Orthodox Judaism

Two topics to avoid in casual conversation: politics and religion. Religion has been a controversial issue since its birth. Dating back thousands of years, it is completely unrealistic to imagine that every person could share the exact same views and principles. With the extreme variety of views, it’s nearly impossible to agree on one belief. There has been war and constant conflict for thousands of years revolving around faith. The beliefs that a person may live their life by, someone else…

Perhaps the most unfathomable and horrific event in all of history, the Holocaust shook people’s understanding of faith and religion down to the core. In the movie God on Trial, A barrack full of Jewish prisoners decide to place God on trial for breaking the covenant he made with the Jewish people in the Old Testament. They are charging him with murder, collaboration, breach of contract, and more murder. To decide whether in fact God was guilty or not, the men discussed various opinions…

Anti-Semitism has been an influence in the way the Jews have been treated since the beginning of the modern era, with many societies discriminating against the race as a whole incredible harshly. The prejudice towards the Jews in the 11th century onwards has been used as a political and social tool for government bodies from many countries. This idea is exemplified through the Blood Libel which occurred during this time frame, with events such as the first accusation, treatment of the Jews…

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is portrayed as the teacher. To Matthew Jesus is a teacher who is far greater than Moses or anyone ever was. Matthews Gospel was written and intended for the audience of other Jewish people since he was a Jew himself. This could be the main point that differentiates Mathew from the other Gospels because his audience was so heavily Jewish based. This Gospel is the beginning of the New Testament that sets up the other gospels that will follow even though much of…

Burger's article “Kissing the Pardoner” asserts that the Pardoner is an instrumental element of redefining social and political constructions, specifically those of Chaucer’s time. He criticizes other writers who propose that the pardoner is a kind of present “absence” that opposes coquettish feminity, or that he is too extreme in flouting any sort of categorization. On the face of the Pardoner’s image, the reader receives a clear binary when he’s interacting with Harry Bailey, effeminate and…

Before Zoroastrianism was introduced to Persia, Persian Religion was very nature oriented and polytheistic with Ahuramazda being considered the chief god. The Persians generally allowed their subjects to continue their own religion. That is why the ideas of a person named Zoroaster were able to spread so easily around 600 B.C.E. We are uncertain about the dates and history of Zoroaster himself, but we know he was a thinker and preacher. Zoroaster is credited as the author of a set of religious…

Throughout the course of history, oppression and prejudice often characterize the trend of imperialism. Although colonialism may produce the growth of an empire, it is usually at the cost of the indigenous. Despite this, native minorities in the Iberian Peninsula maintained hope that the Islamic Empire would benefit their situation, an expectation that the Muslim conquerors soon fulfilled. Beginning an age of Iberian prosperity and establishing a flourishing empire, the Umayyad imperialism of…

The well-spoken Quintus Horatius Flaccus, more commonly known as Horace, once professed that hardship has the ability to provoke hidden skills that which other wise would have never shown themselves. This philosophy is especially true in comparison to the life of Elie Wiesel, a beautifully written Holocaust survivor. Wiesel writes to all who haven't lived through the horror that is known as the Holocaust, in efforts of “transmitting the history of the disappearance” of those who were brutally…

Hatred and the Holocaust I believe that people begin to dislike others, as well as treat them badly, because of the practices other people follow. For example religion. Whether you have a religion or not you still have your own beliefs to back up your statement. Another example is sexuality. People dislike others for things they can’t control, such as sexuality, I don’t think that is fair. The example of sexuality is similar to the Jews during the Holocaust. During the Holocaust the dictator,…

Imagine living in a room the size of a closet, without your family , spending every day living in silence and in fear that you might be discovered. For many that was their life everyday while hiding but there were also many problems for both Jews in hiding as well as those who hid them. Many Jews were saved during the Holocaust because of non-Jews willing to risk their lives but Jew and non-Jews had many problems they faced during and after the war. The decision of going into hiding or…