What Does Judaism Think

A joke is told about Jake Rubin, who converted to Christianity and became Jack Robinson. He married a non-Jewish lady, and they had a son. The son becomes interested in Judaism, and one day he announces, "it's Rosh Hashanah. I will be in synagogue for the next two days." Jack responded angrily, "what do you mean you'll be in synagogue for two days? You're only half Jewish! One day should be enough for you!"

Rosh Hashanah services are long. One of the reasons is the requirement, or the custom, to blow 100 notes on the shofar. Why do we do this? The sages give us an unusual answer: To confound the Satan. He is our real enemy. I kid you not. Who is this Satan, what does he want, and how does blowing 100 notes on the shofar confound him? Read More

Rosh Hashanah is a great opportunity for beautiful moments, moments that can change our lives. But that is not our job on that day. It is not to change our lives, but to change the day of Rosh Hashanah itself. Today is everything on Rosh Hashanah, and the more we can be in the here and now, the more power this holiday will have.

The secret lies in the power of prayer. But how does one make their prayers super powerful? Perhaps there is no day better suited to prayer than Rosh Hashanah. Here is the essence of successful prayer. Read More

Having someone to blame for our failures removes the sting from them. Truth is, in almost every case, there is someone or something to blame for our own shortcomings. There is only one major problem with blame. It doesn't fix any situation.

The Torah gives us a fantastic way of looking at life that will heal us from the debilitating effects of blame, and remove that word from our vocabulary.
Read More

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we hopefully are interested in preparing ourselves spiritually for this great day. Listening is a great start. The Torah reiterates how we must "listen to [God's] voice." There are two other things to which we should commit ourselves, and the source for them may surprise you. It is the last of the curses given on Mount Ebal, near the city of Shechem:

"Cursed is the one who shall not fulfill (literally, lift up) the words of this Torah, to do them." What does this curse mean? At whom is it aimed?
Read More

A worrying phenomenon is that of the "safe spaces." These are places where certain opinions may not be expressed, for fear of causing trauma to those sensitive to such opinions. For example, one would not be allowed to express objections to same-sex marriage in such a space.

There is a unique mitzva in the Torah portion of Ki Tetze which is quite troubling, but may hide within it the need to keep far away from safe spaces. Read More

Biblical leprosy is no skin disease. Yes, of course, it affects the skin, but our sages teach us that it goes far deeper. In fact, the spiritual implications of this disease can teach us a golden lesson about human relations. Even if we feel that we are careful in our speech about others, there may be something more that we need to do. Read More

There is one passage in the Torah portion of Mishpatim that really sticks out. The Torah portion enumerates many laws of societal conduct, including damages, treatment of slaves and so forth. These are delivered in a fairly matter of fact way. But when the Torah arrives at the commandment to not cause suffering to the orphan and the widow, things change.

"If you oppress them, they will call to me and I will hear, and you shall be killed by the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children shall become orphans." Wow! What happened? Read More

When the 10 Commandments is read in the synagogue, the custom is for the congregation to stand. Some rabbis don't like this custom! Why not? Shouldn't we show respect for the 10 Commandments? The reason given is that we don't want to imply that some verses of the Torah are more important than others.

Which, then, raises the question, why is there a custom to stand for these verses? The answer gives us a powerful hint at the core message of the 10 Commandments. Read More

Some people like to make fun of the fastidiously observant. The details of Sabbath observance, for example, can seem quite ridiculous. "What, you can't even pick up a pen even if you don't write with it?!" What difference does it make if you just have a small taste of Matza on Passover? Isn't it just symbolic?

There are so many details in Judaism, and many of them seem just silly. Yet it is exactly in those details that a true appreciation of God resides. Yes, God does care if I pick up the pen on the Sabbath. Here's why. Read More

They say that revenge is sweet. Well, there is something much sweeter than revenge. Reconciliation. Taking someone who was important to us in a negative sense, whom we felt hatred towards, and turning them into a friend can be the sweetest thing on earth. Revenge, by the way, is forbidden by the Torah!

Reconciling, however, can be very difficult, emotionally almost impossible. There is one blockage that, more than anything else, prevents reconciliation. What is it, and can anything be done about it?
Read More

We sometimes come in contact with people whom we, shall we say, disapprove of. They may have made life decisions that we feel are harmful to them, and may have personal habits and characteristics that are self destructive. Is there a way to fix them? Won't lecturing them be counterproductive?

Probably, almost certainly. So is there something we can do instead of standing by helplessly watching a person self-destruct?
Read More

Arguments. Conflicts. Negotiations. Open up any newspaper, and there will be many stories about these situations world over. Why do some conflicts never seem to be resolved?

Campaigns, politicians. Many people want your vote in order to lead. How do you know who is the real deal and who is the one to be avoided at all costs?

Simple. Just give them the Korach Test. It gives a clear, simple answer about whom we can trust, whom we can negotiate with, and whom we can't. Read More

"Most people live lives of silent desperation." I don't recall the author of this quote, but the sentiment is true and tragic. Many people have come to accept, with resignation, a life of silent desperation, frustration, and unfulfillment. They feel as if a glass ceiling exists to block them from true happiness. We may feel pity towards these people, as they certainly are sad about their lot. But God, perhaps, may be angry at these people. Why? Read More

Much of Western society worships youth. At the same time, in eastern societies, ancestor worship was practiced. Judaism does not sanction worship of any human being, young or old, but it does require a special measure of honor to those of advanced years. "Before the white-haired you shall rise, and you shall honor the countenance of the old one."

This commandment goes far beyond simple politeness. It goes to our roots as a nation, and it illuminates the path of each and every one of our lives. Read More