Judaism

Can Arab/Muslim Countries Criticize Israel Under the UN Anti-Blasphemy Resolution?

Ali A. Rizvi | Posted 10.30.2009 | World


Ali A. Rizvi

How do the Arab/Muslim countries of the OIC plan to continue their criticism of the Israeli occupation and settlement expansion without, in a way, violating their own proposed resolution?

An Introduction To Kabbalah, Part 3: Three Answers To The Ultimate Question

Jay Michaelson | Posted 10.29.2009 | Living


Jay Michaelson

Last week, in part two of our introduction to Kabbalah, we suggested that in Jewish mystical theology, "God does not exist -- God is existence itself."

Shabbat Elevator Ruling Reignites Debate Over Lifts

AP | TIA GOLDENBERG, Associated Press Writer | Posted 10.26.2009 | World


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An Introduction to Kabbalah, Part 2: God Does Not Exist, God is Existence Itself

Jay Michaelson | Posted 10.22.2009 | Living


Jay Michaelson

At the deepest, most fundamental level, the true reality of our existence is One, Ein Sof, infinite, and thus the sense of separate self that we all have is not ultimately true.

Mayim Bialik's Latest Role: Green Mom

Avital Binshtock | Posted 10.20.2009 | Green


Avital Binshtock

We know her as Blossom, that spunky adolescent on that eponymous sitcom. But since the series ended in 1995, Mayim Bialik, now 33, has truly blossomed.

The Man Behind the J Street Smear Campaign

MJ Rosenberg | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics


MJ Rosenberg

There sure is a lot of effort going into discrediting an organization that is, in fact, only a little to the left of the "mainstream" pro-Israel organizations.

Can We Argue Without Fighting?

David Suissa | Posted 11.03.2009 | Living


David Suissa

When we give our individual insights the weight of revelation, we don't allow much room for different or conflicting insights, let alone the chance to have a debate about them.

An Introduction To Kabbalah, Part 1: What Is Kabbalah?

Jay Michaelson | Posted 10.15.2009 | Living


Jay Michaelson

Despite all the fame, or maybe because of it, it's often quite hard to get a clear answer to what Kabbalah actually is. It seems to depend on who you ask.

Working for Peace is a Form of Prayer

Bradley Burston | Posted 10.07.2009 | World


Bradley Burston

The exchange of several Palestinian women prisoners for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit could signal a tectonic shift in Israeli-Palestinian peace relations.

A Serious Man

Will Menaker | Posted 10.06.2009 | Entertainment


Will Menaker

The Coen universe is so meticulously crafted that the absence of an inherent order seems almost impossible. How could something of such exquisite function arise from something so absurd and meaningless?

Anne Frank (VIDEO): Museum Posts Only Known Footage Of Anne Frank To YouTube

AP | Posted 10.04.2009 | World


AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam has begun airing the only known video of the teenage diarist on a channel dedi...

A New Year's Resolution

Larry Gellman | Posted 09.30.2009 | Living


Larry Gellman

This Yom Kippur there is reason for concern. The politics of rumor, innuendo, and lies -- sinat chinam -- is on the rise in our community and it hurts us all.

Back to the Future -- The Tension Over Tense

Larry Gellman | Posted 09.30.2009 | Politics


Larry Gellman

With investments, mob psychology takes over. People get greedy at the top and afraid at the bottom. At the end of the day, they almost always default in favor of sleeping at night.

Avoiding Darfive

Lee Bycel | Posted 09.30.2009 | World


Lee Bycel

I just returned after spending 10 days in Eastern Chad, observing Rosh Hashanah in Darfuri refugee camps. There are no Jews there, but there are millions of humans struggling to survive.

Bill Maher, Roman Polanski and Barack Obama

Craig Alan Silverman | Posted 09.29.2009 | Denver


Craig Alan Silverman

Lineage and religion -- they are killer topics. It's not easy to escape religious roots. No one makes their own choice at birth regarding religion, yet ancestry and religious rules decide a lot.

Kaparot: Yom Kippur In Crown Heights (PHOTOS)

Posted 09.28.2009 | New York


Photographer Matt Rodigheri has been documenting the Orthodox Jewish community in Crown Heights for a year. Kaparot, or "Atonement" is a custom per...

Building A Sukkah With Jonathan Safran Foer And Josh Foer

forward.com | Posted 09.24.2009 | New York


What sort of sukkah traditions did your family have growing up? Jonathan Safran Foer: According to family legend, our great-great-great-great-great...

"Reinventing Ritual" at the Jewish Museum

Oliver Noble | Posted 09.22.2009 | New York


Oliver Noble

Reinventing Ritual is a bold conversation about the Jewish future. Who would have thought it would have happened on the Upper East Side?

The New Year Begins

Liz Neumark | Posted 09.21.2009 | New York


Liz Neumark

Heirloom tomatoes, ratatouille and butternut squash soup for Rosh Hashannah: The holiday brings home quiet moments in our lives that are otherwise jammed with obligations and fast meals.

Can There Be Such a Thing as an Israeli Hero?

Bradley Burston | Posted 09.17.2009 | World


Bradley Burston

There is a sense that the transgressions of Israelis are so grave that they have lost their right to grieve over their own very real tragedies.

Have the Jews Left the Synagogue?

Rabbi Leah and Rabbi Perry Berkowitz | Posted 09.16.2009 | New York


Rabbi Leah and Rabbi Perry Berkowitz

You can't practice Judaism with your grandfather's heart but must approach these days with a new, fresh, different and vibrant style that speaks to someone who lives and struggles in the 21st Century.

What Is Rosh Hashanah and Why Should I Care?

Gahl Eden Sasson | Posted 09.16.2009 | Living


Gahl Eden Sasson

According to rabbinical lore, Adam and Eve, our primal parents, were created on Rosh Hashanah, which traditionally falls on the New Moon of the seventh month.

Why Not Organize Everything?

Norman Horowitz | Posted 09.18.2009 | Politics


Norman Horowitz

I object to an "organized" day devoted to anything.

Redemonizing Judas: Gospel Fiction or Gospel Truth?

Robert Eisenman | Posted 09.13.2009 | Living


Robert Eisenman

The entire character of "Judas Iscariot" is generated out of whole cloth and it is meant to be. Moreover, it is done in a totally malevolent way.

Archaeologists Find Early Menorah Depiction

AP | AMY TEIBEL | Posted 09.11.2009 | World


JERUSALEM — Israeli archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest depictions of a menorah, the seven-branched candelabra that has come to sy...