24 Nov A WEALTH TAX IN JEWISH TRADITION
There is talk in the U.S. about taxing the wealth of the superrich. Without engaging in d i s c u s s i o n about proper policy today, I would like to explore the concept of a...
There is talk in the U.S. about taxing the wealth of the superrich. Without engaging in d i s c u s s i o n about proper policy today, I would like to explore the concept of a...
I. What A Rabbi Does Most of us have been to enough Jewish weddings that we know how they work. We can easily officiate. Even without a big crowd, all a man has to do is give a woman a...
The concept of “Bashert,” a person’s soulmate, warms the heart and plays into our notions of romance. The Gemara (Sotah 2a) says that forty days before the creation of a...
Even those with only a passing knowledge of the Five Books of Moses recognize the death penalty applied to various sins. The Oral Torah, committed to writing centuries later, explains...
P i d y o n i m Shevuyim means redeeming a captive, paying s o m e o n e ’ s ransom. It is among the highest priorities of mitzvos. Shulchan Arukh (Yoreh De’ah 252:1) is more important than...
I. The Problematic Theology of the Stranger Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l, whose first yahrtzeit falls this year on October 26 (20 Cheshvan), opened up Jewish thought to a broader audience with...
The passing of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l, whose first yahrtzeit falls this year on October 26 (20 Cheshvan), left thousands if not millions of people of faith — Orthodox...
I. EXTENT OF THE PROHIBITION The Gemara (Gittin 7a) asks from where we learn that music is forbidden. The Gemara answers with a few possible verses, including “Do not rejoice, Israel,...
When someone uses profanity, he abuses the divine gift of speech, demonstrating a lack of refinement and self-control. Speaking profanity violates a biblical prohibition. There is reason to forbid not...
I. Two Types of Teshuvah The modern Ba’al Teshuvah, someone from a non-religiously observant background who becomes religiously observant, does not fit well into classical categories. That leaves room for us...