Nicolaes Maes and the Uproar in Our Souls
Nicolaes Maes’ "Old Woman at Prayer" is a profound reminder of what we should strive for on Rosh Hashana.
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.
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The Rebellion of Chief Rabbi Sacks
Let it be said. Jonathan Sacks has been a rebellious chief rabbi. Now that he is stepping down, we had better keep an eye on him and hope he will become even more of an insurgent.
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The Challenge and Opportunities at Limmud
Judaism is the most astonishing and daring religion the world has been blessed with. It defies definition, standing head and shoulders above anything else I know. It is not just a faith, a sentiment, or a ritual;
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Autobiography – Lonely But Not Alone
A Spiritual Short Autobiography by a Jew Who Should Never Have Been
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The Rise and Fall of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate
In Halacha and Rav Kook by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Our later chief rabbis, some of them very righteous and willing to make great personal sacrifices, have lacked theological and philosophical background. They have remained exclusively in the four cubits of Jewish law, and have seemingly never studied secular or general religious philosophy.
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The Need to Be a Stranger
One commandment repeated numerous times in the Torah is the one that requires the Jews to be concerned about the welfare of the stranger in their midst. We must conclude that there is something in this imperative that is central to the mystery of the Jews and Judaism.
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The Tragedy of Forgetting our Mission
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.
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A Protest against Rabbinical Tyranny
Freedom in doctrine and conformity in action was the overall policy to which the Talmudic rabbis were committed, even when convinced of certain fundamental truths. This is evident when one studies the relationship between the biblical text and the Oral Torah: minimum words and maximum interpretation.
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Halakhah as Symphony
From the Ideal to the Idyllic
In Halacha and Spinoza by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Critics from Paul to Spinoza saw Jewish law as a system of rigid rules that suffocate the spirit. But what if the opposite is true? Perhaps Halacha is not meant to suppress creativity but to awaken it. Like the notes of a musical score, the mitzvot guide human action until life itself becomes a living composition—one in which the soul finally hears the music of God.
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The Expulsion of God from Halacha
In Halacha and Jewish Thought and Philosophy by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Halacha has been disconnected from a conscious awareness of God. Today, halachic living ignores Him.
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The Absurdity of Halacha – Part 1
Much has been written about the meaning and purpose of Halacha, based on philosophy, metaphysics and psychology. Scholars have suggested that Halacha is the art of living in the presence of God. Others have posited that it requires the need to live a life dedicated to kedusha (holiness), while many argue that Halacha’s purpose is to achieve a high level of ethical standards.
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Racism and Gentile Wisdom
The Israelites' experience of slavery had made them utterly convinced that mankind at large was anti-Semitic. God therefore sent them a righteous gentile by the name of Yitro, to impress upon them that the non-Jewish world includes remarkable people, who not only possess much wisdom but actually love the people of Israel and contribute to Jewish life.