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Rabbi Cardozo

Thoughts to Ponder

Thoughts to Ponder is a weekly invitation to think dangerously and question passionately. Drawing on the Torah portion, classical Jewish sources, philosophy, and the crises of contemporary life, Rabbi Cardozo challenges religious complacency and spiritual comfort. These essays are written for readers who seek a Judaism that disturbs, questions, and ultimately deepens the human encounter […]

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Writers’ Guild

The Cardozo Academy Think Tank opens its doors to voices that probe, question, and illuminate. These essays reflect rigorous thought, spirited debate, and deep engagement with Torah and lived experience. Readers will find essays that challenge preconceptions, explore timeless themes, and make meaning out of the complexity of faith and culture.

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Faith & Defiance

In Faith & Defiance, Rabbi Cardozo opens a window into his soul to illuminate the twists and turns of his spiritual path. These essays blend existential reflection with candid self-inquiry, taking the reader through moments of defiance, conversion, re-conversion, and unending search for meaning in a life lived at the intersection of tradition and transformation.

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Parashat Shemot Parashat Va'era Parashat Bo Parashat Beshalach Parashat Yitro Parashat Mishpatim Parashat Terumah Parashat Tetzaveh Parashat Ki Tisa Parashat Vayakhel Parashat Pekudei

Parashat Vayikra Parashat Tzav Parashat Shemini Parashat Tazria Parashat Metzora Parashat Acharei Mot Parashat Kedoshim Parashat Emor Parashat Behar Parashat Bechukotai

Parashat Bamidbar Parashat Naso Parashat Beha'alotcha Parashat Shelach Parashat Korach Parashat Chukat Parashat Balak Parashat Pinchas Parashat Matot Parashat Masei

Parashat Devarim Parashat Va'etchanan Parashat Eikev Parashat Re'eh Parashat Shoftim Parashat Ki Teitzei Parashat Ki Tavo Parashat Nitzavim Parashat Vayelech Parashat Ha'azinu Parashat V'Zot HaBerachah

Cardozo On The Parashah Book Series

Cardozo on the Parashah: Volume 1

The Book of Genesis

by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Cardozo on the Parashah: Volume 2

The Book of Exodus

by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Cardozo on the Parashah: Volume 3

The Book of Leviticus

by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Cardozo on the Parashah: Volume 4

The Book of Numbers

by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Cardozo on the Parashah: Volume 5

Book of Deuteronomy

by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Next Holiday

Yom Yerushalayim

Jerusalem Day

28 Iyyar 5786

Begins Sundown May 14, 2026

Ends at Nightfall on May 15, 2026

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Parashat Beshalach

Exodus 13:17-17:16

Israel crosses the Sea of Reeds in a miraculous moment of deliverance, leaving Egypt behind in a decisive break with the past. Yet almost immediately, the people grumble in the wilderness, revealing how difficult it is to live as free beings. The parashah explores the fragile psychology of liberation and the slow education of trust.

From Nothingness to Somethingness

In Moses and Parashat Beshalach by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

What does it mean to walk on dry land while standing in the midst of the sea? The crossing of the Sea of Reeds can be seen as a miracle of nature, but it can also represent a moment of terrifying becoming. The Torah's description speaks of paradox, the idea that existence itself emerges from nothingness—and that Israel was born precisely in that fragile space between what is no longer and what is not yet.
January 28, 2026
When God is Mute – Interpretation and honesty in reading texts

In Theodicy and Parashat Beshalach by Calev Ben-Dor

Is it appropriate to sing God's praises, when God is utterly silent to our distress? Jewish tradition has addressed the question in different ways throughout history. Some of these answers may be helpful to us, living through a period that includes both unimaginable lows and historic highs.
January 25, 2024
Achieving Joy: Be a Simpleton

In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Beshalach by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Joy is not a “peak experience” which climaxes and ends suddenly, but rather a plateau. It is not the ecstatic fire of the moment but the glow of growing from within.
April 22, 2021
Jewish Self-Delusion

In Parashat Beshalach by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

How can we understand the self-delusion of the Jews who complained against Moshe for taking them out of Egypt? Obviously, the Israelites were well aware that their life in Egypt was not one of tranquility while sitting by pots of meat! I would suggest that they did not intend to deny the past, but that they wanted to deny the future. Not that it did not happen, but that it would not happen again!
January 25, 2018
The Virtues of Insanity

In Halacha, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Beshalach by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Judaism is about new ideas. It is dependent on fresh concepts deeply rooted in its tradition. Innovative thinking is the need of the hour. It is time for halachic authorities, rabbis, and religious thinkers to take notice of the immense changes that have taken place in our day. Never has the world gone through so many adjustments in so short a time. Never have the Jewish people been confronted with so many challenges. It is not only the security of the State of Israel that is at stake, but even more so, its very spirit and spiritual future.
April 16, 2015
The Splitting of the Red Sea and the Miracle of the State of Israel

In Parashat Beshalach by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

The establishment of the State of Israel was no doubt an epoch-making event. Only when the establishment of the State of Israel is seen in the light of the miracle at the Red Sea does the true miracle emerge.
April 10, 2014