The Problem of Evil
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Should Bakeries Which Are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? a Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER
Should Bakeries Which are Open on Shabbat Be Supervised? A Response to the Rabinowitz-Weisberg Opinion RABBI HOWARD HANDLER This paper was submitted as a response to the responsum written by Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz and Ms. Dvora Weisberg entitled "Rabbinic Supervision of Jewish Owned Businesses Operating on Shabbat" which was adopted by the CJLS on February 26, 1986. Should rabbis offer rabbinic supervision to bakeries which are open on Shabbat? i1 ~, '(l) l'\ (1) The food itself is indeed kosher after Shabbat, once the time required to prepare it has elapsed. 1 The halakhah is according to Rabbi Yehudah and not according to the Mishnah which is Rabbi Meir's opinion. (2) While a Jew who does not observe all the mitzvot is in some instances deemed trustworthy, this is never the case regarding someone who flagrantly disregards the laws of Shabbat, especially for personal profit. Maimonides specifically excludes such a person's trustworthiness regarding his own actions.2 Moreover in the case of n:nv 77n~ (a violator of Shabbat) Maimonides explicitly rejects his trustworthiness. 3 No support can be brought from Moshe Feinstein who concludes, "even if the proprietor closes his store on Shabbat, [since it is known to all that he does not observe Shabbat], we assume he only wants to impress other observant Jews so they will buy from him."4 Previously in the same responsum R. Feinstein emphasizes that even if the person in The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halakhah for the Conservative movement. -
The Intersection of Gender and Mitzvot Dr
The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies Walking with Mitzvot Edited By Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson ogb hfrs andvhfrs Rabbi Patricia Fenton In Memory of Harold Held and Louise Held, of blessed memory The Held Foundation Melissa and Michael Bordy Joseph and Lacine Held Robert and Lisa Held Published in partnership with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. THE INTERSECTION OF GENDER AND MITZVOT DR. RABBI ARYEH COHEN TO START WITH A COUPLE alakhah, or Jewish Law, it has been often noted, is as much a pedagogical system as a legal system. The goal of the Hmitzvot as codified and explicated in the halakhic system is to create a certain type of person. Ideally this is a person who is righteous and God fearing, a person who feels and fulfills their obligation towards God as well as towards their fellows. Embedded into this goal, of necessity, is an idea or conception of what a person is. On the most basic level, the mitzvot “construct” people as masculine and feminine. This means that the halakhic system, or the system of mitzvot as practiced, classically define certain behaviors as masculine and others as feminine. The mitzvot themselves are then grouped into broad categories which are mapped onto male and female. Let’s start with a couple of examples. The (3rd century CE) tractate Kiddushin of the Mishnah begins with the following law: “A woman is acquired in three ways, with money, with a contract and with sex.” The assumption here is that a man “acquires” a woman in marriage and not the reverse. -
The Marriage Issue
