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 by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Louis Jacobs is not at all as radical as some would like to believe. In fact, some ultra-Orthodox thinkers were even more radical than Rabbi Jacobs but remained completely committed to Orthodox Halacha and the belief in Torah from Heaven.
An Open Letter to Israel's Chief Rabbis
In Converting to Judaism and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The first convert and Jew, Avraham, was only asked to observe a few of the commandments. In the same way, we should allow potential converts this option to slowly work their way up to Sinai.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Va'era by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I am jealous of atheists because they are able to believe the unbelievable. And I, in my simplicity, cannot reach that state of belief.
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai or A.B. Yehoshua?
In Israel, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Yom HaShoah by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Rabbi Yochanan taught us that Jews can survive without Israel, as long as there is Torah, the portable homeland of the Jewish people. But Jews will not survive solely because of the existence of Israelโhowever powerful it may beโif Israel does not incorporate a large percentage of Jewish traditional resources.
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
ืืืืืืช ืืืืคืืื ืฉื ืืขื ืืืืืื ืืืืืจ ืขื ืื ืืืืืื โ ืืืืฆืจืื ืืขื ืืืืื ืื, ืืจืืืืื ืืืคืจืกืื... ืืขื ืื ืืฆืื โ ืืืืื ืขืฉืืื ืืืืืช ืชืืฆืื ืฉื ืืืชื ืืชืขืจืืืช ืืืคื ืืช ืงืื ื. ืืืขืฉื ืืืจื ืืื ืฉื ืืืช, ืืื ืืื ืืืฆืจ ื ืฆื.
In Franz Rosenzweig, Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Liturgy & Ritual and Parashat Terumah by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
To attend synagogue is an art. People must come with a sincere urge to discover their Jewishness, to reconnect with their inner being and with the Jewish people. To enter the synagogue is to hope for a metamorphosis in oneโs soul and a transformation of oneโs personality.
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 Jewsโ commitment to keeping interpersonal mitzvot. Beneath the divisiveness of traditional commitment lie underpinnings of religion such as compassion, humility, awe, and even faith.
Would you convert?
In Franz Rosenzweig, Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Moses and Parashat Yitro by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Yitro confronts us for the first time with a new phenomenon: to be a Jew by choice. He presents all Jews with a major challenge: how to become a Jew by choice even when one has been born into the fold.
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
ืืขืงืืืช ืืฆืืืื ืืืกืืืืช ืฉื ืชืขืฉืืืช ืืืฉืจ, ืื ืืืืืื ื ืืืืช ื ืฉืืืืช ืืื ืืื, ืืืชืืืืก ืืืขืื ืืืื ืืฆืืจื ืืืื ืืช, ืืคื ืฉืืืืื ืืืืืืืช ืืืจืฉืช, ืืคื ืืืืจ ืืืชืจ ืืืืชืจ ืงืฉื, ืื ืื ืืืืชื ืืคืฉืจื. ืืืืืช ืฉืืืื ืืฆืขืจ ืืขืื ืืืื ืืืื ื ืืงืืืืืช ืืืืืืืช ืฉืืืื ืืฉืจ ืืคืจืงืื, ืื ืืชืขืฉืืื ืืขื ืงืืช ืฉืืฉ ืื ื ืืืื, ืื ืืืืงืื ืืืื ืืื ื ืืืืืื ืืืืฉืืจ. ืืื ืื ืจืืื ืืืฃ ืจืฆืื ืืืฆื ืขื ืืื ืื ืฉืืื, ืฉืืืืืื ืืชืืื ืืืคืื ืืฆืืืื ืืื?
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Moses and Parashat Shemot by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
What was Mosheโs secret that enabled him to continue to fight for his goals, in spite of everything, and succeed where so many others would have failed? The answer is simple: he knew how to lose. He knew that his failures were in fact the building blocks for his future successes.
A Warning to Our Rabbis
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Balak by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
How much might Judaism have benefited from people like Jesus, Elisha Ben Avuyah and Spinoza, had they not been rejected and had they contributed to the tradition in which they were raised?
The Birth of Non-Jewish Jewish Communities
In Converting to Judaism and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Today, Israel has many thousands of immigrants who are of Jewish descent, yet not halachically Jewish. Should we convert them even though we know that they will not live a fully committed Jewish life? Or should we abandon them, basically ignoring and excluding them as we do now? I believe there is a third way, a way of reconciling these difficulties.