Bij het Jubileum van het 275ste Jarige Bestaan van het Nederlands Israelitisch Seminarium Gehouden op 5 November, 2017 In de Uilenburger Synagoge te Amsterdam
Video Recordings of the Spinoza Symposium in Amsterdam
Dear Friends, Shalom U-vracha. Below is the link to the video recordings of the Spinoza Symposium in Amsterdam, which was held on December 6, 2015, organized by the University of Amsterdam and the Crescas Center. All lectures are in English. Enjoy, Nathan Lopes Cardozo http://www.crescas.nl/video/baz/de-casus-spinoza-sprekers-en-rondetafel-discussie/
Parshat Pekudei and Johann Sebastian Bach (TTP-431)
Achilles: You mean, the composer was Bach, and these were the so-called “Goldberg Variations”?
Tortoise: Do I ever! Actually, the work was entitled “Aria with Diverse Variations,” of which there are thirty. Do you know how Bach structured these magnificent variations?
Purim and the Alcohol of Berkeley and Kant (TTP-430)
This will come as a great shock to all of you; but I can no longer remain silent. No doubt, it will cause cardiac arrest in several of my readers and severe trauma to others, but how long can one continue to live a lie?
Unmasking Anti-Semitism (TTP-426)
As Europe and other countries around the world become aggressively more anti-Semitic, and antagonism towards the State of Israel escalates, there is a need for careful assessment of the nature of anti-Semitism.
Parshat BeShalach – Je Suis Charlie: The Problem of Jewish Denial (TTP-425)
One of the most common psychological conditions human beings find themselves in is denial. All people repress unpleasant experiences and do not want to be confronted with reality when it is not to their liking.
To Be Religious Is To Be a Halachic Poet
Halacha is the practical expression of discovering the infinite within the finite. To grasp the world of religiosity, or the real essence of halacha, it is not enough to know all of the Written and Oral Torah. One must also see how the birds fly and the flowers blossom; one must sit by the bed of the dying, watch the stars, and have unexpected meetings. Because all of these are a living commentary on the Text.
To Be Religious Is To Be a Halachic Poet (TTP-424)
Few of us are aware that Jewish observance and our dedication to Halacha do not make us religious Jews. They are departures, but never arrivals. Much hard work is needed before one gets a sense of what it means to be genuinely religious.
One Should Listen to Bach, Mozart, or Beethoven, Before Ruling on a Halachic Problem(TTP-423)
Filling the position of Posek HaDor, the leading halachic arbiter of the Jewish people, has become an almost hopeless undertaking in our complicated and troubled times. We are told that the Posek HaDor must be someone whose halachic knowledge is greater than anyone else’s;
Judaism: The Art of Rebellion (TTP-422)
One of the great tasks of Jewish education is to deliberately create an atmosphere of rebellion among its students. Rebellion, after all, is the great emancipator. We owe nearly all of our knowledge and achievements not to those who agreed but to those who differed.