashat Ki Tisa -The Wonder of and Need for Authentic Halacha

Tetzaveh – The Trivialities of the Tabernacle

Yithro – A Protest Against Racism

Human Autonomy and Divine Commandment – Part 1

Parashat Chayei Sarah – Leadership and Captainship

Moshe and Yitro, Major or Minor in Jurisprudence?

Revolution through one word

Efron and Arafat- Two of a kind

The Successful Failure

The Sanctification and Importance of Time

Parashat Vayera – The Struggle for Faith – Part II

The Tabernacle and Bach’s Compositions

The Blessings of Ephraim and Menashe

Mixing with this World

Weariness and Gentile Advice

The Quest for Denial

Now is the time to write the Song of our lives

Prayer

Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur: A Eulogy for a Christian Who Helped my Religiosity

What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall

The Curse of Fluency

The Joy of Saying “I am Sorry” – The Portuguese Spanish Selichot

Rosh HaShana: The Curse of Indifference

Against Indifference: A Prayer for the World

The Art of Praying (1)

Prayer on Behalf of the Jewish Soldier (English-Hebrew)

The Inscrutable God

Prayer on Behalf of the Jewish Soldier (English-Hebrew)

The Protest of a Bracha

The Destructionist Synagogues

Finding One’s Neshomeh

There is no Mashiach Without a Song

Shabbat

Walking Mountains, Shabbat and the Buddha

Thoughts on Forgiveness – The Man Who Made Me Jewish

Society

The Spiritual Uniqueness of the Israeli Army

What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall

The Wisdom of the Bus Driver: Love Your Fellow As Yourself!

The Upcoming Post Corona Crisis – Part 4

Walking Mountains, Shabbat and the Buddha

Let Us Violate Shabbat So As To Sanctify It – The Holy Day and the Tel Aviv Railway

Tisha B’Av – Rabbinic Despair and Simple Courage

The Kotel – Have We Gone Mad?

Israel, the American Elections and the Turmoil in Our World

Shavuot: Would You Convert? Like Yitro?

Yom Hashoa: The Quest for Authenticity – Rembrandt and the Holocaust

The True Art of Sport: Game or Torture?

Rabbinical Courage and the Frozen Text

Have Some Pity on the Anti-Semite!

A Prophetic View: The Gentile Aliyah Epidemic

How Old Would You Be If You Did Not Know How Old You Are?

Why They Still Hate Us – Why I Am Proud to Be a Jew

On Dolls and Torah: The Art of Imagination

The Enduring Preciousness of the “Secular” Jew *

The Next Mass Demonstration

On Boredom and Religious Plagiarism: The Blessings of Jewish Self-Discovery

On Dolls and Other Toys

Word Painting, US Customs and God’s Deserts

Contemplations About a Cat

Kreplach & Bisli: Revelation of Language

Soccer Talk

Boycott? The Trauma of the Anti-Semite

Boredom and the Elderly

The Problem of Boredom

Our Greatest Challenge “Kiddush Hashem”

The Mortal Danger of Retirement (1)

Rabbis, Hindus and the Question of Mutual Respect

The Handwriting is on the Wall – Part 3

The Conversion Crisis – Part 3

Solving the Conversion Crisis (Part 1)

Prayers for the Wicked

Forsaken by God

Tsunami, Vulnerability, Religious Jewry and the Sanctification of God’s Name

Marriage, “Li” and the Need for Martyrdom

Judaism in Crisis

“After Modern Orthodoxy, Then What?”

Religious and Secular Morality

Sport and its Problems

Satisfaction and the Art of Being

Some Perspectives on Mortality

Asterix & Obelix: Rabbinic View

The David Cardozo Academy
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office@cardozoacademy.org
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