Association for Jewish Studies SPRING 2013 Center for Jewish History The Marriage Issue 15 West 16th Street The Latest: New York, NY 10011 William Kentridge: An Implicated Subject Cynthia Ozick’s Fiction Smolders, but not with Romance The Questionnaire: If you were to organize a graduate seminar around a single text, what would it be? Perspectives THE MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR JEWISH STUDIES Table of Contents From the Editors 3 From the President 3 From the Executive Director 4 The Marriage Issue Jewish Marriage 6 Bluma Goldstein Between the Living and the Dead: Making Levirate Marriage Work 10 Dvora Weisberg Married Men 14 Judith Baskin ‘According to the Law of Moses and Israel’: Marriage from Social Institution to Legal Fact 16 Michael Satlow Reading Jewish Philosophy: What’s Marriage Got to Do with It? 18 Susan Shapiro One Jewish Woman, Two Husbands, Three Laws: The Making of Civil Marriage and Divorce in a Revolutionary Age 24 Lois Dubin Jewish Courtship and Marriage in 1920s Vienna 26 Marsha Rozenblit Marriage Equality: An American Jewish View 32 Joyce Antler The Playwright, the Starlight, and the Rabbi: A Love Triangle 35 Lila Corwin Berman The Hand that Rocks the Cradle: How the Gender of the Jewish Parent Influences Intermarriage 42 Keren McGinity Critiquing and Rethinking Kiddushin 44 Rachel Adler Kiddushin, Marriage, and Egalitarian Relationships: Making New Legal Meanings 46 Gail Labovitz Beyond the Sanctification of Subordination: Reclaiming Tradition and Equality in Jewish Marriage 50 Melanie Landau The Multifarious -
Speaker Materials
Speaker Materials Partnering organizations: The Akdamut – an Aramaic preface to our Torah Reading Rabbi Gesa S. Ederberg ([email protected]) ַאְקָדּמוּת ִמִלּין ְוָשָׁריוּת שׁוָּת א Before reciting the Ten Commandments, ַאְוָלא ָשֵׁקְלָא ַהְרָמןְוּרשׁוָּת א I first ask permission and approval ְבָּבֵבי ְתֵּרי וְּתַלת ְדֶאְפַתְּח בּ ַ ְקשׁוָּת א To start with two or three stanzas in fear ְבָּבֵרְי דָבֵרי ְוָטֵרי ֲעֵדי ְלַקִשּׁישׁוָּת א Of God who creates and ever sustains. ְגּבָוּרן ָעְלִמין ֵלהּ ְוָלא ְסֵפק ְפִּרישׁוָּת א He has endless might, not to be described ְגִּויל ִאְלּוּ רִקיֵעי ְק ֵ ָי כּל חְוּרָשָׁת א Were the skies parchment, were all the reeds quills, ְדּיוֹ ִאלּוּ ַיֵמּי ְוָכל ֵמיְכִישׁוָּת א Were the seas and all waters made of ink, ָדְּיֵרי ַאְרָעא ָסְפֵרי ְוָרְשֵׁמַי רְשָׁוָת א Were all the world’s inhabitants made scribes. Akdamut – R. Gesa Ederberg Tikkun Shavuot Page 1 of 7 From Shabbat Shacharit: ִאלּוּ פִ יוּ מָ לֵא ִשׁיָרה ַכָּיּ ם. וּלְשׁו ֵוּ ִרָנּה כַּהֲמון גַּלָּיו. ְושְפתוֵתיוּ ֶשַׁבח ְכֶּמְרֲחֵבי ָ רִקיַע . וְעֵיֵיוּ ְמִאירות ַכֶּשֶּׁמ שׁ ְוַכָיֵּרַח . וְ יָדֵ יוּ פְ רוּשות כְּ ִ ְשֵׁרי ָשָׁמִי ם. ְוַרְגֵליוּ ַקלּות ָכַּאָיּלות. ֵאין אֲ ַ ְחוּ ַמְסִפּיִקי ם לְהודות לְ ה' אֱ להֵ יוּ וֵאלהֵ י ֲאבוֵתיוּ. וְּלָבֵר ֶאת ְשֶׁמ עַל ַאַחת ֵמֶאֶלף ַאְלֵפי אֲלָ ִפי ם ְוִרֵבּי ְרָבבות ְפָּעִמי ם Were our mouths filled with song as the sea, our tongues to sing endlessly like countless waves, our lips to offer limitless praise like the sky…. We would still be unable to fully express our gratitude to You, ADONAI our God and God of our ancestors... Akdamut – R. Gesa Ederberg Tikkun Shavuot Page 2 of 7 Creation of the World ֲהַדר ָמֵרי ְשַׁמָיּא ְו ַ שׁ ִלְּיט בַּיֶבְּשָׁתּ א The glorious Lord of heaven and earth, ֲהֵקים ָעְלָמא ְיִחָידאי ְוַכְבֵּשְׁהּ בַּכְבּשׁוָּת א Alone, formed the world, veiled in mystery. -
5780 Volume XXVII Number 17
Bo 5780 Volume XXVII Number 17 Toras Aish Thoughts From Across the Torah Spectrum Torah he is by definition better than someone else! RABBI MORDECHAI WEISS Only G-d has the right to judge anyone! Some of the The Message most incompetent people who led the Jewish people in times of need, were still referred to as leaders by our of Mount Sinai sages. The Talmud tells us that "Yiftach Bdoro he first reference to Mount Sinai in the Torah, k'Shmuel bdoro" .Yiftach, who was perhaps not the best appears when our teacher Moses witnessed there representative of Jewish leadership in his generation, Ta strange phenomenon. As he was shepherding was equivalent to the great prophet Samuel. We do not his sheep he glanced up at the mountain and he saw a understand the ways of Almighty