Talmud

Addressing a popular secular Israeli society that was skeptical of calling events miraculous, David Ben-Gurion said, “A Jew who does not believe in miracles is not a realist."

The last confession (vidui), has somewhat disappeared in recent centuries. In this column, I’ll briefly lay out the case for restoring this meaningful ritual.

The Beit Shammai-Beit Hillel confrontation must serve as a warning of what can go wrong when one group bulldozes legislation against the will of a major constituency.

Gila Fine’s interpretations of the Talmud are kind, inspiring, and relatable for modern women. Let’s hope the men are on board.

Jewish tradition contains this idea as well, that shtika k’hoda’a – a person’s silence can be taken as acquiescence. This leaves us with the question, how do ensure that we are not silent?

For religious Jews, Judaism’s constant demand to follow Halacha (Jewish law) may give the impression that Judaism depends solely on the need to “observe.”

We know what sovereignty tastes like. For centuries, Hanukkah kept that taste alive. We never forgot how Jews were meant to live. Hanukkah would not let us forget. 

Some people believe that Jewish chess players use the same way of thinking while playing chess as if they were studying Talmud.

Much like Speaker Pelosi, the Talmud tells us that Rabban Gamliel rules the house of study, with an iron fist, and with a desire for unity. However, Rabban Gamliel takes this desire a step too far.

Living in modern Israel is like living in a real-time ongoing Talmudic dispute.