Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 – 1972)
Rabbi Heschel was a descendant of preeminent rabbinic families of Europe: the family of Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, and that of Rebbe Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl of Apt, the Apter Rebbe – Ohev Yisroel. He was the youngest of six children. In his teens he received a traditional yeshiva education, and obtained traditional semicha, rabbinical ordination at the age of 16.
In Heschel and Parashat Ha'azinu by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Moshes’ final ascent in Ha’azinu is not a defeat but a masterclass in how to die—by first learning how to live. Ha’azinu invites us to hear life as a composition: rehearsed through daily practice and resolved in a final, dignified cadence. To live and die with grace is not resignation but art: shaping a soul that can leave a world more awake than we found it.
The Red Heifer and the Ritual of Paradox
In Halacha, Heschel, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Chukat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Ritual is of utmost importance because it is capable of touching the deepest corners of our hearts—parts of us that are beyond the reach of other influences. It bypasses cognitive resistance and imprints meaning on the soul.
In Franz Rosenzweig, Heschel and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
With the terrible pogrom which took place in my hometown, Amsterdam, and the ongoing Anti-Semitism in Europe, the United States, and indeed worldwide, it is time to give proper attention to one of the great mistakes of modern Jewish history. This is the myth that if Jews would only “normalize” themselves, anti-Semitism would come to an end. This constantly repeated mantra has proven to be entirely wrong and in fact, dangerous.
Israel at War
In Heschel, Israel and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The disastrous situation in which Israel finds itself at this hour asks for serious self-reflection on a level unfamiliar to many of us.
In Heschel, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Mishpatim by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism demands everything—every moment, every action, every detail. And yet, those who live by it celebrate this burden with joy. Why? Because what looks like a system of laws may actually be something far more radical: a covenant of compliments.
Some thoughts inspired by the writings of Avraham Joshua Heschel
In Heschel and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
There is little doubt that secular Jews, consciously or unconsciously, keep a large number of commandments. Many of them may not be in the form of rituals, but there is massive evidence pointing to secular Jews’ commitment to keeping interpersonal mitzvot. Beneath the divisiveness of traditional commitment lie underpinnings of religion such as compassion, humility, awe, and even faith.
Wanted: Rabbinical Courage
In Heschel and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Orthodox leaders must remember is that we owe much of our knowledge not to those who agreed with us, but to those who differed and therefore challenged us to sharpen our minds.
In Heschel, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Emor by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
We Jews are messengers, but we have forgotten the message. It is our obligation to rediscover it and advance it into eternity.
In Heschel and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I have learned to be constantly thankful to God for His incredible gift of children, children-in-law and grandchildren. I learned this on Friday, June 11, 2010, when my wife and I nearly lost a daughter and three grandchildren.