Jewish Thought and Philosophy

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.

  • An Open Letter to Rabbi Serfaty, The Portuguese-Spanish Synagogue, Amsterdam

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Spinoza by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    As an orthodox Rabbi who studied in the ultra-Orthodox Gateshead Yeshiva in England for many years and who has read all of Spinoza’s works, I am of the opinion that Spinoza sometimes deliberately misrepresents Judaism. I am also aware that Spinoza wrote remarkable, noble observations about human beings, nature and society which have helped all of us. I strongly object to deeming anyone who studies, researches and teaches Spinoza a “persona non grata.”

  • Man against horizon

    Happiness: Crawling Through One’s Own Web

    In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Question: My whole life I saved and saved, and as a result lived a very modest life - I was always told to prepare for a rainy day. Now I am already toward the end my life, have amassed significant funds, and am able to leave an inheritance for my children. However, on reflection I feel something is missing... did I live my life correctly?

  • The Wisdom of the Bus Driver: Love Your Fellow As Yourself!

    In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Loving one's fellow as oneself is a central tenet and practical commandment of our religion. And yet, as simple as it sounds, its application is extremely difficult. Even those well-versed in the intricacies of the significance and laws governing this precept have difficulty incorporating it into their inner selves and actions. On occasion, it takes the insight and words of a bus driver to properly inculcate this love for one's fellow.

  • Children’s Toys and Trivializing Torah

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Human beings are uniquely blessed with the faculty of imagination, and they possess nearly unlimited potential for constructive fantasy. Imagination is essential for advancement and progress throughout the world, which is also the case for Torah study. And yet, the sophistication invested in the production of toys for our children limits their processes of pretense, and thus the possibility for innovation and new insights in Torah learning.

  • The Mystery of the Missing Verse and the Problem of Evil

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    There is a pasuk (verse), missing from the Torah, a verse that is the most important of all—without which the Torah is not complete! This missing verse should have been written before the first verse in the Torah: “In the beginning God created heaven and earth.” This verse should have told us why God “decided” to create heaven and earth, the millions of stars, black holes, animals, vegetation, and above all, human beings. The absence of this verse is deliberate—for there is no way to write it; it could only have been “written” in God’s personal “language” that is beyond the capability of humankind to understand. The implications of this missing verse have profound meaning for human existence.

  • A Short Introduction to God

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Spinoza by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    While in pantheistic and other non-monotheistic philosophies, the Divine has no moral input, nothing could be further from the Jewish concept of God. For Judaism, God is the source par excellence of all moral criteria. And yet, on occasion He Himself seems to violate these very moral criteria — such as in the case when He causes a devastating flood in the days of Noah. God is a conscious Being Who created the world with a purpose. And this world is real and by no means a mirage. The human being’s deeds are of great value, far from an illusion; they are the very goal of creation. Judaism objects to the pantheistic view of the human being since it depersonalizes him, ultimately leading to his demoralization.

  • Parashat Bereshit: The First Divine Commandment is to Enjoy the World

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

    It is often thought that God’s first commandment to Adam was the prohibition regarding the Tree of Knowledge. This would mean that man’s first encounter with the will of God was a negative experience: a restriction. However, this isn't actually true: This was not the first commandment! Careful analysis of the text shows that the first commandment to Adam and Chava was to eat from all the other trees and enjoy them.

  • Retirement Homes, Afterlife and the Denial of Death

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Only when we realize that our world has become barer and barer, and incapable of giving itself ultimate meaning is there hope that we may recapture the possibility of an afterlife Our denial of the afterlife and the need for a spiritual passport to continue the road has created enormous psychological problems.

  • Prayer, and Authentic and Unauthentic Sexuality

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    The beauty of the human body in the eyes of another human is beyond comprehension just as God’s “splendor” is. However, when the beauty of the body is used for the wrong reasons it becomes vulgar, and the inner Divine beauty is exposed and violated.

  • The Encounter with the Divine, Prayer and Sexuality

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    I am often asked whether I actually experience moments of God’s Presence. This is a difficult question to answer, because it relates to things that cannot be verified by conventional means. It touches on something that does not fall within the parameters of any other experience.

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