Biblical Criticism
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
Abraham Lopes Cardozo z.l. – “Ne’im Zemiroth”
An Angel called Chaya Schijveschuurder
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
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
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
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 -“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
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!
Mission Statement of the David Cardozo Academy – A Remorseless Judaism
Am I Still Orthodox? – Answer to a Jerusalem Rabbi
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 bigotry of the anti-circumcision zealots – by Frank Furedi
Gilad Shalit: Justice and Injustice
Rabbi Mordechai Elon and the Challenge of Teshuva
The Courage of Judge Goldstone
The Gay Parade and other Prohibitions
DCA
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
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
Admitting A Mistake: Even God Does.
Yeshivot and the Toy Industry The Art of Imagination
Biblical Studies: Relevance, Eternity and Unawareness
The Number of Generations Before Him
The State of Jewish Education Today
Thoughts on Dolls & Other Toys
Tolerance and Personal Conscience
Halacha
It is time to stop eating “Kosher”
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
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
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
The Halachic Toleration of Heresy
The Handwriting is on the Wall – Part 3
The Gay Parade and other Prohibitions
Technology and the Existential Meaning of a Sefer Torah
Mitzvoth, Minhagim and Their Dangers
Johann Sebastian Bach & Halacha
Israel/Zionism
Yom HaAtzma’ut: The Blessing and the Danger – Lest We forget
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
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
The Courage of Judge Goldstone
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 1
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
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai and A.B.Yehoshua
The Future of Israel and the Zionist Enterprise
Israel’s Predicament and the Need to be a Stranger
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
Israel’s Uniqueness and its Future
A Call to my Brothers in the Diaspora
The Jewish Tradition and the Intifada (1)
The Jewish Tradition and the Intifada (Part 2)
What will you say to your children?
The Jewish attitude toward killing
A personal letter from Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The Future of the Miraculous State of Israel
The failure of the Religious Parties
The Danger of Holiness & Future of Israel
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
Yitro and Franz Rosenzweig – Jews by Choice
Thoughts on Forgiveness – The Man Who Made Me Jewish
Solving the Conversion Crisis and Global Judaism – Part 2
Solving the Conversion Crisis (Part 1)
Is conversion really possible?
Jewish Holidays
Hallelujah: Do You Live The Divine Song?
Yom HaAtzma’ut: The Blessing and the Danger – Lest We forget
Megillat Esther: Attaining the Level of Non-Acquaintance
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
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
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?
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
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
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
Pesach, Modern and Ultra Orthodox Judaism, To Roast or to Boil?
Simchat Torah and the Stagnation of the Text
Rosh Hashana: The Introduction of Bold Ideas
Rembrandt, the Holocaust and the Quest for Authenticity
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
Pesach, and the Silence of God
Kal Nidre – We are all Marranos
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
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
Afterthoughts about Simchat Torah
Jewish Thought and Philosophy
Contemplating Childbirth and Divine Revelation
Israel Plagued, Its Destiny and the Call of Our Prophets
Megillat Esther: Attaining the Level of Non-Acquaintance
Panic: The Visible and Invisible
God, Me and the Struggle to Teach Real Torah
The Art of Smiling – Fearing my Kippah (2)
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
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
Parashat Bereshit: The First Divine Commandment is to Enjoy the World
Tractatus Dialogico Philosophico De Faceta – A Modern Humorous Dialogue
Parashat Vayikra – The Challenge Of Tisha B’av And The Temple Sacrifices
God as an Idol: The tragedy of being religious
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
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
Chaye Sarah: Leader or Captain
The Dangerous “Day After” Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, Family, and Time-Traveling
Music, Children and Israeli Politics
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
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
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
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?
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 -“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?
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
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
Circumcision, Jesus, Elisha ben Avuyah and Spinoza – A Warning to Our Rabbis
The Great Challenge for Judaism: Thinking Big
Retirement: Time to Start Living
God and the Philippine Typhoon
Debating Orthodox and Reform Beliefs – Wanted: Rabbinical Courage
Bravo, Chief Rabbi Mirvis! Courage, Dayan Ehrentreu!
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
Rabbi Mordechai Elon and the Challenge of Teshuva
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?
A Personal Encounter with the Divine
Rabbi Yacov Emden, Bilaam & Yeshu
Abraham Lopes Cardozo z.l. – “Ne’im Zemiroth”
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
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
Surround Yourself with Cleanliness
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
The Immortal Highway – Parashat Re’eh
Bar Mitzvah as a Vote of Confidence
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Challenge and Opportunities at Limmud – Reflections from Australia
Protesting the Tragic God of Sublimity
Autobiography – Lonely But Not Alone
Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text
The Rise and Fall of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and Benedict XVI
The New Thirteen Principles of Faith
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
To Be Religious Means to Be Rebellious
Christmas, Jesus and the Rejection of a Jewish Child
Grandparents, Grandchildren and the Fraternity of the Committed (TTP-324)
Introducing the Unknowable: God
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
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)
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 medium of media, a rendezvous with death
“Es Past Nicht” and Jewish Pride
Surround Yourself with Art and Beauty
Rabbi Bezalel Rakov z.l. of Gateshead
News
What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall
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 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
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 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?
Efron and Arafat- Two of a kind
The Sanctification and Importance of Time
Parashat Vayera – The Struggle for Faith – Part II
The Tabernacle and Bach’s Compositions
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 Joy of Saying “I am Sorry” – The Portuguese Spanish Selichot
Rosh HaShana: The Curse of Indifference
Against Indifference: A Prayer for the World
Prayer on Behalf of the Jewish Soldier (English-Hebrew)
Shabbat
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
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 *
On Boredom and Religious Plagiarism: The Blessings of Jewish Self-Discovery
Word Painting, US Customs and God’s Deserts
Kreplach & Bisli: Revelation of Language
Boycott? The Trauma of the Anti-Semite
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)
Tsunami, Vulnerability, Religious Jewry and the Sanctification of God’s Name
Marriage, “Li” and the Need for Martyrdom
“After Modern Orthodoxy, Then What?”
Religious and Secular Morality
Satisfaction and the Art of Being