• Judaism and Humanity: The Messianic Era

      The Bible has a singular vision for Jews and humanity. Beginning with the unprecedented declaration in the first chapter of Genesis that all people are created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26–27), the Torah and prophets…
  • The Human Complexity of Biblical Heroes

    Due to the complexity of human nature, great individuals also struggle with character weaknesses. Straying from the facts robs Tanakh of some of its most powerful messages and leaves readers without authentic role models.
  • Abraham Our Father: Thoughts on Parashat Vayera

    Abraham our father taught us “to keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice.” Generations later, Moses our rabbi taught us the Torah, expanding on the foundations set by Abraham. We are blessed to be heirs of…
  • The Renewed Conversations

    Wondrous and heretofore unimaginable developments have impacted the way that we view, study and teach Tanakh in at least three distinct yet interrelated areas. One of the delightful ironies which these intersections share…

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.

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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.

 

 

  The Bible has a singular vision for Jews and humanity. Beginning with the unprecedented declaration in the first chapter of Genesis that all people are created in God’s Image (Genesis 1:26–27), the Torah and prophets present a program for Israel and humanity that can bring about a redeemed, harmonious, religious-ethical world.
Due to the complexity of human nature, great individuals also struggle with character weaknesses. Straying from the facts robs Tanakh of some of its most powerful messages and leaves readers without authentic role models.
Abraham our father taught us “to keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice.” Generations later, Moses our rabbi taught us the Torah, expanding on the foundations set by Abraham. We are blessed to be heirs of spiritual greatness of the highest order.
Wondrous and heretofore unimaginable developments have impacted the way that we view, study and teach Tanakh in at least three distinct yet interrelated areas. One of the delightful ironies which these intersections share is their respective roles, in earlier times, in effecting the opposite.
We are thrilled to report that Rabbi Hayyim Angel has published the third volume of his new commentary on Tanakh: The Heart of Judges. Along with The Heart of the Five Megillot and The Heart of Joshua, it is available at amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats. This part of a project that ultimately will cover the entire Tanakh. Upcoming volumes currently in preparation are:
Da'at Press has published Rabbi Marc Angel's book, Jewish Minds for Humankind. The book is available through this link: https://www.daat.press/product-page/jewish-minds-for-humankind-rabbi-marc-angel The book is published in memory of Gilda Angel, a"h.