Judaism seeks to bring us closer to God through proper thought and deed. Superstition seeks to circumvent God's power through the use of magical formulae or rituals. While Judaism demands intellectual and moral excellence and a direct relationship with God, superstition provides purported means of bypassing or manipulating God in order to ward off evil or to achieve some other desired goal.
The butler didn’t remember Joseph; that was bad. The butler forgot Joseph; that was very bad.
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.
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.
Going back to a significant starting point helps us put life into context. It reminds us of origins. It allows us to think things through quietly. As we visit—and depart from—our personal “Beersheva” we set off on the journey ahead with greater confidence, faith and wisdom.
Book Review
By Rabbi Hayyim Angel
Dennis Prager, The Rational Bible: Numbers (Regnery Faith, 2024)
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.
We pray for peace and prosperity. We pray for spiritual elevation. We pray that God’s covenant with Abraham will continue to resound in our generation and for many generations to come.
Living a proper halakhic life creates a deep, intimate relationship with God. Interiority, humility, love of humanity, and a desire to improve society are proper manifestations of a righteous life. Authentic religion is not about showiness, disdain for others, or authoritarianism.
Rabbi Marc D. Angel shares some thoughts on the life and spiritual legacy of one of America's foremost rabbinic figures of the 20th century.