Howard Blas and Ilana Trachtman have prepared a new book "A Different Spirit: Creating Meaningful B'nai Mitzvah for Children with Disabilities," Behrman House Publishers. This book includes a remarkable group of essays by educators and parents dealing with B'nai Mitzvah celebrations for children with a range of physical, intellectual, and neurological disabilities.
The heart of Kohelet’s theology emerges vividly in the middle chapters of the book (chapters 4–11), which wrestle with moral confusion, the problem of evil, and the limits of human understanding. Kohelet offers neither an apologetic defense of divine justice nor a rebellious rejection of it. Instead, he articulates a response rooted in realism, humility, and disciplined joy.
America is not just a powerful and vast country. It is also an idea, a compelling idea that has a message for all people in all lands. As American Jews, we are committed to the ideals of freedom and equality, human dignity and security, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have come far as a nation, but very much remains to be done.
As Americans mark Independence Day this week, we pay respect to those who fought and died to gain and maintain the freedoms which we enjoy today. We reprint an essay by the late Rabbi David de Sola Pool on George Washington's role in fostering religious freedom in the United States.
The episode of Mei Merivah (Numbers 20:1-13) is among the most perplexing narratives in the Torah. After the people complain about the lack of water, God commands Moses to take the staff, gather the nation, and speak to the rock so that it will produce water. Instead, Moses rebukes the nation, strikes the rock twice, and water emerges abundantly. God then declares that Moses and Aaron will not lead the people into the Land of Israel.
Religious life entails participating in a community, observing shared rituals, following traditional patterns. It can happen that one’s individuality may seem compromised or lost in the process. The priestly blessing reminds us of the need to be part of the community…but to retain our own distinctive individuality.
The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, founded in 2007, 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.
Recent months have seen ugly manifestations of anti-Zionism throughout the world. The haters have distorted the meaning and mission of Zionism. We need to embrace “Bible Zionism” in every forum to set the record straight.
The Torah’s presentation of the Nazir (Numbers 6:1–21) invites a fundamental question: is nezirut primarily a discipline of restraint, or an ascent to a higher, crowned sanctity? The answer emerges from the Torah’s own language, which points simultaneously in two directions.
Ten spies return with a demoralizing report, the nation loses faith, and God decrees that the generation of the wilderness will perish before entering the land. In the plain sense of Numbers, the sin lies in the people’s faithlessness and despair after hearing the spies’ report. However, the Book of Deuteronomy dramatically complicates this picture.