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Virtual Talmud

If there is one thing this war has taught Israelis, it’s that without America they are nothing. Could things change? Could America grow weary of Israel? Perhaps. But as of now America is Israel’s chief supporter. America has single-handedly protected (some say protected too much) Israel from the ire of the world, allowing Israel to…

Judaism has always been a religion that focuses on, teaches, ritualizes the ability to tell the differences between things: the difference between Shabbat and the rest of the week; the difference between kosher and non-kosher food; the difference between shatnes (linen and wool mixtures) and other fabrics. The ability to distinguish differences is the beginning…

The violence in Israel continues to worsen, and now wide-scale evacuations of the North are finally under way as it appears Israel is preparing to enter Southern Lebanon in force. I pray for the well-being of the brave Israeli soldiers who go into enemy territory to defend their country, and for the Lebanese civilians who…

Following the mourning of Tisha b’Av (commemorating the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and the Second Temple in 70 CE), Jews traditionally read selections from prophets (Haftorot) that draw on images of comfort: the sense that God has not abandoned them, that children will some day again be able to…

For years now people have been calling terrorism a cancer. As Itamar Rabinovich, the president of Tel Aviv University and former Israeli diplomat, put it, “You either cut it out or it eats you up.” Right now, this is certainly Israel’s approach to Hezbollah. Either we cut it out or it will kill us. I…

A few hours before Tisha b’Av began I was reflecting that the violence in the Middle East shows absolutely no signs of abating. Instead, it’s been getting worse–with Hezbollah shooting more than 200 rockets into Israel and Israel vowing to push deeper into Lebanon with ground troops. Some years I’ve had to move myself emotionally…

Why should we care that in 586 BCE (Before the Common Era) the Babylonians destroyed the First Temple and in 70 CE the Romans destroyed the Second Temple? The Temple was the central address for Jewish worship and assembly for hundreds of years. Each conqueror thought he could destroy the Jewish people, our identity, and…

Tisha b’Av (the 9th of the month of Av), the day Jews mourn the loss of the Temple and their subsequent exile, is one of those holidays that never made too much sense growing up. Let me explain by recounting a story told to me by my teacher Rabbi David Hartman. Following the Six Day…

These past few weeks have been so full of pain and strife. Each new headline brings fresh waves of sorrow at the human and political toll that the current conflict in Lebanon is taking. With Israeli ground troops now entering southern Lebanon to create a buffer zone, the casualties only promise to increase. Our hearts…

I am not sure if there is much more to say about this issue, Prof. LeVine. Your problem seems to be more with the people at Pew. To sum up: Your position expresses little difference between evangelicals, Muslims, and Israelis regarding these groups’ relationship to politics and religion. Doing the math, you might say, evangelicals=Israelis=Muslims.…
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