By Rachel Rosenthal[1] If one were to name sympathetic characters in Tanakh, it is unlikely that the prophet Jonah would make the list. If ever there were a model for the flawed prophet, Jonah would be the prototype. He is callous, clueless, and closed off to the notion of shades of gray in the world. […]
Our Prophets, Ourselves: Jonah, Judgment, and the Act of Repentance Read More »
By Yaffa Epstein[1] Jewish tradition has four names for the Passover Holiday—Hag HaAviv (the Spring Festival), Hag HaMatsot (the Holiday of Unleavened Bread), Hag HaPesah (the Holiday of Passing Over), and Hag HaHerut (the Festival of Freedom). Each of these names represents a different aspect of the holiday. However, there seems to be an additional
Pesah— Hag HaHinukh: The Holiday of Education Read More »
by Gila Sacks[1] “Mai Hannukah?”[2] famously asked the rabbis of the Talmud: “What is Hannukah?” It is the asking of this question, more than its answer, that highlights the complexity—and even mystery—of Hannukah. The question is not asked of other festivals, which seem to have their purpose and meaning fully established and widely known long
Creating Light Each Day Read More »
by Aliza Sperling[1] The High Holiday period is punctuated with the theme of change. But how many times can we hear about change during the High Holidays without becoming cynical? For many of us, little has changed since last year. Many of the problems we face have not gone away—or may have even gotten worse.
Change We Can Believe In Read More »
By Ruth Halperin-Kaddari This article comes from a place of frustration and pain. I am afraid I do not bring a message of optimism. On the contrary, my article stems from a deep sense of pessimism. Not total hopelessness – not yet, at least – but despair and distress. My aim is to analyze what
SOLUTIONS TO THE AGUNAH PROBLEM: BARRIERS AND BACKLASH Read More »
By Mia Diamond Padwa [1] Chag-ha-Sukkot, the holiday of Sukkot, as it appears in the Torah, is grouped with two distinctly different clusters of holidays. On the one hand, it is presented as one of the shalosh regalim (three pilgrimage festivals), which in ancient times were the great gathering times at the Temple in Jerusalem.[2]
The Sukkah—A Temporary Fortress Read More »
By Idana Goldberg “Ani mekabelet tabaat zu, v’hareini mekudeshet lecha kedat moshe v’Yisrael, I accept this ring and I am thereby sanctified to you according to the laws of Moses and Israel.” With those words, I became an active participant in my wedding ceremony. Moments before, Rabbi Saul Berman, our mesader kiddushin, had instructed the
My Wedding: The Choices I Made Read More »
By Blu Greenberg So this is our June bridal issue. And why not, for as Orthodox feminists we have a lot to say about marriage and all that it should signify: traditional values, halakha, ritual, equal dignity, covenantal relationships and new beginnings. Judaism advocates marriage. Barely out of the womb, the child hears our wistful
From Our President Modern Marriage, the Jewish Way Read More »
