Edited by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

The Tent of Avraham is an anthology of essays on a variety of Jewish topics of academic, personal and spiritual nature. Contributors include Jewish thinkers, professors and rabbis, all of whom have taught at or are affiliated with the David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem. Original insights into the Jewish tradition, many of the articles include a more personal and emotional struggle with elements of Judaism, capturing the essence of the David Cardozo Academy.

List of Contributors and their essays:

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Introduction, and The Beth Midrash of Avraham Avinu Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, Notes on the Concept of Imitatio Dei

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, The Middle Way: The Maharal onHashgachah Professor Yehuda Gellman, Reb Nachman x2: The Unreflexive Self Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Eretz Yisrael in the Thought ofRabbi Nachman of Breslav Rabbi Zvi Grumet, Patriarch and King: Two Models of Repentance Rabbi Dr. Alan Kimche, Kevod HaBeriyot and HumanDignity in the Halachah Professor William Kolbrener, Ya’akov’s Scar Professor Elliott Malamet, Maimonides the Modern? Self and Sensibility in the Twelfth Century Rabbi Francis Nataf, Command, Coercion and Modernity Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Schnall, Philosophy, Poetry, and the Bible Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore, Torah from the Heart Rabbi Prof. Avraham Wijler and Dr. Akiva Wolff, A Jewish Approach tothe Quality of the Environment

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

The Land of Israel and the Jewish people are bound together in mysterious ways that go beyond convention. Here is a nation that has too much history and too little geography, as Sir Isaiah Berlin said. Yet even in their exile, the Jews never truly left the land of their birth. Rather, they lifted it from its native soil and transformed it into a portable homeland, taking it with them to all corners of the earth. Only in 1948 after nearly two thousand years did the Jewish people return to its original home. How is it that contrary to all the laws of history, the Jewish people outlived so many powerful empires? How was this tiny nation able to make an unprecedented contribution to the wellbeing of all of humankind? Why did the Jewish people become a source of endless irritation to those who opposed its ethical teachings? Finally, how can the State of Israel rediscover its Jewish identity as the source of its greatest blessing and hope? Nathan Lopes Cardozo addresses these and other questions throughout this remarkable collection of essays.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

“Judaism defies definition. While some of us regret this and thus try to straightjacket our religion, I believe that autonomous thought is fundamental to appreciating Judaism properly, and that philosophical non-conformity is not only the right of every Jewish teacher, but his/her obligation. Students must understand that one can only comprehend the relevance of Judaism through ongoing existential personal discovery and struggle, and this can only be taught by example. We must make sure that Judaism, while remaining true to its essential teachings, encourages utter originality in every generation. Judaism must provide an antidote to the poisons of indolence, routine, callousness, and drifting with the current. It must dare and defy and be experienced as a perpetually new and ongoing event.” Comprised of over fifty brief essays on a variety of topics (e.g., “Man, God, and the Torah,” “Education and Leadership,” “Jewish Family and Society,” “Holidays and Customs,” “The Power of Prayer”) this volume contains a wealth of deep, transcendent ideas that thoughtful Jews should consider. Lopes Cardozo’s knowledge is vast, and in a single essay we may encounter Berlin and Spinoza, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk and the Psalms, but his style remains so accessible that it is a joy to read, and then to reflect upon. One can only hope that Rabbi Lopes Cardozo will continue to write his weekly e-mail reflections upon which this book is based and that future collections will soon be available.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Crisis, Covenant and Creativity deals with some of the most widely discussed issues in contemporary Jewish religious life.

• How do religious people deal with tolerance when they are convinced that their religious beliefs carry the truth and that others are mistaken?
• To what extent should the modern application of “Halachic decision making” be influenced by existential wonder and the religious mission and philosophy of the Jewish people?
• How does Halachic living lead to a greater awareness of the mystery and beauty of life?
• As the search for Jewish Identity becomes more and more complex, what is the meaning of Jewish authenticity?

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

The monograph is meant to explain the purpose and ideology of the David Cardozo Academy and is based on the Academy’s inaugural lecture given in September, 2005. Click Here to read the booklet online.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Thoughts to Ponder Daring Observations about the Jewish Tradition.

“Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo has emerged as one of the most thoughtful voices in contemporary Orthodoxy. He is a man of deep faith and wide intellectual horizons, unafraid to confront the challenges of the age with the quiet confidence of one who is attuned to the music of eternity.”

Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Britain and the Commonwealth.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

An Unconventional Discussion about Judaism, Jews and the State of Israel.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Esssay 1 – Halacha as Symphony

Where does creativity and individualism fit into the system of Jewish law?

Essay 2- Tolerance and the Jewish Tradition

How should we relate to those with different views?

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

In The Written and Oral Torah: A Comprehensive Introduction, Rabbi Dr. Cardozo offers those interested in Jewish tradition an explanation of and basic insight into Judaism’s classical sources. Containing a diverse selection of material culled from the Talmud and from the writings of many of Judaism’s most gifted sages, this extensive volume will be a valuable resource for novice students as well as for those with some background in Torah study.

By Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Torah, Mesorah and Man.