Urim Publications Jerusalem · New York
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
TORAH TO-GO® Established by Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld April 2015 • Pesach-Yom Haatzmaut 5775
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future THE BENJAMIN AND ROSE BERGER TORAH TO-GO® Established by Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld April 2015 • Pesach-Yom Haatzmaut 5775 Dedicated in memory of Cantor Jerome L. Simons Featuring Divrei Torah from Rabbi Kenneth Brander • Rabbi Assaf Bednarsh Rabbi Josh Blass • Rabbi Reuven Brand Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff • Rona Novick, PhD Rabbi Uri Orlian • Rabbi Ari Sytner Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner • Rabbi Ari Zahtz Insights on Yom Haatzmaut from Rabbi Naphtali Lavenda Rebbetzin Meira Davis Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz 1 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Pesach 5775 We thank the following synagogues who have pledged to be Pillars of the Torah To-Go® project Congregation Kehillat Shaarei United Orthodox Beth Shalom Yonah Menachem Synagogues Rochester, NY Modiin, Israel Houston, TX Congregation The Jewish Center Young Israel of Shaarei Tefillah New York, NY New Hyde Park Newton Centre, MA New Hyde Park, NY For nearly a decade, the Benajmin and Rose Berger Torah To-Go® series has provided communities throughout North America and Israel with the highest quality Torah articles on topics relevant to Jewish holidays throughout the year. We are pleased to present a dramatic change in both layout and content that will further widen the appeal of the publication. You will notice that we have moved to a more magazine-like format that is both easier to read and more graphically engaging. In addition, you will discover that the articles project a greater range in both scholarly and popular interest, providing the highest level of Torah content, with inspiration and eloquence. -
Response to Rabbi Orlofsky's Lecture by Rabbi Natan Slifkin
Response to Rabbi Orlofsky’s Lecture By Rabbi Natan Slifkin Rabbi Orlofsky gave a Motzai Shabbos lecture in which he attacked my writings. He first claimed that if I reject the idea that Moshe was ten amos tall, then I am saying that the Gemara’s statement about the dimensions of the Mishkan etc. is wrong. No I am not; I am saying that we have not understood the Gemara correctly. (Incidentally, no children’s book, including Feldheim’s Chait Haggadah, depicts Moshe Rabbeinu as being ten amos tall. Are they all heretical?) The greatest irony is that Rabbi Moshe Shapiro, who Rabbi Orlofsky claims as his rebbe, follows the Maharal in stating that Moshe was not literally ten amos tall! Rabbi Orlofsky then brought up the topic of the letter of the ban and says that “the first thing people said was that nobody ever signed,” and adds that this is not the case, as he has the letters from Rav Shapiro, Rav Shiner, etc. (which he presumably downloaded from my website), a point to which he returns several times as a means to discredit me. But neither I nor anyone else ever claimed that every signature was forged; we just raised the possibility that some of them were. The letters of the rabbonim that Rabbi Orlofsky has were probably downloaded from my own website! So Rabbi Orlofsky has set up a straw man. And it subsequently turned out that according to Rav Aharon Feldman who spoke with Rav Elyashiv, Rav Elyashiv did not sign his name to the posted notice which said that the books contain kefirah. -
21 Sefer Shemot Rav Yitzchak Blau
Midreshet Lindenbaum Course Catalogue 5778/ 2017– 2018 TORAH: Sunday 9:00 - 11:30 am and Thursday 8:30 – 11:30 am Rav Shmuel Klitsner פרשנות We will examine Sefer Breishit and other Biblical texts with the classic parshanim as well as with modern literary commentaries. The aim of this course will be to attune the reader's ear to the sophisticated deployment of subtext, context, and inter-text (allusions), as well as to the artistic use of ambiguity, repetition, key words, and wordplay. A greater appreciation of Tanach as literature will lead to a more profound religious connection to Tanach as kitvei kodesh. Language: Hebrew Living as a Holy Nation Rav Rafi Eis At Har Sinai God charges the Israelites to be a holy nation. But what does that mean? We will first study Sefer Bamidbar which discusses the building of the community and nation, with all the messiness that comes when fiercely independent individuals form a community. In the second half of the year, we will learn Sefer Devarim to understand the essential lessons needed to live without God's overt miracles from generation to generation. Finally we will explore the sometimes esoteric ethic of sanctity through Sefer Vayikra. Parshat HaShavua: Living in Jewish Time Rav Tuvia Kaplan We will follow the parsha as it sets our agenda for the week. The stories of the avot, exile, yetziat Mitzrayim, Matan Torah, the Mishkan, korbanot and the beginning of life in the desert will be our "news" and topics of discussion for the week. We will be looking at the big picture, narrative themes and questions of parshanut. -
