rabbis Archives

13 Dec

Ask the Rabbis, From the Archive

From 2005 | Ask the Rabbis: Should Jewish Children Sing Christmas Carols

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Moment

December 16, 2023

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American society tries to sell us the idea that Christmas is not a religious holiday because its themes—gift giving, goodwill and peace on earth—are universal. But Christmas is fundamentally religious: It celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian messiah

17 Jan

Jewish Word, Winter Issue 2023

The Meaning of ‘Semicha’

Posted by

George E. Johnson

February 15, 2023

1

How did a word that means "leaning" become the way to describe the act of becoming a rabbi?

Rabbi Nancy Kastan speaks in front of a group advocating for reproductive rights.

06 Dec

Latest, Women

Rabbis in States with Abortion Restrictions Find Hope in Interfaith Work

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Abby Wingfield and Fallon Roth

December 13, 2022

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Jewish leaders in states with trigger bans hope interfaith activism may help them advocate for reproductive health.

07 Nov

2022 November/December, Ask the Rabbis

Ask the Rabbis | How Would You Counsel a Parent and Child Who Are Estranged?

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Moment

November 8, 2022

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I wouldn’t. Assuming the child in question is an adult, and depending on the degree to which the estrangement has festered, and barring cases of abuse, trying to heal such rifts is misplaced effort.

21 Sep

2022 September/October, Ask the Rabbis

Ask the Rabbis | Can Jews Married to Non-Jews be Considered Spiritual Leaders in the Jewish Community?

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Moment

October 15, 2024

1

Why not? Moses was not such a bad spiritual leader of our people, and he was married to Tziporah the Midianite.

29 Jun

Ask the Rabbis, Summer Issue 2022

Ask the Rabbis | Does Jewish Law Offer Guidance on How to Fight a War?

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Moment

September 13, 2022

3

Before engaging an enemy in combat, we must offer to negotiate a peace (Deuteronomy 20:10).

a woman centered in the image of Hebrew texts

28 Mar

Ask the Rabbis, Spring Issue 2022

Ask the Rabbis | How Is Judaism Different After Half a Century of Female Clergy?

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Moment

August 17, 2022

1

Fifty years ago, Sally Priesand was ordained as a Reform rabbi, the first woman clergy member in American Jewish history. To mark this anniversary, we asked rabbis, male and female, to reflect.

Illustration for "Is political compromise a Jewish Virtue?"

31 Jan

Ask the Rabbis, Winter Issue 2022

Ask the Rabbis | Is Political Compromise a Jewish Virtue?

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Moment

January 31, 2022

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That’s how Abraham resolves his dispute with Lot over grazing lands: “If you head left, I’ll head right. If you head right, I’ll go left” (Genesis 13:9).

A visual of two groups of people split by a gorge, over which hangs a huge needle with a dose of medicine inside of it. On one side of the gorge, a crowd of people performs everyday activities. A sign is planted in the ground that says "DEUT 30:19: CHOOSE LIFE." On the other side, three people seem to be panicked and distressed.

15 Nov

2021 November/December, Ask the Rabbis, Jewish World

Ask the Rabbis | How Do You Deal With People in Your Community Who Don’t Want to Get Vaccinated?

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Moment

January 14, 2022

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I don’t. It is not my place to nudge people to get or not to get vaccinated.

Rabbi Edelstein with family In Iceland, 2016. Beshert.

01 Oct

Beshert, Latest

Beshert | From Longing to Belonging

Posted by

Judith Edelstein

October 7, 2021

1

As a young woman, Rabbi Judith Edelstein longed for a deeper connection to Judaism. She found it by chance when she picked up a flier at her son's nursery school.

08 Sep

2021 September/October, Ask the Rabbis, Jewish World

Ask the Rabbis | How Can We Avoid the Trap of Self-Righteousness?

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Moment

December 20, 2021

1

Everyone wants to be right—in the right way. What’s the line between striving for moral perfection and being a jerk?

09 Jun

Ask the Rabbis, Jewish World, Summer Issue 2021

Ask the Rabbis | Does Absolute Evil Exist, and If So, What Does It Look Like Today?

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Moment

December 20, 2021

3

Evil was introduced the moment God looked at Creation and “saw that it was good!” For the existence of good implies the existence of evil, just as big implies small and cold implies hot.