Halakha

The practice of Kabbalah, often called Jewish mysticism, can be traced back to ancient Babylon. It's been described as a map of the unseen forces that shape our lives and how these forces are structured. Traditionalists believe that only men over the age of 40 who had knowledge of Jewish religious laws could gain a true understanding of the scriptures. Nevertheless, many Kabbalists are female and younger than 40 years old. The Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, California offers Kabbalistic…

The Jewish people have an expansive and troubled history. Unlike being a Christian or Muslim, being Jewish is not simply a matter of religious beliefs. Being Jewish is an ethnic identity that does not necessarily mean a person follows the Jewish faith. Jews for many years had no nation of their own, and so they were disseminated among many other different people and nations. After Expulsion indicates the difficulties the Jewish people went through not only with non-Jews, but also within the ties…

Can Intermarriage Lead To An Increase In The Number Of Jews In America? The authors of this article outline the question: Can Intermarriage Lead To An Increase In The Number Of Jews In America? It is an intriguing question. At first glance one might think to themselves that this is an erroneous question, but when examining the logic behind the question, it is apparent that this is not a poor question, but rather an interesting one. When looking at the simple numbers, one may believe that the…

Transitions in this life consist of many different things, including but not limited to: birth, coming of age, marriage, and into the religious life. Each an important piece of time and defining moment within a person’s religion and culture, representing past events through the current and future lives of the members participating within them. What does each event or custom within a religion represent for each of its followers? Does each transition in life represent more than just, what its…

Judaism is one of the oldest religions that stemmed from the small nation of Hebrews and continued to be an influential religion in the world. There are approximately 14 million Jewish people (2) in the world and they comprise of people of all skin colors and racial types. Judaism is one of the first cultures that follow monotheism (1) It compares God to be the one and only, invincible and a being that is the ultimate beginning of all life on earth. In addition, the Jewish people are split…

Danny Saunders is just like any other kid who feels forced into doing what his dad wants him to do. Throughout the book Danny is forced to study, learn, and reiterate knowledge of the Talmud to practice his Hasidic faith. His father, Reb Saunders, does not even speak to him unless it is about the Talmud or the study of it. Danny is conflicted with his traditional way of religion and his new found love for psychoanalytic. However with his love for psychology, he soon becomes more modernized with…

When Judaism was founded, its view of a god was much different from those of pre-existing religions. The monotheistic religion viewed God as kind, merciful, and selfless. Other religion’s saw their gods as self-concerning, amoral beings. Judaism’s God also made man. In the Torah, Genesis 1:26-27 states, “And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” From this quote, many conclude that since God made man, then abortion must be a bad…

The Jewish community has been following a strict set of rules since the day Moses helped them escape Egypt to the promise land. They preferred to keep themselves isolated from others, so no cultural diffusion can taint their beliefs. However, that was easier said than done, as they had to face a plethora of challenges. After Alexander the Great had conquered most of the east, from Egypt to India, the spread of Greek culture was inevitable. This came to be known as the Hellenistic period and it…

Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism 's genetic composition by artificial means, often involving the transfer of specific traits, or genes, from one organism into a plant or animal of an entirely different species. This type of technology gives parents and doctors an almost “G-d- like” position. Should parents be able to choose certain traits for their children if the children cannot give consent to this? Are their safety hazards to this picking and choosing? According to…

The Britishness of Anglo Indians in Ruth Jhabvala’s A Backward Place Displacement characterizes the life and writings of Ruth Jhabvala. Her Jewish ancestry and sojourn in three countries – Europe, Asia and North America got her the much theorized label “diasporic” to her subjectivity and oeuvre. Unlike many diasporic writers Jhabvala does not reconstruct a Europe she had lived in as an imaginary homeland or a delineation of the community of her ethnic origin (Jewish) in her adopted homeland,…