Nature and Its Discontents
Editor’s Thoughts: Nature and Its Discontents kolhamevaser.com/2019/01/28/editors-thoughts-nature-and-its-discontents/ kolhamevaser January 29, 2019 By: Daniel Shlian The word “nature” is rich with differing meanings. When a chemist describes something as “natural,” a purveyor of organic food products might disagree[i]. One person’s proclivity in any number of realms might be described as unnatural by those who do not share them, but is perfectly natural to those who do. Absent a rigorous definition, then, the word loses much of its usefulness. Despite the word’s vagueness, for many, “natural” implies something desirable and positive, perhaps idyllic, or “the way things were meant to be.” But should it imply desirability? The twentieth-century English philosopher G. E. Moore described the naturalistic fallacy: it is invalid to conclude that something is good from any of its natural properties.[ii] If something has the quality of being pleasant, that does not make it good. In Moore’s view, good is an irreducible property, not derivable from any other properties, just as the concept of “yellow” does not depend on any other concept, neither does the idea of “good.”[iii] Later philosophers have disputed Moore’s contentions, but as a purely logical tool; relating the good and the natural is not useful. I am neither an ethicist nor a philosopher, but I will phrase the question in slightly different terms: in a religious worldview wherein creation is a Divine process and nature is put in place by God, is “natural” better? Should we attempt to leave things in the universe the way they are, or are we meant to use the World for our own ends? Not at all surprisingly, Judaism’s sources are not quiet on the topic, but neither do they speak in a unified voice. -
The Flourishing of Higher Jewish Learning for Women
www.jcpa.org No. 429 26 Nisan 5760 / 1 May 2000 THE FLOURISHING OF HIGHER JEWISH LEARNING FOR WOMEN Rochelle Furstenberg Hundreds of Women Scholars / The Hafetz Haim Supports Women's Study in 1918 / Jewish Education Beyond High School / Nechama Leibowitz / Contemporary Jewish Studies for Women / The Ideology of Women's Study / Rabbinical Court Advocates / Women as Rabbinic Judges? / Halakhic Advisors / Women as Spiritual Leaders / Women's Unique Approach to Study This is written in memory of Daniel Elazar, whose sweet intelligence enriched the lives of all who touched him. His deep connectedness to Am Yisrael, his perception of human nature and the workings of the polity, his warmth, and yearning for justice and truth beyond the commonly accepted academic truths, made him a friend and mentor. Each time I spoke to him I came away with new insights about life and society, particularly Israeli society. * * * Hundreds of Women Scholars A revolution is taking place. Yet most of the orthodox community denies that it is a revolution. They look with wonder and pride at what is being created, and yet downplay the revolutionary aspect of this feminist development. To some extent, this soft-pedaling of the revolutionary aspect of women's study of Judaism is tactical. The leaders of the revolution are fearful of arousing the opposition of the conservative elements of the religious Establishment whom they need for both financial and institutional support. But most of all, revolution runs counter to the self-image of most of the orthodox women involved in women's study. Revolution is identified with the breakdown of tradition, and these women cherish and want to promote the tradition. -
The Question Kidneys' Counsel
