Jeffrey A. Spitzer

Advertisement

Welcoming the Convert into the Family of Israel

Israel's responsibilities toward converts begin with equal protection, but ultimately require the full integration of the convert into the family of Israel.

The Rabbinic Conversion Ceremony

The different layers of the rabbinic discussion of conversion reveal the beginnings of a transformation from a citizenship ritual to a theological initiation rite.

Kitniyot: Not Quite Hametz

The Passover debate surrounding rice, millet, corn and legumes.

Did Israel Deserve Redemption?

Jewish texts have much to say on this subject.

Eating Matzah At the Seder

The bread of poverty has a rich history in Rabbinic literature.

An Aramean Destroyed My Father

Commentaries on the Haggadah contrast the evil of Laban with Pharaoh and see Laban as a symbol for political, sociological, and psychological evil.

The Birth of the Good Inclination

In rabbinic texts, the distinction between childhood and young adulthood is the birth of the yetzer hatov, the good inclination.

To What is God Similar?

Rabbinic parables explicitly compare God to a variety of human analogues, reflecting the rabbis' subtle, complex, and diverse images of God.

Jewish Peace Offerings

Deuteronomy's laws of warfare include the requirement that a nation seek a peaceful settlement before engaging in war.

Alcohol on Purim

Are Jews really obligated to drink to the point of not knowing the difference between Haman and Mordecai?

Advertisement