Articles in Religion and Jewish Thought
Chosenness as a Jewish concept
By Geoffrey Bloch
Johnny Baker, my friend and childhood classmate, endorses changing the traditional blessing one makes when being called up to the Torah (Changing Our Chosen Status AJN 3/9). I sat next …
Let the Shofar Take You Places
By Rabbi Meir Rabi
May this year be a peaceful year.
A year of challenges that prompt us to discover energies that have perhaps hibernated within us and are ready to blossom.
Everyone wants a sweet new year. …
Rosh Hashanah – of Fish Heads and Frankl
By David Werdiger
Many of the rituals and activities around Rosh Hashanah are brimming with symbolism. From the round challot symbolizing completeness, to the special foods eaten such as honey cake and apple dipped in honey …
The Midrash Says…
By Simon Holloway
Most people who use the word “midrash” don’t know what it means. To them, “midrash” simply denotes a convoluted and nonsensical commentary to a text: a tract composed with the intention of obfuscating …
Matza ado about nothing
By David Werdiger
Judging by the number of comments on the stories about soft matzah, particularly those questioning the flour used for matzos that had been manufactured locally in the past under Kosher Australia, you’d think …
MasterCholent
By David Werdiger
I’m very pleased that the current season of MasterChef is finally over. My family is whole again; the kids are able to go to bed at their regular time; we are able to …
Whither the Tribe of Levi
By David Werdiger
It’s a common scene in a Shul on Shabbat. Shortly before the reading of the Torah, the gabbai (that fellow who makes sure all the parts of the shul service that have to …
Not Sent From My iPad
By Simon Holloway
I don’t care how popular the iPad becomes, or even the ubiquitous E Ink devices: nothing will ever replace the joy of holding a book. The tactile and olfactory feast that is an …
Are Jewish Women Condemned to Hard Labour?
By Liz Paratz
Fast-forward a few thousand years and if we are condemned to ‘bring forth children in sorrow’, why do even the most religious of Jewish women use pain-relief in childbirth?
More debate please – Pluralist panel offers too much agreement
By Yaakov Gorr
Parsha Korach is a great reminder that Judaism is known for its great debates and great debaters – not only debates between Moshe and Korach but debates between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael, …
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