Monthly Archives: octubre 2024

A problem that concerns every sensible Jew is the existence of Jews who observe many mitzvoth but are, nevertheless, unethical people. To think that being religious automatically makes a person ethical is a mistake, for a Jew cannot be considered … Seguir leyendo →

During the Roman siege of Jerusalem (1st century CE) an old teacher, Yochanan ben Zakai, managed to slip away and with the permission of the invading army, established a Pharisaic academy at Yavneh, on the Mediterranean coast near Jaffa. At … Seguir leyendo →

In the book of Exodus 33:13 Moses asks God: “…if I have found favor in your eyes, please show me your way, so that I may know you…” The question is one of those existential questions: Why do good people … Seguir leyendo →

In the book of Shmot (Exodus 24:12), it is written: “God says to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments that I have … Seguir leyendo →

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, in his book It’s a Mitzvah!, tells us: “The language of Judaism is its mitzvot, the commandments through which a Jew makes the world a more sacred, more sensitive, more just, and more compassionate place. Some … Seguir leyendo →

We all know the story told in the first chapters of Genesis, where God, after finishing Creation, tells Adam and Eve that they can eat from any tree except for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then comes … Seguir leyendo →

In Pirkei Avot, our sages say that we must be as careful in performing a minor mitzvah as we are in performing a major one. All mitzvot should be fulfilled equally.But what happens in those moments when two commandments conflict … Seguir leyendo →