Min haMuvhar

Listen to Rabbi Hayyim Angel's Podcast on Royal Pardons in the Bible

On Wednesday, December 10, Rabbi Hayyim Angel did a podcast with Halacha Headlines. He discusses three instances of King David pardoning close relatives who had committed terrible sins.

Listen to the podcast here

https://halachaheadlines.com/episodes/what-it-takes-to-release-an-agunah-presidential-pardon-pardons-in-halacha-the-torah-approach-to-pardons/

Embracing Tradition and Modernity: The Religious Vision of Rabbi Haim David Halevi

Rabbi Halevi was fairly conservative within classical sources, and deferential to his predecessors. At the same time, he emphasized the inherent flexibility in halakhah, since there are many options within the boundaries of halakhic discourse. If one shuts down legitimate options, one harms the Jewish people and observance.

Afterlife in Jewish Thought

There is a paucity of explicit references to afterlife—whether a bodily resurrection or a soul world—in Tanakh. The Torah promises this-worldly rewards and punishments for faithfulness or lack thereof to God and the Torah. It does not promise heaven for righteousness, nor does it threaten hell or the absence of heaven for sinfulness. Given the ancient world’s belief in, and even obsession with immortality and afterlife, the Torah’s silence is all the more remarkable.

The Land of Israel in the Bible

With all the tensions relating to Israel, it's important to remember the age-old connection of the Jewish People with the land of Israel. Rabbi Hayyim Angel reviews the Biblical history of the land of Israel. This article appears in issue 43 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. It is reprinted in issue 44 as well.