Exodus
Rejoice When Your Enemy Falters?Friday, March 22, 2013 by Shlomo M. Brody | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Proverbs says, "When your enemy falters do not rejoice and when he stumbles do not feel glee." Does that apply even if your enemy is really, really evil?
Fresh-Baked Matzah and the Spirit of CapitalismTuesday, March 19, 2013 by Yoel Finkelman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Small-scale matzah bakeries in Israel are enabling people to fulfil the mitzvah of baking matzah—and strengthening communities.
What Is Free Will?Monday, March 18, 2013 by Simon Gordon | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
For millennia, philosophers have attempted to prove or disprove the existence of free will. Ludwig Wittgenstein saw this as a misguided exercise—which obscures a genuine moral issue.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 by Torah Talk with Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Weekly Portions
It\'s a fundraiser\'s dream: The people have to be told to stop bringing gifts for the Mishkan. (Click here for source sheet.) DownloadKi Tissa: Singing and Sinning
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 by Torah Talk with Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Weekly Portions
What was the sound that Joshua heard, and what did Moses say about it? (Click here for source sheet.) Download | Duration: 00:11:15
Theology, Identity, and CovenantFriday, February 15, 2013 by David Hartman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
David Hartman, who passed away on Sunday, was among the foremost Jewish theologians of his generation. Here, we reprint some of his thoughts on God and the Jewish people.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013 by Torah Talk with Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Weekly Portions
God chooses to live among the Israelites—but what kind of place does He want? (Click here for source sheet.) Download | Duration: 00:11:01Mishpatim: Cracking the Covenant Code
Wednesday, February 6, 2013 by Torah Talk with Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Weekly Portions
The goring ox—to whom it belongs, and whom it gores. (Click here for source sheet.) Download | Duration: 00:12:05Yitro: Men of the People
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 by Torah Talk with Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Weekly Portions
It's all about the am, "the people"—but who is included? (Click here for source sheet.) Download | Duration: 00:10:52
A Voice Saying Something RightTuesday, January 29, 2013 by David Curzon | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Poet Harvey Shapiro, who passed away this month at age 88, captured in plain words the mystery of everyday life, the trauma of war, and the grandeur of Jewish tradition.
Editors' Picks
Mimouna: Gold and Leavened Bread Ari Enkin, Hirhurim. The traditional post-Pesach celebration by Moroccan Jews may commemorate Maimonides’ father—or the Egyptian gold that washed up on the shore of the Red Sea.
The Mighty Hand Lazer Gurkow, Chabad. Why does the Torah tell us that God rescued the Israelites with both a mighty hand and an outstretched arm? Because our redemption was not only physical, but spiritual.
Were the Israelites Enslaved in Egypt? Michael Carasik, Jewish Ideas Daily. The Bible gives no fewer than four different reasons for the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt. But if there really was slavery, why does the Bible have so much trouble explaining it?
Exodus to America Dorothea Wolfson, GovStud. "Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness," wrote pilgrim William Bradford, "but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice."
Children of Israel David Wolpe, Weekly Standard. A new book on Jacob asks why the Torah begins with the patriarchal narrative rather than with the Exodus—and why a deeply flawed man is chosen to be the father of the Jewish people.
On Vulture's Wings Natan Slifkin, Rationalist Judaism. God told the Children of Israel, "I carried you on the wings of nesharim," translated as "eagles." Would we feel differently if we learned that the proper translation was "vultures?"
Did Miriam Sing? Gil Student, Torah Musings. Because Miriam sang at the Red Sea, say some, it cannot be forbidden by halakhah for men to hear women’s voices in song. But did Miriam really sing?
Manna From Heaven? Natan Slifkin, Rationalist Judaism. Are miracles supernatural or naturalistic phenomena? Maimonides seems to give contradictory answers—particularly on the subject of manna.
More than Just God's Name Gil Student, Torah Musings. When God spoke His name to Moses, was He providing proof of His existence, as Rambam argues, or merely stating the qualities with which He would redeem His people?
The Road to Serfdom Daniel Kaganovich, Jeremy England, Times of Israel. Did Joseph rescue Egypt from disaster through government intervention, like a good Keynesian—or enslave an entire population to the State, like a good Keynesian?