One of the overarching goals of the Torah is to refine people’s moral character. Many laws and narratives overtly focus on morality, and many others inveigh against the immorality and amorality of paganism. The biblical prophets place consistency between observance of God’s ritual and moral laws at the very heart of their message.
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Book Review
By Rabbi Hayyim Angel
Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Numbers (Regnery Faith, 2024)
Living a proper halakhic life creates a deep, intimate relationship with God. Interiority, humility, love of humanity, and a desire to improve society are proper manifestations of a righteous life. Authentic religion is not about showiness, disdain for others, or authoritarianism.
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Convivencia is the term often used to describe the coexistence of Jews and Muslims (and
Christians) in the so-called Golden Age of Spain. Jews in Haifa have not yet produced figures
like Bahya ibn Pakudah, Judah Halevi, or Maimonides, nor have the Arabs of Haifa produced
figures like Averroes, but, withal, Jews and Arabs do get along pretty well in Haifa.