Revelation
Was the Torah Really Given on Shavuot?Tuesday, May 14, 2013 by David Glasner | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In Jewish tradition, the holiday of Shavuot is said to commemorate the giving of the Torah at Sinai. But, as the Talmud often asks, mena hani mili, how do we know this?
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.) Download
The Covenantal Thought of David HartmanThursday, February 21, 2013 by Ari Ackerman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
By treating the covenant between God and the Jewish people as a partnership, David Hartman found room for autonomy alongside halakhic observance.
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.
The Sigd Festival Comes Home to JerusalemWednesday, December 5, 2012 by Shai Afsai | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
On the Sigd, Ethiopian Jews would walk to a mountaintop and pray to return to Jerusalem. Now they are in Jerusalem, and the Sigd is a national holiday in Israel.
Editors' Picks
Heaven on Earth Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Cardozo Academy. Jewish law rescues man from unrealistic dreams, replacing them with dreams that are viable.
Voice in the Wilderness Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Cardozo Academy. "Avraham found God in the desert and so the people of Israel received the Torah in a place of ultimate authenticity: The Desert of devastating conditions and great opportunities."
A Love Letter from God Jonathan Sacks, Jewish Press. "In giving the Torah to Israel, God was not asserting His power, dominance or lordship over Israel. He was declaring His love."
Children of the Revelation Gil Student, Torah Musings. From equality to heresy via dueling mountains, here is your guide to Revelation at Sinai and its aftermath. (E-book)
Where Worlds Collide Eli Rubin, Chabad.org. "At Sinai—the Torah tells us—'God descended upon the mountain.' From this point on, man would be able to enjoy a direct relationship with the essentiality of the divine self."
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.
The Bible, for Non-Believers Hayyim Angel, Tradition. In his commentary on the Torah, Leon Kass does not begin from the premise that the text is divinely revealed. But he makes a strong case that man cannot live by reason alone.
The Politics of Revelation Jonathan Sacks, Algemeiner. "There is no legitimate government without the consent of the governed, even if the governor is Creator of heaven and earth."
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?
How Democratic was the Jewish Demos? Jonathan Sacks, Jewish Chronicle. Is the Hebrew Bible an attempt on the part of humans to govern themselves? Or is it the story of a people who saw themselves under the sovereignty of God?