Rather than serving primarily as an ethnic description, the Chosen People concept is deeply rooted in religious ethics. It contains a universalistic message that belongs to the community of nations. All are descendants from Adam and Eve, created in God’s Image.
The Torah states that one plagued with tsara’at needed to undergo a purification process. Similarly, a society suffering from spiritual tsara’at needs to examine the roots of its disease and to purify itself. Leaders in all strata of society need to mobilize against the hatred that is cutting at the soul of our nation.
Our Haggadah—with its core over 1,000 years old—takes us on a remarkable journey that combines narrative and observance into an intellectual and experiential event for people of all ages and backgrounds. In this manner, we travel alongside our ancestors from freedom to slavery to redemption.
The Diario: The Daring Escape of Two Sephardic Jews from Turkey to America During World War I, Albion Andalus Books, Boulder, 2023. Written in Ladino by Alfred Ascher, Translated and Introduced by Gloria J. Ascher
Berman’s book is an important contribution to scholarship and to our religious pursuit of truth in the context of Tanakh study. He challenges readers to examine critically the assumptions they bring to the text. Those who ignore ancient Near Eastern laws and narratives lose a vital tool to evaluate the eternal messages of the Torah.
Although we may have different views on many topics, we are one People. When any one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked. When the Jewish People is in peril, we set aside all differences in order to stand in defense of our People.
This article by Rabbi Hayyim Angel explores the approaches of the yeshiva and the academy to Tanakh study. We will define the yeshiva broadly to include any traditional religious Jewish setting, be it the synagogue, study hall, adult education class, seminary, or personal study. In contrast, the academy is any ostensibly neutral scholarly setting, primarily universities and colleges, which officially is not committed to a particular set of religious beliefs.
In his over 10 years of service to our Institute, Rabbi Hayyim Angel has reached thousands of people through his classes, publications, YouTube programs and more. In celebration of the occasion, the autumn 2024 issue of Conversations will include a collection of his articles. Please join in honoring Rabbi Hayyim Angel by contributing to a Scroll of Honor that will be included in this special issue of Conversations.
Ever since the dawn of history, material possessions and wealth have been seen as posing basic ethical and spiritual problems. All religions, therefore, have had to offer some perspective regarding the scope and legitimacy of economic activity. Judaism is no exception in this respect, though it differs radically from all other religions in the answers it provides to the relevant questions.
David Suissa, Editor of the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, published this powerful essay March 12, 2024, and we post it with his permission.