When i was in college in the late '60s, the feminist movement was just beginning. Ongoing debates were common in and out of class, as to the nature of femininity. Do women think and react differently from men by nature, or because the two sexes...
First of all, we need to be clear that Torah is NOT an egalitarian document. There is a difference between an Israelite and a non-Israelite, between and Israelite and a Levi, between a Levi and a Kohen. I am a Levi. Only a Kohen may arise and do...
About a year ago, I wrote a series on the history and beliefs of non-Orthodox groups. If there is interest, I can post it here as well. My intention in this article is not to bash or condemn, but rather to learn from history.The Conservative...
Conservatism took a huge dive in membership after adopting the idea of ordaining women, and the subsequent acceptance of full female participation at religious services. But why? There is no doubt that much of this was plain sexism. But it goes...
We have seen how pressures for "equality" of women in the Conservative movement brought about changes that none had foreseen at the beginning of the controversy, and how rather than expanding the movement, it left it in a state of near collapse....
The women's movement has been the catalyst in all Jewish groups for raising difficult questions. Answers are even more difficult. Are we to allow, or even encourage, hitherto unknown practices in order to allow women on the one hand a sense of...
The Shavu'ot holiday commemorates the Revelation at Sinai. We are so accustomed to hearing this story, that we are often unmoved by the most remarkable event of G-d not only communicating with Man, but with an entire Nation! On Shavu'ot morning,...
After Talmudic times, until the late seventeenth century, communities (and rabbis) were fairly independent. True, there were times and places where a group of cities, or even an entire country, would get together in a confederation, complete with...
The system of Daat Torah; turning to a group of men who are both learned and of the greatest integrity, would seem like it would be the best vehicle for both bringing about a consensus, and arriving at truth. Often, it has worked that way....
Another issue that many have with the Daat Torah idea is the fact that nearly all the "Gedolim" are of the Lithuanian stream of Orthodoxy. The Jews of Lithuania (and surrounding areas) developed a system of study involving deep analytics of...
A corollary to this idea of making one Judaism, with common, codified beliefs, is, in my opinion, a "dumbing down" of Judaism. Orthodox Judaism has always included a spectrum of approaches and understandings, albeit united by certain basic...
A crucial idea in the debate of Daat Torah, is a Talmudic statement that in order to truly understand the Torah, we must inculcate "Emunat Chachamim". This is usually translated as "Faith in the Sages". How is this to be understood? The Torah...
A person approaching Torah for the first time, will be struck by the almost total lack of doctrine or theology. The central feature of Scripture is the Laws of G-d (mitzvot). Narrative sections almost always lead up to how we received these laws,...
In the Talmud, we have widely differing views on the purpose and meaning of the Mitzvot. Some of the rabbis saw them as the "pipeline" for Divine blessing. Some rejected any earthly meaning or benefit, and saw them as preparing our places in...
Maimonides "Guide for the Perplexed" sent shock waves through the Jewish world. The main reason that it does not do that very much today, is that the real issues that it deals with are now non-issues. Aristotelian concepts of the eternity of the...
