Whenever the issue of religion arises in conversation I rarely shy away. Like politics, it is among the socially taboo topics, nevertheless I love to discuss both. For many Christians, a Jew willing to discuss religion is a rare find. Unfortunately, many take this as an invitation to the missionary impulse and they make an … More I Don’t Believe in…

A number of people have asked me for some arguments they can use when being proselytized to by Christian missionaries. I have resisted writing such work for years because it is not my style to make such arguments. I recently encountered a person who tried to convert me and claimed it would afford me certain … More Defending Your Belief in Judaism

Is the belief in supernatural characters and events restraining Judaism? Is it preventing us from restoring the institutions of the Temple? In this article, I will address the harm caused by believing in fantasies when there is real work to be done to restore the Torah and the national institutions of Judaism. I have explained … More The Supernatural in Judaism

In 538, Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, incidentally ending the Babylonian Exile. He died in 530, and was succeeded by Cambyses II. Cambyses died in 522, and was succeeded by his brother, Bardiya, for a few months. Darius the Great then became emperor after a coup the same year. Haggai’s prophecies occurred in … More Haggai

A popular objection to Judaism and to Torah, in general, is that there are too many rules, that the standard for being righteous is set so high that it is unachievable. Generally speaking, this argument originates with Christian reasoning for the necessity of a “new” covenant, although I’ve seen similar arguments made by some Jewish … More You Can’t Follow All of the Rules!

One of the more fascinating quirks of biblical phrasing is the tendency of the authors of the TaNaKh, to say nothing of its translators, to use intimate, emotional language to describe political decisions and actions, and to portray the following of tradition such that it can be attributed to chance.  The stories of David ha … More The Hidden Story of Bathsheba

While many Torah topics are pleasant and intellectually stimulating, some are unpleasant and at times a little uncomfortable to speak about. In our modern society few topics are as uncomfortable as bodily fluids and death. This article will be about the Torah’s rules regarding both. There are many interesting aspects of this topic to explore, … More Ritual Cleanliness

Whether one is speaking of marriage in Judaism or in our society general, no single factor is a greater predictor of success or failure than the choice of partner. As obvious as it might seem, this factor can be one of the most difficult to understand in our modern society. So many marriages fail because they should … More Courtship Vs. Dating

For Jew and non-Jew alike, nothing perplexes like the fundamental question of who is a Jew. Rabbinical Judaism is matrilineal, a person whose mother was Jewish is a Jew . Karaite Judaism is patrilineal, going by the father. There are “Jews” who claim the title ethnically but who do not practice Judaism or have any connection to the Jewish community. So, who is a Jew? … More Who is a Jew?