Min haMuvhar

Jewish Law and the Delicate Balance Between Meaning and Authority

The quest to understand the rationale that underlies the mitzvoth assumes that we should strive to articulate the spiritual messages of the halakha. By affirming our commitment to those laws whose reasons we may find personally or ethically challenging, we ensure that the Torah is, in fact, the source of our value system, and not simply an ancient text that validates the contemporary zeitgeist.

Remembering Stephen Neuwirth

Stephen Neuwirth passed away in January 2023 and we remember him with great affection and respect. He was a board member and major supporter of our Institute since its inception in 2007. He was a well-respected attorney, a community leader, philanthropist…a really fine human being. His wife Nataly and their four sons were the center of Steve’s life and were the sources of his greatest happiness and fulfillment.

New Trimester at the Beit Midrash of Teaneck with Rabbi Hayyim Angel

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.

Rabbi Hayyim Angel's classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 12:00-12:45 pm EST.

You may attend live at the Jewish Center of Teaneck: 70 Sterling Place, Teaneck, New Jersey.

Truth, not Narratives: Op Ed by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

If we are to have peace between Israel and the Palestinians (and the rest of the Arab world), it would be most helpful if people understood the historic context of the conflict. Misguided individuals and countries who forget history, who ignore or deny Israel's rights, who look the other way when Israel is maligned and attacked--such people are part of the problem, not the solution.

With Four Strings and a Bow: The Role of Music in Religious Expression

Zina Schiff, a concert violinist, has performed and recorded on five continents. Her first recording was the solo violin score for MGM's The Fixer, and a major focus of her 16 CDs is classical Jewish music. This article appears in issue 28 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. It was reprinted in issue 35 of Conversations.