The Question of the Kidneys’ Counsel Natan Slifkin Copyright © 2010 by Natan Slifkin Version 1.3 http://www.ZooTorah.com http://www.RationalistJudaism.com This monograph is adapted from an essay that was written as part of the course requirements for a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies at the Lander Institute (Jerusalem). This document may be purchased at www.rationalistjudaism.com Other monographs available in this series: The Evolution of the Olive Shiluach HaKein: The Transformation of a Mitzvah The Sun’s Path at Night Messianic Wonders and Skeptical Rationalists Sod Hashem Liyreyav: The Expansion of a Useful Concept 2 The Question of the Kidneys’ Counsel Introduction The kidneys (kelayot) are mentioned in Scripture in two contexts. On several occasions they are listed amongst the organs of an animal that are offered on the altar.1 But on over a dozen other occasions they are described as organs with functions relating to cognition (which itself may be the reason why they play a role in sacrificial rites, due to the animals’ kidneys representing the parallel organ in man2); specifically, functioning as the mind, conscience, or the source of counsel/ free will: You are present in their mouths, but far from their kidneys. (Jer. 12:2) I bless God, Who has counseled me; my kidneys admonish me at night. (Ps. 16:7) On several occasions, the kidneys are mentioned in this context together with the heart: God of Hosts, just Judge, Who examines the kidneys and heart... (Jer. 11:20) I, God, probe the heart, and examine the kidneys, and repay each man according to his ways, with the fruit of his deeds. -
The Novelty of Orthodoxy
The Novelty of Orthodoxy Natan Slifkin Copyright © 2011 by Natan Slifkin Version 1.0 http://www.ZooTorah.com http://www.RationalistJudaism.com This monograph is adapted from an essay that was written as part of the requirements for entering the doctoral program at Bar-Ilan University. This document may be purchased at www.rationalistjudaism.com Other monographs available in this series: The Evolution of the Olive Shiluach HaKein: The Transformation of a Mitzvah The Sun’s Path at Night Messianic Wonders and Skeptical Rationalists Sod Hashem Liyreyav: The Expansion of a Useful Concept The Question of the Kidneys’ Counsel The Novelty of Orthodoxy Natan Slifkin Introduction The term “Orthodoxy,” as applied to a certain approach within Judaism, is somewhat of a misnomer. Throughout Jewish history, with the prominent exception of Maimonides, Judaism always rated devotion to halachic observance above allegiance to dogma.1 Nevertheless, the term was apparently borrowed from Christianity and ultimately used to describe Jews that, following the challenges of modernity, emancipation and the haskalah, remained loyal to traditional Jewish beliefs and practices. The Orthodox themselves viewed themselves as simply authentically continuing the ways of old. Originally, historians viewed them in the same way, considering them less interesting than more visibly new forms of Judaism such as the haskalah and Reform. But beginning with the work of Joseph Ben-David2 and Jacob Katz,3 it was realized in academic circles that all this was nothing more than a fiction, a romantic fantasy. The very act of being loyal to tradition in the face of the massive changes of the eighteenth century forced the creation of a new type of Judaism. -
The Sun's Path at Night
The Sun’s Path at Night The Revolution in Rabbinic Perspectives on the Ptolemaic Revolution RABBI NATAN SLIFKIN Copyright © 2010 by Natan Slifkin Version 1.1 http://www.ZooTorah.com http://www.RationalistJudaism.com This monograph is adapted from an essay that was written as part of the course requirements for a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies at the Lander Institute (Jerusalem). This document may be freely distributed as long as it is distributed complete and intact. If you are reading a printed version of this document and you wish to download it in PDF format, see www.rationalistjudaism.com Cover photograph: An armillary sphere, depicting the Ptolemaic model of the cosmos. Other monographs available in this series: The Evolution of the Olive Shiluach HaKein: The Transformation of a Mitzvah The Question of the Kidney’s Counsel Sod Hashem Liyreyav: The Expansion of a Useful Concept Messianic Wonders and Skeptical Rationalists The Sun’s Path at Night: The Revolution in Rabbinic Perspectives on the Ptolemaic Revolution Natan Slifkin Introduction The clash between reason and authority has many manifestations. But it comes to the fore with the issue of statements by the Sages of the Talmud concerning the natural world that are subsequently contradicted by science. In traditionalist circles, arguments about this topic have become especially heated in recent years, with many ultra-Orthodox authorities claiming that to attribute such error to the Sages was never a traditional view and is actually heresy.1 Typically, arguments about this topic range far and wide, covering many different statements in the Talmud and Midrash. -
Was Rashi a Corporealist?
