JERUSALEM — Every nation and country has its historical memory — the lens through which it remembers the past, interprets the present, and hopes for the future: Historical data is objective; historical memory is subjective. This video entitled “I am Israel” does a pretty good job of showcasing Israel’s historical memory (whether accurate or […]
Entries Tagged as 'Torah'
Birthright Israel: Life Amid Violence
June 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Anti-Semitism, Anti-Zionism, Bible, Civil Liberties, Culture, Education, Europe, Immigration, Islam, Israel, Jihad, Judaism, Media, Palestine, Politics, Religion, The Middle East, Torah, War, War on Terror, terrorism
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The Meaning of the Bible
May 19th, 2010 · 6 Comments · Bible, Christianity, Culture, Egypt, Israel, Judaism, Law, Personal, Politics, Religion, The Middle East, Torah
JERUSALEM — What is the overall theme of the (Hebrew) Bible, taken as a whole from Genesis to Chronicles?* That was the question that Daniel Gordis, senior vice-president of the Shalem Center and author of “Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May Never End,” addressed at recent lecture I attended. […]
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Photo Essay: Lag b’Omer and Birthright Israel
May 1st, 2010 · No Comments · Anti-Semitism, Bible, Culture, Israel, Judaism, Personal, Religion, Talmud, The Middle East, Torah, Zohar
JERUSALEM — Between the secular holiday of Independence Day and the religious holiday of Shavuot in Israel, there is the festival of Lag b’Omer. Both secular and religious Israelis celebrate the day in the same way — but with different meanings. Few Jews in Boston I knew celebrated the holiday — perhaps it was a […]
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Birthright Israel Passover
April 3rd, 2010 · 3 Comments · Business, Civil Liberties, Culture, Food, Humor, Israel, Judaism, Law, Politics, Religion, The Middle East, Torah
JERUSALEM — Passover, known as Pesach in Hebrew, is celebrated a little differently in Israel because of the religious law in Jerusalem: In case no one noticed, pizzerias, restaurants and grocery stores in Jerusalem that wish to, are displaying bread, buns, pitas and other hametz products made from flour just as they have until now, […]
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Book Review: “The Kuzari,” An Introduction
December 26th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Anti-Semitism, Bible, Book Reviews, Books, Boston, Christianity, Education, Europe, Islam, Israel, Journalism, Judaism, Massachusetts, Palestine, Personal, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science, Talmud, The Middle East, Torah
First in a series A Preface BOSTON — When I was Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Spare Change News, a non-profit newspaper that covered social-justice issues including poverty and homelessness while providing jobs selling the publication to homeless people, I attended a local, Passover seder in Cambridge for homeless people. Local Jews had hosted such an […]
Tags: Anti-Semitism·Bible·Book Reviews·Books·Boston·Christianity·Education·Europe·Islam·Israel·Journalism·Judaism·Massachusetts·middle east·Palestine·Personal·Philosophy·Politics·Religion·Science·Talmud·Torah
Year One
December 25th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Bible, Christianity, Culture, Entertainment, Humor, Israel, Judaism, Language, Personal, Religion, The Middle East, Torah
BELLEVILLE, Illinois — So while I was visiting my family over Thanksgiving, we watched the movie “Year One” starring Jack Black. It was a comedic retelling of the biblical events from Creation to the destruction of Sodom and Gemorah from the point of view of non-Hebrew protagonists. For anyone who saw the movie and speaks […]
Tags: Bible·Christianity·Culture·Entertainment·Humor·Israel·Judaism·Language·middle east·Personal·Religion·Torah
Civil and Jewish Law
December 24th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Bible, Christianity, Civil Liberties, Conservative Pundits, Culture, Education, Europe, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Law, Personal, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Talmud, The Middle East, Torah
JERUSALEM — The long-running issue of whether Israel should be a Jewish state based only on ethnicity or on religious law as well recently came to a head again: Justice Minister Yaacov Neeman came under fire Tuesday, after apparently expressing hope that the state’s current legal system will soon be dictated by the Torah… Another former […]
Tags: Bible·Christianity·Civil Liberties·Conservative Pundits·Culture·Education·Europe·Islam·Israel·Judaism·Law·middle east·Personal·Philosophy·Politics·Religion·Talmud·Torah
On Dogma
January 20th, 2010 · 9 Comments · Christianity, Islam, Philosophy, Religion, Torah, Torah Commentaries
Sam’s comment on my post On Religionism, raises a valid point: just what, exactly, is religion without dogma? Two religions may offer the key to understanding: Unitarian Universalism and the Bahá’í Faith. Dogma is often, at least among Christians, succinctly stated in a creed. Islam, too, has a creed, known as the aqidah. Interestingly, among […]
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