In the process of adapting from exile to statehood, halachah may need to be uprooted and transplanted, or even cut back to its deepest roots and regrown in a larger pot, where it can flower more freely. This will probably result in the “secularization” of some of our halachot, offset by a cultural “Judification” of our secular society. Can we use the lessons learned during the galut to survive in an increasingly decentralized and globalized world?
Shabbat desecration, the Olympics and the dilemmas of a Jewish State
Several recent events—the Olympic Games and the proposal to work on the railway line construction on Shabbat—are excellent opportunities to start a conversation on the role of halacha in the Jewish State. The question is: what form should the conversation take? It should not, I believe, primarily take the form of a formal halachic argument.
Faith and Truth: A necessary trade-off?
Our relationship with God as we know it is not just about what we think or understand. There is also a faith that is not based in intellectual belief. This is a faith that is based on our own inner resonance with the practices and beliefs of our tradition. What happens to our emotional faith when our intellectual faith runs up against facts that seem to contradict that faith? How do we keep our balance?
Tisha b’Av: Can we still mourn? A reply to Rav Cardozo
Rabbi Cardozo writes: “Maybe we should literally go out in the streets and help people, sit down with our ideological enemies and see where we can find common ground, instead of simply reciting more kinot?” And yet, there are reasons why we should continue to fast and read Eichah on Tisha b’Av. Here are just a few of those reasons
A Tongue-in-Cheek Tribute to Rabbi Cardozo, from the Think Tank Members, in Honor of his Recent 70th Birthday
A light-hearted look at a typical DCA think tank meeting, in honor of Rabbi Cardozo’s 70th Birthday. Happy Birthday Rav Cardozo!