Jewish tradition has two roads to God: the natural world, which reveals God as Creator; and the Torah, which records the words of God to the people of Israel. But the Torah itself leads us back to the first road, the road of experiencing God as Creator. The Torah and nature are bound together.

Welcome to the Institute for Jewish Ideas & Ideals
The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals offers a vision of Orthodox Judaism that is intellectually sound, spiritually compelling, and emotionally satisfying. Based on an unwavering commitment to the Torah tradition and to the Jewish people, it fosters an appreciation of legitimate diversity within Orthodoxy.
YouTube
Rabbi Marc D. Angel answers your questions on our YouTube channel!
The IDEAS Campaign
Please support our IDEAS campaign and be our partners in creating a dynamic and compassionate Orthodoxy. Contribute now! Supporters are featured on our online Scroll of Honor.
Conversations
Find out more about Conversations, the Institute's print journal, including how to get your copy. You can also review our Article Title or Author index.
Synagogue affiliation and attendance generally tends to be lower among Jews in their 20s and 30s. Please share your thoughts on this topic by emailing [email protected]
The Torah’s teachings on Shabbat are particular to Israel and universal to humanity. Our ideal Shabbat incorporates both components—covenantal observances and grand religious vision.
On Tuesday, February 11, from 8:00-9:00 pm EST, Rabbi Hayyim Angel will teach a Zoom class on the Ten Commandments in Classical Commentary and Contemporary Scholarship.
The class is free and open to the public.
The class is sponsored by the Ben Porat Yeshiva Day School in Paramus, New Jersey.
On Monday, February 10, Rabbi Hayyim Angel begins a new trimester at the Beit Midrash of Teaneck.
We will begin this trimester (which runs through April 2) with surveys of the Books of Proverbs, Job, and Daniel, and then move into an in-depth learning exploration of Bereshit-Genesis.
Classes are free and open to the public. Sponsorship opportunities also are available.
Great figures such as Rabbis Benzion Uziel, Ḥaim David Halevy, Ovadiah Yosef, and Yosef Mesas have received much attention and analysis by scholars. However, many other great scholars and halakhic decisors remain almost unknown to persons who are not in-depth devotees of the topic. In this article, I seek to briefly introduce the reader to seven such rabbis.