The publication of Maimonides' Guide caused shock waves throughout the Jewish world. In Ashkenazi Franco-Germany, there was a sound rejection of the work. Their approach to Judaism was primarily based on the study of Bible and Talmud. Their...
That group of Spanish Kabbalists which centered on theosophy, the pondering of the meaning of creation, the nature of G-d and His connection with Man, the meaning of Torah and Mitzvot, reached its heights in the late thirteenth century. As...
The Kabbalistic interpretation of the mitzvot is far from the Mainmonist interpretation. Maimonides saw the mitzvot as primarily educational tools, to instill proper thought patterns and actions within us. For the Kabbalist, the mitzvot are...
In Judaism, and especially in the Kabbalistic interpretation of Judaism, a great deal of emphasis is put on the Names of G-d. In Tanakh and Talmud, there is but one ultimate Name; the four letter ineffable Name. It is forbidden to be pronounced...
As we have seen, the Kabbalah regards all of the Torah, indeed, all of creation, as combinations of energies, which can be expressed as letters, which ultimately are Names of G-d. Often these combinations are derived from a verse; often prayers...
In order to truly understand the background of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, indeed, of the entire Secular-Religious divide that has plagued the Jews in the Holy Land since the late nineteenth century, we need to examine the foundations of Jewish...
Herzl organized a number of conferences for all who accepted the ideal of a Jewish State. The first meeting was held in 1897. It was a sort of congress of different factions within the Zionist movement, and eventually became The World Zionist...
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) must be accounted as one of the most influential figures in Jewish history. Many love him, many hate him, but no one can ignore him. His father was a scholar in the Lithuanian "Yeshivish" tradition. He, too,...
Following the First World War, which also saw the Land of Israel come under the control of Great Britain, under a mandate from the League of Nations, Rav Kook became Chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Jerusalem. He appealed to the leadership of the Zionist...
The '50s saw a rather subdued Chief Rabbinate. It is difficult to relate to the feelings of that time. Israel was new, and its survival precarious. The first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, was tough. He saw it as his historical obligation to...
Although the most significant conflicts between the rabbinate and the government (and within the rabbinate) occurred around the year 1970, there was a preliminary cause celelbre in the early 1960s. Oswald Rufeisen was a Polish Jew, hidden, like...
The Langer case threatened to tare Israel apart. The rabbis appeared helpless. The secular wondered if there ever could be a way of coexisting with the religious. At this point, center stage is taken by Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1917-1994). Rabbi Goren...
The Langer case was by no means the only one tackled by Rabbi Goren. Ironically, his very brave moves to ease the secular public's opposition to halachah, largely backfired. At the same time as the Langer case, another challenge was on the...
Before we can talk about the after effects of the debacles of the Rabbinate of the '70s., we must address the profound changes in Israel at that time. The Six Day War of 1967 was followed by a remarkable euphoria; no one had expected Israel to...
The Chief rabbinate, under Rabbis Goren and Yosef, is generally deemed a failure. Time and energy were dissipated on internal disputes. After they left office, Rabbi Goren continued as the head of a Yeshiva, occasionally speaking his mind on one...
