From Ten Da’at, Volume VII, Number 1, Fall 1993. Appears here with permission. I Historically, until the mid-twentieth century, yeshiva education past the elementary level was considered a luxury, usually afforded to those who showed extraordinary intellectual...
I. What is a Jewish ethical discussion? Ethical discussions are designed to challenge participants to clarify or their thoughts. The process of clarification often involves listen to different opinions, rethinking and reevaluating one's own preconceptions, or...
It seems to be common knowledge that the challenges of modernity for Judaism arise from two factors of contemporary life: ease of communication, and the fact that we have wide availability of information about lives quite different from our own and the fact that we...
Back in the early 50’s, my friend’s older sister, Malka, worked as secretary in one of the Bais Yaakov elementary schools. The children were, for the most part, the daughters of survivors; many had been born in DP camps. Their homes were far from wealthy, and the...
This article originally appeared in Tradition v.12 #2 Fall, 1971 The ideal of Imitatio Dei occupies a central place in the religious and ethical thought of Judaism.1 Man, who is created in the image of God,2 is enjoined to pattern his life after the attributes of God....
"A great prince in Israel has fallen today" - II Samuel 33:33 This article originally appeared in Tradition 28:1. Surely, such a prince and such a giant, who became a legend in his own lifetime, deserves an appropriate eulogy. I therefore begin with a confession: I...
This article originally appeared in Tradition 27:1 ,1992. INTRODUCTION The Torah is an organic whole. Each section, each word and letter, is interconnected. When we study a particular text in the Torah, we must examine its relationship to the Torah as a whole. A key...
This article originally appeared in Tradition Volume 29, 1994 In the circles of what is labelled "Modern Orthodoxy" or "Centrist Orthodoxy," Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik z.t.l. is referred to as "the Rav." This appellation is not merely a sign of respect and...
1) Barrett, William, Irrational Man Exploration of existential philosophy 2) Brower, Kenneth, The Starship and the Canoe Comparisons of the lifestyles of father and son 3) Bronowski, Jakoh, The Ascent of Man Analyses of the development of human understanding. 4)...
This article originally appeared in Tradition 26:3 (1992). I In his article, "Faith and Doubt," originally published in Tradition more than twenty years ago,1 Rabbi Norman Lamm addressed, from a traditional Jewish perspective, the problem of to what extent and in...