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Min HaMuvhar

Conversion to Judaism: Halakha, Hashkafa, and Historic Challenge

Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, and Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel. Author and editor of 30 books, he wrote "Choosing to Be Jewish: The Orthodox Road to Conversion" available through the online store of our website jewishideas.org.  This article is reprinted with permission from Hakirah: The Flatbush Journal of Jewish Law and Thought, Volume 7, Winter 2009. It also appeared in issue 12 of Conversations, the Journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

The Jewish community underwent cataclysmic changes during the course of the nineteenth century. While most of world Jewry was religiously observant in 1800, a large majority were no longer devoted to halakhic tradition by 1900. Nineteenth-century Orthodox rabbinic leadership had to cope with the rise of Reform Judaism, the spread of Haskala, the breakdown of communal authority over its members, the defection of Jews from Torah and mitzvoth-and from Judaism altogether.

Israel: A Tiny Nation, A Great Destiny

Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, and Editor of its journal, "Conversations." This article is reprinted from "A Dream of Zion," edited by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, published by Jewish Lights Publishing Co.

(As we celebrate Yom Ha-Atsmaut, we rejoice at the wonderful successes of the State of
Israel. Our joy, though, is dampened by the ongoing perfidious slanders
and threats lodged against Israel and the Jewish People from so many quarters. It is vital that we stay focused on the remarkable renaissance of the Jews as manifested in the re-establishment of a sovereign Jewish State after so many centuries of exile. We thank theAlmighty for having granted us the privilege of living at this special
time in Jewish history.

This article by Rabbi Marc D. Angel is reprinted from "A Dream of Zion,"
edited by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, published by Jewish Lights Publishing Co. )

A tiny nation, often misunderstood and maligned, changed the course
of history for the good. This tiny

Eulogy for an Arab Martyr

This essay was written by Rabbi Marc D. Angel in November 1990, and was published as an op-ed piece in various newspapers at that time. Unfortunately, the message of this essay continues to ring true today.

A pro-Syrian Lebanese young woman, F. H. G., undertook a suicide mission in order to kill Israelis. She, like many before her and after her, was willing to sacrifice life in order to murder Jews. What led her to this horrible act that also resulted in her own violent death? Was it hatred, frustration, nationalism? Was she simply mentally deranged?

A young Arab woman is dead, along with her innocent Israeli victims. Perhaps if she had been born somewhere else or in another era, she--and her victims--would have lived full lives. But she was born in the Middle East and grew up in a whirlpool of hatred. So she, and so many other young men and women before her--Arab and Israeli--have died.

Rabbi Kook and Rabbi Uziel: Two Posekim, Two Approaches

This article by Rabbi Marc D. Angel was originally published in Mishpetei Shalom: A Jubilee Volume in Honor of Rabbi Saul (Shalom) Berman, ed. Yamin Levy, NY: YCT, 2010; and reprinted in issue 12 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

When addressing a halakhic question, each posek (halakhic decisor) attempts to arrive at a decision that is objectively true. The posek will study and analyze the available halakhic literature, with the goal of understanding the halakha as clearly and accurately as possible.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik: Judaism and Modernity

This essay, by Rabbi Marc D. Angel, was originally published as the Introduction to the book he edited, “Exploring the Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,” published by Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken, 1997, on behalf of the Rabbinical Council of America. This article appears in issue 12 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

The modern era in the Western world has witnessed numerous assaults on the patterns of traditional religious life. Science has changed the way people think; technology has changed the way they live. Autonomous, human-centered theology has come to replace heteronomous, God-centered theology. Rationalism and positivism have constricted metaphysics. Respect for authority and hierarchies has been replaced by an emphasis on individuality and egalitarianism. The challenges of modernity are symbolized by such names as Darwin, Schleiermacher, Freud, Einstein, Ayn Rand.

Modern Orthodoxy and Halakha: An Inquiry

This article originally appeared in Journal of Jewish Thought, published by the Rabbinical Council of America, New York, 1985. It was edited and reprinted in Seeking Good, Speaking Peace: Collected Essays of Rabbi Marc D. Angel, edited by Rabbi Hayyim Angel, Ktav Publishing House, Hoboken, 1994. This article appears in issue 12 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

A Modesty Proposal: Rethinking Tseniut

Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, and Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel of New York City. He serves as Editor of the Institute's journal, Conversations. This article appears in issue 12 of Conversations.

The Torah provides a framework for sexual morality. Its legal prescriptions specify forbidden relationships; its narratives describe behavior and dress that reflect attitudes relating to sexuality and modesty.
The Torah’s view of sexual relationships might best be seen as fulfilling the overarching command that we be a holy people (vaYikra 19:2). Indeed, Rashi, in his commentary on this verse, identifies holiness with separation from forbidden sexual relationships.

Thoughts on Judeo-Spanish Civilization

Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, and Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City. A number of his articles may be found on the Institute's website, in the Min haMuvhar section.

 

Models of Sephardic Rabbinic Leadership

Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, www.jewishideas.org. Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, he is author and editor of 30 books, many dealing with aspects of Sephardic history and culture. Among his recent books are “Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire;” (Jewish Lights, 2006); and “Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism,” (Jewish Lights, 2009), both of which won awards from the National Jewish Book Council. His most recent book is "Maimonides: Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith and Ethics," Jewish Lights, 2012. This article originally appeared in Sephardic Horizons (sephardichorizons.org), volume 1, issue 3, spring 2011; and was reprinted in issue 12 of Conversations,the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals.

 

 

            In the early 1970s, shortly after I had begun my rabbinical service to Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City, I attended a shiur, a lecture, at Yeshiva University given by the recently elected Rishon leZion, Rabbi Ovadya Yosef. As a young Sephardic rabbi, I was eager to hear the words of this prominent and erudite Sephardic rabbinic leader. The message of that shiur made a great impression on me and has remained with me to this day.

The Universalistic Vision of Judaism

     At the Revelation at Mount Sinai, God chose the people of Israel to receive the Torah. This unique and unprecedented covenant between God and a group of human beings was to have an immense influence on human civilization. The Torah prescribed a specific way of life for the Jewish people. Yet, the Revelation—though experienced directly by Israel--was also concerned with humanity as a whole.

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