81 Was Rashi a Corporealist? By: NATAN SLIFKIN Views of God in Medieval France Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki of France (1040-1105), better known by the acronym Rashi, is revered for his lucid commentaries on the entire Scriptures and most of the Talmud. His writings have probably been more widely studied than those of any other rabbinic scholar in his- tory. But in this essay, we will address a question that has never been comprehensively and methodically investigated before: Was Rashi a corporealist? Did he believe that God possesses form? Most Orthodox Jews living in the last few hundred years would be shocked and offended at the question. They would immediately— and indignantly—answer that, of course, Rashi never believed any such nonsense. A simple chain of logic produces this conclusion: 1. It is heretical to believe that God possesses form. 2. Rashi was a Torah scholar of inconceivable greatness. 3. Hence Rashi could not have believed that God possesses form. However, the huge number of manuscripts available to us today reveals that in medieval Europe, and especially in Rashi’s homeland of France, it was by no means unthinkable to believe that God pos- sesses form. The Tosafist R. Moshe Taku asserts that God some- times takes on human form, and considers it heretical to deny—as Rambam does—His ability to do so.1 Rabbi Isaiah ben Elijah of Trani (known as Riaz, 1235-1300, grandson of Rid) speaks of schol- ars who believed in a corporeal God. He notes that they do not be- 1 Kesav Tamim, in Otzar Nechmad (Vienna, 1860). -
Kehilath Jeshurun Bulletin
CHATANIM SELECTED See Page 3 Kehilath Jeshurun Bulletin Volume LXXII, Number 2 September 27, 2002 22 Tishrei 5763 BEIT SHALOM JAPANESE CHOIR AT KJ ANNUAL KJ DINNER DANCE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002 8:00 PM SAVE THE DATE Join Us for This Outstanding Jewish Muscical Event DECEMBER 7, 2002 RABBI CHAIM BROVENDER TO BE BULOW SHABBAT SCHOLAR OCTOBER 18 – 19, 2002 FRIDAY NIGHT SHABBAT DINNER For over 25 years, Rabbi Chaim open, intellectual environment. At the Brovender has stood at the forefront of same time, with the founding of pioneering Jewish studies programs Michlelet Bruriah, now called for young men and women coming to Midreshet Lindenbaum, he paved the Israel for a year of learning. way for other women’s yeshiva-style A native New Yorker, Rabbi institutions. He has also taught in the Brovender attended Yeshiva London school of Jewish studies to University before making aliyah in train Orthodox rabbis for England and 1965. Dr. Brovender received his Europe and was the driving force doctorate from Hebrew University and behind Ohr Torah’s educational while studying for that degree began program in Moscow. Dr. Brovender’s teaching Judaism in that University’s students are teaching in Israel and overseas program. throughout the world using him as a Soon after, Rabbi Brovender role model to inspire others just as he Rabbi Chaim Brovender established Yeshivat Hamivtar for inspired them. men teaching Torah to beginners in an Cont’d on Page 2 KJ MISSIONS TO ISRAEL THANKSGIVING ISRAEL MISSION PASSOVER MISSION TO ISRAEL Tuesday, November 26 – Monday, December 2 April 14 – April 25 There will be a shiur at MaTaN by Dr. -
Bais Torah Bulletin פרשת ויצא הדלקת נרות 0044
