Episode 8 – Encountering Avoda Zara
The first Tuesday of every month I lead a Beit Midrash session at the Stanton St. Shul. These topics vary from month to month, often coinciding with the Jewish or secular calendar. This month, I chose...
View ArticleEconomics and Social Justice in Jewish Law Part 1: Free Market Ethics in Torah
Rabbi Josh Yuter begins his special lecture series on Economics and Social Justice in Judaism with an introduction to methodology and a demonstration of a free market ethos existing within the Rabbinic...
View ArticleEconomics and Social Justice in Jewish Law Part 3: Halakhic Labor Laws
In part 3 of his Economics and Social Justice series, Rabbi Yuter addresses the topic of Jewish Labor Laws from a holistic perspective, balancing the rights and obligations of both the employer and the...
View ArticleWhy Orthodox Jews Should Not Oppose Legalizing Same Sex Marriage
On May 23 2011 several prominent Orthodox Jewish organizations issued a joint statement declaring their opposition to legalizing same sex-marriage. The brief statement is as follows: On the issue of...
View ArticleThe “Defensible Border” Fallacy
The past two weeks have renewed global interest in the Israeli / Palestinian conflict. Between President Obama’s original reference to the 1967 borders, a modification of sorts to the AIPAC convention,...
View ArticleRCA Press Release: Policies Regarding Same Sex Attraction, Marriage, and...
I just received the following email from the Rabbinical Council of America, copied and pasted below. PRESS RELEASE December 12 2012 RCA Reaffirms Policies regarding Same Sex Attraction and Marriage,...
View ArticleThe Sins of the Sandy Hook Generation
“Dozens of people are gunned down each day in Springfield,but until now none of them was important.” – The Simpsons In the immediate aftermath of the horrific shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School...
View ArticleMainomides’ / Rambam’s Haggadah
As a public service for those with shorter attention spans, here is the text of Maimonides’ Haggadah, which you will notice is slightly abridged from our popular versions. Feel free to compare and...
View ArticleThe Existential Religious Challenge of Same-Sex Marriage
I’m not a coward, I’ve just never been tested. I’d like to think that if I was I would pass. Look at the tested, and think there but for the grace go I. Might be a coward, I’m afraid of what I might...
View ArticleBook Review: What is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic
I recently wondered on Facebook how people define religious “authenticity,” meaning actions or beliefs which reflect an (or the) genuine manifestation of a religion. This is a question I frequently...
View Article
