To think Jewishly is to stand at the edge of certainty and still choose to believe, question, and seek. Jewish thought lives in the tension between faith and doubt, law and freedom, eternity and change.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and The Ishbitzer by Yehuda DovBer Zirkind
Part 1 of a series discussing the ideas of the Chassidic master, Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica, Poland (1800-1854), also known as the Mei Hashiloach, after the title of the book containing his teachings.
75 Years After the Holocaust
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Theodicy and Yom HaShoah by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Rembrandt reminds us that if we want to really live we must show flawless integrity and demonstrate great authenticity. It is all about making a genuine contribution to the world, with no regard for gain, and even being prepared to pay the price of one’s rank and position in the conventional community. A person must make sure that he can look himself in the mirror at the end of his life and say, I lived my life; it did not just pass me by.
In Defense of Heresy
In Converting to Judaism, Education, Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Moses and Parashat Shemot by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism was born out of opposition, rebellion and protest. It overthrew and outlived mighty empires and gave the world a radically new understanding of itself. Judaism has nothing to fear. It has prevailed over all those who criticized it but has also learned much about itself by listening to opposing voices. Through these voices, it has been able to sharpen its own claims and if necessary change its mind when the inadequacy of these claims has become clear. Only in this way will it continue to play a central role in the future of mankind.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Last week, something remarkable happened. Thousands of Jews from all over the world came together to study the last page of an old book with the ineffable anticipation of starting to study it all over again from page one and not to lose a minute.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Faith means striving for faith. It is never an arrival. It can only burst forth at singular moments. It does not arise out of logical deduction, but out of uncertainty, which is its natural breeding ground. To have faith is to live with unresolved doubts, prepared to rise above ourselves and our wisdom. Looking into the Jewish tradition with its many debates, one clearly understands that those who deny themselves the comfort of certainty are much more authentic than those who are sure.
In Abraham, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Chayei Sarah by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Leadership often demands moving forward at all costs. But what about those left behind? In Avraham we find a different model—one who leads from the front, yet never abandons those at the rear. A profound reflection on what it truly means to guide others.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Yom Kippur by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The day after Yom Kippur, the synagogue service really should be a completely different experience from what people are used to. Yom Kippur should still be in the bones of all synagogue participants. Its spirit should still be felt with every prayer. It should be completely impossible for synagogue services to return to their old ways, in which prayers are said as if “nothing happened.”
A Letter to a Friend
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Why do we believe that revelation may be possible? If revaluation is by definition not amenable to scientific investigation, what other faculty is available to us to contemplate the prospect of revelation? Believe it or not, this depends on our openness and capacity to wonder, to be perplexed and stand in amazement, which happens when we have no other way of dealing with something extraordinary.
Halacha and the Microscopic Search for God
In Halacha, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Re'eh by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism is a protest against taking life for granted. There are no insignificant phenomena or deeds in this world, and it is through Halacha's demands and interference in our daily life that we are made aware of God as our steadfast Companion.
Death and Mourning in Halakhah
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism’s recognition of God is not the triumphant outcome of philosophical deduction. It results from the performance of mitzvoth. Through the observance of the commandments we perceive the Commander.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Parashat Pinchas and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
To set one’s schedule around fixed times—for prayers, for meals, for learning, etc.—does not only inject order into one’s life, but also meaning; and as such one gains an opportunity to sanctify those moments. The chaos of a week without order, of days without set times, is yet another manifestation of the secularization of society and the profanation of the sacred.
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Halacha is the greatest chess game on earth. It is the Jewish game par excellence. For people who want to live a life of great meaning and depth, nothing is more demanding and torturous while simultaneously uplifting and mind-broadening. They love the rules because they are the way to freedom. Certainly chess is just a game, while Halacha, if properly understood and lived, deals with real life, deep religiosity, moral dilemmas, emotions, and intuitions far more significant in a person’s life than a chess game.