Yom Ha’atzmaut – The Eternal Marriage
No marriage has lasted so long, been so deep in its commitment and so overwhelming in its love as the one between the Jews and their homeland.
Thoughts to Ponder
Thoughts to Ponder is a weekly invitation to think dangerously and question passionately. Drawing on the Torah portion, classical Jewish sources, philosophy, and the crises of contemporary life, Rabbi Cardozo challenges religious complacency and spiritual comfort. These essays are written for readers who seek a Judaism that disturbs, questions, and ultimately deepens the human encounter with God and responsibility.
-
-
My Chareidi and Modern Orthodox Struggles (Part 2)
I believe the world is constantly changing because this is the will of God. God doesn’t want a static world. From the very beginning, we see an evolving world that is constantly on the move and trying to improve itself (with ups and downs). New conditions express God’s will, and it follows that God wants Halacha to “change” accordingly.
-
My Chareidi and Modern Orthodox Struggles
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
It’s important to realize that nobody can inherit religion, not even from oneself. It has to be an ongoing discovery. I converted when I was 16, but over the years I’ve come to realize that to convert only once is almost meaningless.
-
Radical Otherness and the Israeli Elections
Israel’s very existence is the manifestation of divine intervention in history to which it must attest.
-
Book Review: The Passover Haggadah of Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Berkovits
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Passover by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
It is a great joy to study Faith and Freedom: Passover Haggadah, With Commentary from the Writings of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits. In this Haggadah, not only do we find very interesting insights by Rabbi Berkovits on themes that relate to Pesach, but we also get somewhat of an introduction to his philosophy and unique halachic approach in general.
-
Purim – Serious Reflections on the Proper Use of Alcohol
Some appropriately irreverent thoughts to...well, no, not to ponder on the occasion of Purim.
-
The Hardship and Privilege of Honest Teaching: The Baal Teshuva Movement Impasse
In Education, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Rav Kook by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I strongly believe that new ideas, ideologies and movements are God-given and have great religious meaning. This means that we are religiously obligated to incorporate them into Judaism—sometimes by just accepting them and other times by reworking them.
-
Critics, Laughter and Writing Serious Stuff: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo – Question 7 (Part 2)
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Rav Kook by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
It is important to remember that great controversies are also great emancipators. They give us new and fresh insights. We are in dire need of them. We should not only allow them but encourage our students to advance them!
-
My Controversy with the Mainstream Orthodox Community – Part 1
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I am often attacked for my views, and I understand that. To question our views, with the implication that we may need to change our ways, is not always pleasant. But if we want to make sure that Judaism has a future, we have no option but to take that road.
-
My Fascination with the Chaotic World of the Talmud: Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
The Talmud is the ongoing discussion of what God wants from us while, for the most part, not giving us a final answer and leaving us in limbo. Why is this? Because it is only through discussion and disagreement that a tradition can stay alive and be relevant. Once it is finalized, it will die. This is the reason that I object so strongly to the codification of Jewish law.
-
The Kotzker, Spinoza and I – Ten Questions for Rabbi Cardozo by Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz
In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Spinoza and The Kotzker Rebbe by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I've always wondered what would have happened if Spinoza had met the Kotzker. Both were obsessed with truth, but each approached it from a different point of view. In Spinoza's pantheism, there is a strong Kabbalistic element but, simultaneously, a denial of a personal (biblical) God. However much some Spinoza scholars want to claim that all of his philosophy was based on pure reason, it is very clear that there are elements in his philosophy that reveal aspects of mysticism. Both were searching for God and knew no compromise.
-
The Sanctity of Shabbat and the Needs of the State of Israel
In Halacha, Parashat Acharei Mot and Shabbat by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
However much money Israel may make from hosting Eurovision, it is absolutely wrong and shameful that Israel’s leadership will allow violation of Shabbat on this occasion. It is self-evident that this has nothing to do with pikuach nefesh. Israel should cancel the Eurovision Song Contest if its organizers are not prepared to find a solution so that Israel can keep its head high and show the world what it means to stand for one’s principles.