G-d, nor can we use thorn bush that was burning but it was not being the Torah as a means to laud ourselves and to step on consumed by the fire. Our sages grapple with the other people because of their seemingly lack of meaning of this first encounter. Rashi states that the religious observance. No one has the right to use the fire was a sign that G-d would be with the Jewish Torah as an excuse to degrade another person. This is people even in hard times when they were slaves in symbolized by the burning bush not being consumed by Egypt. As an extension from the above, when a person the fire. grieves, G-d grieves as well. -
Pirkei Avot: a Social Justice Commentary Discussion Guide
Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary Discussion Guide By Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz Discussion Guide by Rabbi Jesse Paikin CCAR PRESS Discussion Guide to Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz’s Pirkei Avot: A Social Justice Commentary by Rabbi Jesse Paikin This discussion guide takes on something of a dual nature: it is useful both as a guide to reading Rabbi Yanklowitz’s commentary, as well as a guide to the primary text of Pirkei Avot itself. Because Rabbi Yanklowitz’s commentary draws heavily on Talmudic primary sources, classical medieval commentaries, and modern thought, this guide also encourages thoughtful consideration of those sources, as well as Rabbi Yanklowitz’s use of them. Note that given the extensive nature of Pirkei Avot, this guide does not include discussion questions for every single mishnah. Given the frequent thematic overlap, related mishnayot are often grouped together to encourage considering their shared philosophical and practical relationship. May this guide inspire you to live by the words of Torah in all places of your daily lives, as Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev teaches in his commentary to Pirkei Avot 2:2. 1 CHAPTER ONE 1:1 In commenting on the chain of tradition at the beginning of Pirkei Avot, and on the Maharal’s argument that “people must strengthen three components of the human intellect: chochmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and daat (discernment),” Rabbi Yanklowitz suggests that every generation of Jews is “responsible to render safe passage to the tradition” and to “transmit the teachings in such a way that they are stronger than when they were received.” a) What are the connections between strengthening human intellect, and strengthening Torah? b) What does the idea of “safe passage” mean to you? What responsibilities might it entail? Rabbi Yanklowitz identifies two tendencies that endanger the life of Torah: (1) the tendency to distort the tradition so radically that it loses its initial meaning, and (2) the tendency to freeze the tradition, and neuter its relevance to contemporaries. -
Shabbat Shalom My Apologies, This D'rash May Run a Bit Longer Than
Shabbat Shalom My apologies, this d’rash may run a bit longer than usual, but I felt that I had some important thoughts to share which I just could not get out in less time. Pirkei Avot , “Chapters of the Fathers”, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims of Mishnaic-period Rabbis, in which there is a phrase that reads “Who is the wise one ? The person that learns from all people”. After spending time reading the parsha and many many commentaries I found myself especially drawn to 3 sources that inspired me and from where most of my dr’asha is taken in great part. Those sources are: Rabbi Shraga Simmons. the co-founder of Aish.com, and founder of the Torah study site, JewishPathways.com. Rabbi Ari Kahn , Director of Foreign Student Programs at Bar- Ilan University in Israel, where he also is a senior lecturer in Jewish studies. