How and Why: Thoughts for Parashat Devarim
Moses taught the Israelites: There is a God. Life must be lived with awareness of this grand reality. We study and observe Torah not only to learn How. We study and observe to know Why.
Articles
How we Judge the Judges
How does the importance of personal character, the ethical quality of the individual, compare as between a secular judge - say a United States federal judge or a state court judge - and a religious authority, specifically a rabbinic leader or decisor?
Winning Wars and Minds
This Op Ed piece by Rabbi Marc D. Angel appears in the Jerusalem Post, July 25, 2025.
The Power of Return: Thoughts for Parashat Shofetim
During these seven weeks of consolation, the Haftarot offer prophecies of God’s eternal love for Israel, the return of the people of Israel to their land, and Israel’s ultimate vindication among the nations of the world. In this week’s Haftarah, we are reminded not to be afraid; we should have confidence that Almighty God will prevail over mortal human beings who wish us harm.
Conversion: Halakhah and Public Policy
The religious establishment is obligated to address cases of intermarriage, children of intermarriages, and people of Jewish ancestry. The key to Jewish unity is for Batei Din to recognize the rulings of others who follow different halakhic opinions, even when they vigorously disagree with their positions.
Emunat Hakhamim: Surrender or Challenge?
To ascribe quasi-prophetic powers to a small clique of Talmudic scholars is intellectually unsound. It undermines a thinking faith and condemns the public to sheepishly follow the opinions of an unelected group of “gedolim.”
Rich or Poor--Thoughts for Parashat Re'eh
Our tradition highlights the importance of charitable giving…and charitable behavior. Offering financial support is a great mitzvah. Providing moral support is equally important. Valuing people for who they are—not for what they can donate—is a lesson for all to learn.
Bringing the Distant Near or Making the Ancient Contemporary
How are we to make ancient texts come alive for today’s students? We must equip our charges with the skills needed to become independent learners, with the base of knowledge that can qualify them as Jewishly literate, and with the passion to become life-long students of Torah.
Thoughts on the Writings of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Prague-born Jew, one of the outstanding figures of modern world literature. His name has become an adjective: Kafkaesque. His writings feature eerie situations, disconnected characters, labyrinthine story lines.
Tanakh and Superstition: Debates within Traditional Commentary
There is one supreme God who is the Creator of all nature, and there are no forces competing with God. God is absolutely free. God is timeless, ageless, nonphysical, and eternal. Nature is a stage on which God expresses His will in history. Rituals do not harness independent magical powers and do not work automatically.