Beliefs & Practices
Who Is a Jew: Matrilineal Descent
Why is Judaism traditionally passed down through the mother?
What Is Herem?
The traditional ban separating a person from the Jewish community.
Shomer Negiah, the Prohibition on Touching
The term refers to someone who refrains from physical contact with members of the opposite sex.
The Centrality of Kavod HaMet (Honoring the Dead)
Jewish mourning practices center more on the deceased than on concern for the living.
Dreams in Jewish Tradition
Dreaming was a major source of prophetic insight in the Torah, but Jewish texts also betray a certain anxiety about dreaming.
Significant Numbers in Judaism
A look at some numbers — from seven to 18 to 613 — that have Jewish significance.
Judaism & Science in History
Jewish tradition and scientific reasoning provide two different and sometimes contradictory sources of truth, and Jewish thinkers throughout the ages have struggled to address these contradictions.
Feminist Perspectives on Niddah, the Laws of Separation
Acceptance versus rejection of the laws governing monthly mikveh visits.