learning
Understanding One’s Motivation to Convert to Judaism
Conversion requires such a big life change that the motivations must be genuine and psychologically well grounded.
A Convert Cannot Reject Jewish Law
This legal opinion from the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel takes the lenient opinion that a convert should not explicitly reject any Jewish law.
Shavuot 101
Shavuot commemorates the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Maimonides’ Thirteen Unanimous Principles
The substance of Maimonides' principles was never in dispute; the ramifications of rejecting them were.
The D’var Torah as Religious Struggle
The struggle to find personal meaning in words of Torah and to share that message with the community is the essence of Jewish spiritual maturation.
Shabbat & Nature
The conundrum of Shabbat observance and environmental damage.
Is Bar/Bat Mitzvah a Communal or Personal Rite?
The bar/bat mitzvah service now focuses on the child as individual, but the synagogue community should not suffer.
Non-Jewish Mothers and the Blessings on the Torah
Could an aliyah be a way to honor the sacrifices of a non-Jewish mother who raises a Jewish child?