Category Archives: Al Reguel Ajat English

Professor David Biale comments that, since there is no central authority in Judaism, many popular beliefs, simply because they are mentioned in rabbinic literature, seem to have the approval of the rabbis, as is the case with magic and the … Seguir leyendo →

Sigismund Schlomo Freud (1856–1939) was born in Freiberg, Moravia, part of the Austrian Empire. His parents were originally from Galicia, a region in northwestern Ukraine. His family moved to Vienna when he was three years old. Freud lived in that … Seguir leyendo →

“Tsene-rene” is a book written in Yiddish by Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi, around 1590. The text is based on the structure of the “parashot” of the Torah, the weekly sections into which the Torah is divided, mixed with texts from … Seguir leyendo →

Glückel of Hameln was born in Hamburg in 1646. When she was twelve, her parents engaged her to Haym of Hameln, whom she married two years later. Over time, Haym became a successful businessman in Hamburg. They had fourteen children, … Seguir leyendo →

Menasheh ben Israel (1604-1657) was born into a family of Portuguese Jewish converts who left Lisbon fleeing the Inquisition, which had brought them to trial for secretly practicing Judaism. Menasheh’s exact birthplace is unknown; some say it was in La … Seguir leyendo →

Hasidic Judaism is a Jewish religious movement that originated in Ukraine in the 18th century. The students of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the movement, spread it throughout Eastern Europe and established «courts,» groups of Hasidim led by … Seguir leyendo →

Abraham Joshua Heschel, in his essay “A Time for Renewal,” asks: Who is a Jew? And he answers: “A person in whose life Abraham Avinu would feel at home, a person for whom Rabbi Akiva would feel a great affinity, … Seguir leyendo →

A.B. Yehoshua, in his article “Defining Who Is a Jew,” says: “To be Jewish, you don’t need to live in Israel, you don’t need to speak Hebrew, you don’t have to be formally part of a Jewish community, you don’t … Seguir leyendo →

We can simply define the concept of «identity» as the set of characteristics of a person that distinguish them from others. Therefore, Jewish identity is the set of Jewish characteristics of an individual that distinguish them from those who are … Seguir leyendo →

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, in his essay “A Presentation of Process Theology”, explains how the philosophy of ancient Greece and medieval Europe influenced our thinking with concepts that do not correspond to Judaism. Thinking that God is omnipotent, which means … Seguir leyendo →