Halakha

Contraception is an extremely controversial topic in the world today. Differing opinions about birth control can be found between genders, political parties, and most importantly, religions. Judaism is probably one of more the lenient religions when considering contraception as far as what is acceptable and not acceptable. Unlike most religions, Jewish law does not ban the use birth control all together. Like many subjects in the Jewish religion, contraception is judged on a case-by-case…

Often I am asked what makes me a religious Jew. Does being it mean keeping the laws of Kashrut? (Jewish dietary laws) Does it mean keeping the Sabbath and the holidays? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Traditionally, we are taught that a ‘frum’ person is someone who keeps the Big 3: Shabbat, Kashrut, and Mikvah and if you’re single that you intend on following the laws of family purity upon marriage. I grew up in a Modern Orthodox, Zionistic home. My mother’s family has rabbis in our ancestry. My…

Judaism convictions passing is not an end of life, but rather a start of another and better life. Hashem is outside human ability to comprehend of psyche and no human activity or characteristics can be identified with him. The greatest prophet was Moses and no other prophet can come later and change his words. The "Saviour" has not yet come. Jesus has no spot in Orthodox Judaism. Truly spoken, Judaism convictions in the great beyond plays a noteworthy part in the life of an Orthodox Jew. One…

Judaism is a religion that have been around for centuries. Many people practice this religion there are many different forms of this religion which includes Orthodox, Ultra Orthodox, Hasidic, Conservative, and Reconstructionist. Each group practice the religion a little differently than the other one. Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews believe in most of the same ideas and is debated that they are the same. One person that classify as Jewish is Adam Sandler. Sandler was born into a Jewish…

Visions of Jewish Education Essay Esti Shulman Azrieli Graduate School “We can expect a feeling of love for all Jews, whatever their background, whatever their status. There will be those whom we will applaud, those whom we will oppose, those who will give us pain, even make us cry. But we will try never to forget that we are one and that the inner door should never be closed. And we will keep an outer door, to the outside world, open as well. To be sure, it will have a screen. Not everything…

1. Research the author of the book. Write a few sentences describing the author. Include the author’s purpose in writing the novel. Chaim Potok, the author of The Chosen, was raised as an Orthodox Jew in New York. He grew up to be a rabbi for his church, and his two sisters married rabbis as well. His father was an immigrant from Poland, which is something he included with one of his characters: Danny Saunders. Every piece of literature he wrote was on Jewish beliefs and culture, creating a…

After 14 years in Jewish day school, I am poised to leave this sanctuary and venture out into a wide world. Next year will be the first time I will attend a secular school. On the eve of this departure, then, I ask myself, who am I? What kind of Jew am I right now, at this point in time? Where do I see myself in five years? Truthfully, there is an ongoing conflict in my mind between my secular self and my spiritual Judaic self. It is not that I feel I must prioritize one over the other;…

In the Seventeenth Century many philosophers were enlightening the world with their various views and ontological arguments. Baruch Spinoza was no different. Spinoza was born in 1632 in Amsterdam and grew up in a Jewish community where he was led to be a rabbi. At the age of twenty-four he was banned from his community for his radical views and was also later banned from a Christian community for those same opinions (Nadler, “Baruch Spinoza”). Spinoza came to be influenced and well educated in…

The day of Jewish rest Rest, Shabbat in Hebrew, begins at sundown on friday and ends on Saturday at sundown. On Friday night, Jewish families transition from their everyday lives to a more spiritual time where they share dinner together. Tables are set with good dishes and white tablecloths. The tables are placed with candles, wine, and challah loaves, which are needed to perform Sabbath religious rituals. “For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the sabbath rest, a day for sacred…

All I knew about this religion was what I heard and discussed in conversations with some of my friends who are practicing members. According to an article published in 2004 and updated in 2015 in the religion facts website, Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world that still exists today. Jewish history, beliefs, and traditions were recorded in the Hebrew Bible beginning as early as the 8th century BC. Although it never achieved dominant numbers, the faith of the Hebrews continues to…