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Sacks, as most of us know, is a British rabbi, philosopher and scholar of Judaism. He served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013 Julia Louis Dreyfus- an actres who used to be on the show Steinfeld The 2 themes that really spoke to me in this weeks’s Parsha are: The necessity of asking questions Leadership – the Jewish approach, where I will focus most of my d’rash I believe at the end of my d’rash you will see the thread that goes between these 2. The Necessity of Asking Questions It is no accident that parshat Bo, the section that deals with the culminating plagues and the exodus, should turn 3 times to the subject of children and the duty of parents to educate them. -
Yoma Book.Indb
Perek V Daf 56 Amud a BACKGROUND ten log that I will later separate shall be the fi rst tithe;N and another ֲﬠ ָׂשָרה ַמ ֲﬠ ֵׂשר ִר ׁאשוֹן, ִּת ׁ ְש ָﬠה ַמ ֲﬠ ֵׂשר Terumot and tithes : ְּת ּרומוֹת ּו ַמ ַﬠ ְׂשרוֹת – tenth from the rest, which equals nine log of the remaining ninety, Terumot and tithes are separated in the following manner. For example, if one ׁ ֵש ִני, ּו ֵמ ֵיחל ְו ׁש ֶוֹתה ִמ ָיּד, ִ ּד ְבֵרי ַר ִּבי -shall be second tithe. And he redeems the second tithe with money has one hundred units of food or beverage, he first re ֵמ ִאיר. that he will later take to Jerusalem, and he may then immediately moves the teruma gedola, which is given to the priests. The N drink the wine. Aft er Shabbat, when he removes portions from the average amount of this gift is one-fiftieth of the produce, mixture and places them in vessels, they are retroactively designated which in this example is two units. Next, the first tithe is B as terumot and tithes. Th is is the statement of Rabbi Meir. removed and given to a Levite. This gift is ten percent of the remaining produce, or slightly less than ten units in this case. In most years, another tenth is taken from the rest as second tithe, which is taken to Jerusalem and consumed there. Here the second tithe amounts to slightly more than nine units. In years three and six of the Sabbatical cycle, this tithe is given to the poor instead. -
What Are You Learning This Holiday?
NCSY’s National Board presents: WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING THIS HOLIDAY? A Guide to an Inspirational Shavuos LETTER FROM RABBI DOVID BASHEVKIN 3 LETTER FROM NCSY’S TEEN PRESIDENT 4 THOUGHTS FROM NCSY’S NATIONAL BOARD 5 THOUGHTS FROM REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES 10 FUN PAGES 16 MAKING TORAH YOURS Google has a fascinating employee policy. While all Google engineers spend the majority of their time dedicated to organizational business, they are also encour- aged to spend 20% of their time working on projects they find interesting. Many of Google’s most famous initiatives have come as the result of the 20% of time em- ployees spend on their own projects. In fact, Gmail, Google’s famed emailed ser- vice, is the product of someone’s 20% of time allotted to their personal initiatives. One Google executive estimated that 50% of new Google products are the result of the 20% of time employees are encouraged to spend on their own products. Torah innovation operates in a similar way. Of course, we spend most of our time immersed in the Torah ideas of the great Jewish leaders that precede us. Whether is it Chumash, Rashi, Talmud, or more recent Torah works, we look to our past to receive guidance for our future. Still, the importance of developing your own voice and ideas in Torah cannot be understated. In fact, the Talmud in Pesachim (68b) cites a disagreement which holidays require a personal compo- nent of celebration. The disagreement surrounds whether Jewish holidays should just be about prayer and learning or do they also demand a personal element, like a festive meal. -
What Sugyot Should an Educated Jew Know?
