Halacha

The Jewish Law

Halakhah is often translated as “Jewish law,” yet its literal meaning is “the way” — the path along which Jewish life unfolds. Rooted in the Torah and shaped through centuries of debate, interpretation, and responsa, Halakhah is not a static code but an ongoing conversation. It seeks to sanctify daily existence, bringing Divine presence into the concrete details of life.

  • Orthodox peers shun Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    In Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo featured in San Diego Jewish World

    Well-known Reform Rabbi Dow Marmur praises Rabbi Cardozo’s intellectual courage but argues that his refusal to collaborate across Jewish denominations limits his practical impact. In response, members of the Cardozo Academy Think Tank insist that his strength lies precisely in remaining within Orthodoxy—seeking to transform it from the inside rather than abandoning it for broader alliances.

  • When religious arguments descend into Hareidi bashing

    In Halacha by Yael Valier

    Recently yet another opportunity for Hareidi-bashing appeared, with the news that an 81 year-old woman is suing El Al after being forced to switch seats because a Hareidi man refused to sit next to her. Rabbi Marc Angel commented on the incident in a short article, "Thoughts on the Scandal on an El Al Airplane." But Rabbi Angel's critique misses a crucial point. In fact, there's reason to applaud one aspect of the Hareidi worldview.

  • The Desecration of Halacha

    In Education and Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    The foremost point of departure in any halachic decision must be that all people are created in the image of God and that all human life is holy. We forget this principle at our own peril

  • Youth with white kippah

    Oh, that I Could Take Off My Kippah!

    In Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Halacha is the external garment of an inner spiritual process that should be stimulated by those very halachic acts. For that to occur, much more has to be accomplished. To become religious is to face opposition, even from oneself – to dare, to defy, and even to doubt.

  • Conversion and Annie Fischer’s Interpretation of Schumann’s Klavierkonzert in A Minor

    In Converting to Judaism and Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Just as a human being who’s never had an encounter with classical music won’t know what he’s missing until he is introduced to Mozart, Beethoven or Bach, so it is with Judaism. But it all depends on who is playing the music.

  • The Dangling Bridges of Halacha

    Making rules where rules should not exist

    In Halacha and Parashat Nitzavim by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Halacha makes rules where rules should not exist but need to exist lest chaos ensue. But it is these very rules that create unsolvable problems that are inherent to our existence.

  • 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.

  • To Be Religious is to Be a Halachic Poet

    In Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Halacha is the practical expression of discovering the infinite within the finite.

  • My Brother and the Kosher Wine Bottle

    Defensive Halacha and Prophetic Halacha

    In Eliezer Berkovits and Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Laws such as issur maga nochri become an obstacle to the universal mission of the Jewish people when they are applied to those to whom they are not applicable.

  • Spinoza’s Sub Specie Aeternitatis and Yeshiva Students

    In Halacha and Spinoza by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Whenever I think of the huge demonstration of Chareidi yeshiva students at the beginning of this month, I think of Gateshead Yeshiva in England where I spent many years studying Talmud.

  • Halacha and Absurdity – Part 2

    In Halacha by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Once the human being has recognized that ultimately there is no way to know why God created the world and mankind, he can make his way back to reason and meaning. Once he leaves this “divine absurdity” behind as an unsolvable problem, his intelligence is able to guide him through the labyrinth of human existence.

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