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Roman vs. Jewish Law: What Happened to Patrilineal Descent?
My January 9, 2015 column in The Jerusalem Post generated a higher than usual number of comments, many of which were not particularly complimentary. In the piece, which addressed the United Synagogue...
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Magic, demons and Judaism: what to do with troubling texts?
Dr. Robin Stamler is a magic buff. Itâ€s not magic tricks that interest him so much as the intersection between Jewish tradition and the mysterious and inexplicable. In a brisk one-hour session at the...
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Crowdfunded shnitzel without killing coming to your kitchen
Shir Friedman calls me a care-nivore. “Youâ€re someone who cares about not harming animals…but you still eat them,†she says with a smile. Friedman wants to change all that. If Friedmanâ€s new...
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Keeping kosher “in my own wayâ€
Dennis Prager has a radical proposal. In a column published earlier this month in the Jewish Journal, he makes the argument that “if you donâ€t eat bacon or shellfish because you are a Jew†–...
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Breaking the rabbinate’s monopoly on marriage
Rabbi Chuck Davidson is on a holy mission to end the Israeli Rabbinateâ€s monopoly on marriage. Nearly every night of the week, Davidson conducts wedding ceremonies that the rabbinate deems...
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What kind of God do you want to believe in?
“Itâ€s just an accident that we happen to be on earth, enjoying our silly little moments, distracting ourselves as often as possible so we donâ€t have to really face up to the fact that, you know,...
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When words and belief clash
It was Friday night, and as I was preparing to say the Shabbat kiddush – the traditional sanctification of the wine – one of our guests made a surprising request: “Could I, um, make my own...
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The death of rational Judaism
The Babylonian Talmud tells the story of the great rabbinic leader Rebbe who in the third century CE developed a malignant gastro-intestinal disorder. His followers set up a non-stop prayer vigil in...
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Judaism’s honesty problem
Judaism has a fundamental problem with honesty and itâ€s driving the Jewish world apart. That was the take-away from a challenging talk by Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, the conclusion of a six-part series on...
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Does God still demand “costly signaling?”
How is a male peacock strutting his plumage like a devoutly religious person praying? Both are engaged in what scientists studying evolution call “costly signaling.â€Â Can understanding the...
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