The Slow End of Slavery

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In Parshat Mishpatim we witness one of the great stylistic features of the Torah, its transition from narrative to law. Until now the Book of Exodus has been primarily narrative: the story of the enslavement of the Israelites and their journey to freedom. Now comes detailed legislation, the “constitution of liberty.”…

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A Jewish View of Love and Intimacy

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Many religions view sexuality as a purely physical experience to ideally be restricted. However Judaism considers it essential, holy and spiritual. Join author of the Guide for the Romantically Perplexed to learn how such pleasures are meant to bring us closer to our spouses and through that to our Creator.

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A Mindset of Freedom

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Maimonides asks: why does the Torah discuss rational commandments great detail, aren’t these commandments that conventional thinking concludes without Divine guidance? In this brief talk, Rabbi Shochet discusses the answer to this question along with relevant insight that we can apply in our daily living as Jews.

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A Case for Chosenness

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One of Judaism’s central premises is that God has a unique love for the Jewish people, in the merit of its ancestor Abraham, whom God loved millennia ago. This notion may make many readers uncomfortable…

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The Chosen People: Who Chose Whom

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If you’re born Jewish, you’re Jewish no matter what. You’re bound by the laws of the Torah and branded with the title “Jew.” Is that fair? Did you choose to be Jewish? A stunning analysis of free choice forces us to reconsider the nature of our commitment to Judaism.

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The Chosen People

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To paraphrase Mark Twain’s famous question in his Harper’s Weekly essay, “What is it with the Jews?”
As Dennis Prager points out, there is no rational normative explanation to the centrality of Jews in history.

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