Thoughts to Ponder 529
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l *
Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Based on an introduction to a discussion between Professor William Kolbrener and Professor Elliott Malamet (1)
Honoring the publication of Professor William Kolbrener’s new book
“The Last Rabbi” (2)
Yad Harav Nissim, Jerusalem, on Feb. 1, 2017
To our members and friends,
We have a very exciting winter semester of classes with the Institute. Here is a brief schedule:
Wednesday, February 15, 7:00-8:00pm: Double book reception for my two new books:
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: Prophecy in an Age of Uncertainty, By Hayyim Angel, Maggid Books, 2016.
Reviewed by Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin
Thoughts to Ponder 524
Syria and the Scandal of our (Orthodox) Synagogues
Nathan Lopes Cardozo
“Lord of the Universe, I beg You to redeem Israel; but if You do not want to do that, then I beg You to redeem the gentiles.”
Rabbi Yisrael Hopstein, Maggid of Kozhnitz
and legendary Chassidic leader in Poland (1733-1814) (1)
The Talmud posits an important principle: the Heavenly court deals with us by the exact same standards that we use to deal with others (Sotah 8b). If we are kind and compassionate, we can expect to be judged by God with kindness and compassion. If we are cruel and unfairly critical of others, we can expect the Heavenly court to deal with us with the same qualities we have shown to others.
In his book, “Games People Play,” Dr. Eric Berne wrote of a phenomenon that he described as recognition hunger. Humans have a deep psychological need to be recognized, to be validated. It is a natural desire to want to be loved and appreciated. These signs of affirmative recognition convey a message: your life matters, you are good, you make a difference. When someone sincerely praises or thanks us, we feel better about ourselves.
What Is Jewish Education?
All parents who identify strongly with being Jewish will agree that they would like their children to have a Jewish education. Jewish education is very important in helping to keep children frum. Now, if you were to ask several people to write down on a piece of paper what a Jewish education means to them, there will be a large variety of ideas. Almost everyone has a different definition of what they feel is a Jewish education. One hundred Jewish parents from different backgrounds and communities may produce one hundred different definitions.