What Sugyot Should An Educated Jew Know? Jon A. Levisohn Updated: May, 2009 What are the Talmudic sugyot (topics or discussions) that every educated Jew ought to know, the most famous or significant Talmudic discussions? Beginning in the fall of 2008, about 25 responses to this question were collected: some formal Top Ten lists, many informal nominations, and some recommendations for further reading. Setting aside the recommendations for further reading, 82 sugyot were mentioned, with (only!) 16 of them duplicates, leaving 66 distinct nominated sugyot. This is hardly a Top Ten list; while twelve sugyot received multiple nominations, the methodology does not generate any confidence in a differentiation between these and the others. And the criteria clearly range widely, with the result that the nominees include both aggadic and halakhic sugyot, and sugyot chosen for their theological and ideological significance, their contemporary practical significance, or their centrality in discussions among commentators. Or in some cases, perhaps simply their idiosyncrasy. Presumably because of the way the question was framed, they are all sugyot in the Babylonian Talmud (although one response did point to texts in Sefer ha-Aggadah). Furthermore, the framing of the question tended to generate sugyot in the sense of specific texts, rather than sugyot in the sense of centrally important rabbinic concepts; in cases of the latter, the cited text is sometimes the locus classicus but sometimes just one of many. Consider, for example, mitzvot aseh she-ha-zeman gerama (time-bound positive mitzvoth, no. 38). The resulting list is quite obviously the product of a committee, via a process of addition without subtraction or prioritization. -
Pikuach Nefesh -- Saving a Life
Wed 6 May 2020 / 12 Iyar 5780 B”H Dr Maurice M. Mizrahi Congregation Adat Reyim Adult Education Pikuach Nefesh -- Saving a Life Introduction Judaism enjoins us to save lives. The Torah says: You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor. [Leviticus 19:16] and ּושְׁמַרְׁתֶֶּ֤םאֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְׁאֶ ת־מִשְׁ פָּטַַ֔ יאֲשֶֶׁ֨ ר יַעֲשֶ ֶׂ֥ ה אֹּתָּ ָ֛ם הָּאָּדָּ ָ֖ם וָּחַ ַ֣י בָּהֶ ֶ֑םאֲנִ ָ֖ייְׁהוָָּֽה You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, which, if a man performs, he shall live by them. I am the Lord. [Leviticus 18:5] These words were echoed much later by the prophet Ezekiel. [Ezekiel 20:11] The Talmud derives from the verse “you shall live by them” that Jews must live by the Torah and not die because of it. This is the doctrine of Pikuach regard for human life. Even if you must break -- (פִ קּוחַ נֶפש) Nefesh commandments to save a life (yours or another's), do so. Alternate Talmudic logic: The objective is to maximize observance of commandments. Allowing someone to live increases the number of commandments observed. Example: Violating Shabbat to save someone allows him to observe other Shabbatot in the future. [Yoma 85b, Shabbat 151b] Mishna: If uncertain whether life is truly in danger, err on the side of assuming it is. [Yoma 8:6] If turns out there was no threat to human life, no sin and no reason to feel guilty. How far can you go? The Talmud says that healing is prohibited on Shabbat because you need to crush herbs to make medicine, and crushing is prohibited on Shabbat. -
The Passion for Metaphysics in Maimonides' Thought
Dov Schwartz The Passion for Metaphysics in Maimonides’ Thought My concern in this paper is five chapters in Guide of the Perplexed I:31–35. Centring on an educational and didactic issue, this unit deals with the proper approach to the study of metaphysics as manifest in the requirements concerning four aspects: 1. A scientific aspect: preceding the study of metaphysics by the study of other sciences (logic, mathematics, physics, and astronomy). 2. A methodological aspect: preserving proper rules of thought, proceeding cau- tiously and constantly examining the arguments. 3. An ethical aspect: focusing exclusively on the study of these sciences and keeping away from material concerns. 4. A political aspect: concern for the masses – guaranteeing they do not exceed the limited boundaries of their comprehension while ensuring their access to a minimum of metaphysical assumptions. I will argue that, in this unit, Maimonides relies on what he views as an almost uncon- trollable urge to reach the summits of knowledge. I will further argue that Maimo- nides turned the passion for metaphysics into a powerful political and theological factor. The conclusion of the discussion will be that this unit is one of the most con- centrated expressions of Maimonidean rationalism. Several questions recur in discussions about the Guide: Maimonides’ aim in writing the book, his attitude towards science and its connection to revelation on the one hand, and towards biblical exegesis and rabbinic sources on the other. Additional questions touch on the character of the book, the reason for the order of its chapters, its concealment techniques, the identification of esoteric ideas, and so forth.