BAIS TORAH BULLETIN פרשת ויצא הדלקת נרות 0044 ח‘ כסלו תש“פ December 6, 2019 ערב שבת ויצא Candle Lighting 4:09 WHAT’S NEW Mincha 4:15 This week’s Kiddush is co-sponsored by the Gottlieb and Rosenberg Shkiah 4:27 families in honor of the birth of their granddaughter and niece, and by those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries in the months of October, November, and December. Thank you to all the sponsors, and Mazal Tov שבת פרשת ויצא Hashkama 7:30 to all the celebrants! .is available for sponsorship סעודת שלישית Daf Yomi 8:00 Shacharis 8:45 Bais Torah offers streamed video shiurim through the Torah Confer- encing Network as follows: Rabbi Mansour’s shiur is Thursday nights at Sof Zman K”S 9:27 7:45, Rabbi Frand’s shiur is Thursday nights at 9 PM,and Rabbi Reisman’s Halacha 3:15 shiur is Motzoei Shabbos at 7:30 PM. Avos Ubanim continues this Motzoei Shabbos at 6:30 with learning, Mincha 0044 pizza and prizes! This week is sponsored by Dr. Yehuda and Judi Shkiah 72:4 Eliezri. The Avos Ubanim program offers a great opportunity to sponsor an evening of learning at a cost of only $50. Please contact Amy Gottlieb Maariv 5:10 at [email protected] or 845 216 1194 to be a part of this nationwide Shabbos Ends 5:18 program! Thank you David Abramczik and Mendy Rosenbaum for cleaning up Weekday Schedule: the snow and salting the entrances to the shul Week of 12/8-12/12 The Daf Yomi Shiurim for this coming week are available for sponsor- Shacharis ship Sun 7:45 Join us Motzei Shabbos January 4 at 8 PM for a Gala Siyum Hashas Melave Malka at Bais Torah with special guest speaker Rabbi Betzalel Mon.., Thurs 6:20, 7:45 Rudinsky .The cost is $50 per person, with many sponsorship opportuni- Tues.Weds.Fri ties available. -
Derech Hateva 2017.Pub
Derech HaTeva A Journal of Torah and Science A Publication of Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women Volume 21 2016-2017 Editors-In-Chief Allison Tawil | Elana Perlow Co-Editors Hannah Piskun | Miriam Saffern Cover Design Miriam Rosenblum Layout Design Shmuel Ormianer Printing Advanced Copy Center, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Acknowledgements The editors of this year’s volume would like to thank Dr. Harvey Babich for all of the time and effort that he puts into this journal. Even as Dr. Babich was recovering from his accident, students were not deprived of his guidance and assistance for all matters (emails almost every day of summer opportuni- ties, positions in labs, editing articles, recommendation letters…). Dr. Babich’s dedication to his students is nothing short of legendary, and Stern was not the same in the months of his recovery. We’re so happy to have you back where you belong. Thank you for everything. The publication of Volume 21 of this journal was only possible thanks to the generosity of the following donors: Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Babich Rabbi Joel and Dr. Miriam Grossman Dr. Fred and Dr. Sheri (Rosenfeld) Grunseid Mr. and Mrs. Sam Koslowsky Rabbi Dr. and Mrs. Edward Reichman Mr. and Mrs. Morris Rosenthal Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Solnica Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Spitz Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Solomowitz Dr. Howard and Dr. Leah Weintraub Torah Activities Council YU Undergraduate Admissions We thank you for making this opportunity possible. Allison Tawil Elana Perlow Hannah Piskun Miriam Saffern Dedication In prior volumes of Derech HaTeva the coeditors authored the dedication.