Issues

A presentation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's views on the Jewish people's connection with the Holy Land, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the so-called "Land for Peace" issue

What does the Torah, speaking on behalf of the creator of morals and ethics, have to say about this? If G‑d were confronted, so to speak, with this complex moral query, how would He respond?

The Rebbe's revolutionary view on aging and "retirement," and -- by extension -- on life, work and productivity.

There are 70 families with 70 paths within the great Family of Man. And each individual has his or her path within a path. Yet, there is one universal basis for us all...

The need for a "moment of silence" to give context and meaning to the school day; a time for our children to reflect on the 'why' of their learning, rather than just the how

My aim here is not to engage directly in arguments about the Torah's view of homosexuality, or feminism, or the problems of singles in the Jewish community. Rather, these questions have raised for me a deeper, underlying question: Beyond the usual platitudes, why is the family so important in Judaism?

No person has ever declared on his or her deathbed, "I wish I'd had fewer children"

Kant was certainly correct when he said that the essence of a moral judgment is that it is categorical. That, however, is not the end of the problem of understanding the basis of morality. In fact, it is just the beginning of the problem

It's more than a question of which theory or theology is more convincing. Beliefs have consequences

In the wake of the latest business scandals in the news, let's go ahead and ask the real question that sits in the back of the head of every businessman with a conscience: Is business inherently at odds with ethics?

The predictable stereotypes involving Jews and money are popping up all over: that Jewish tradition allows dishonesty as long as people live otherwise pious lives. Nothing could be further from the truth...

Examining the gun control debate from the perspective of classic Judaic sources

Any loss, especially one involving the loss of love, independence, structure or identity, causes a temporary loss of balance—physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We make mistakes. And we pay for them, sometimes quite dearly. Does this mean that we should ascept that we have, in effect, "lost" a portion of our life? What about someone serving a life sentence in prison?

The human psyche is home to two contrasting drives: a striving for freedom, and an impulse to submit to authority. Which should be given priority over the other? Or, to otherwise state the question: in what sort of environment would the Torah prefer to see the Jew--as a member of a free society, or as the subject of an authoritarian regime?

Is it possible to have a moral society while leaving G‑d out of the equation?

Exploring the interplay between faith and logic, religion and critical thinking, tradition and technolgy

I'm all for happiness, but to be fully human means to be able to acknowledge and express the full range of emotions which G‑d gave us.

If Moral Relativism leads to chaos and Moral Absolutism to tyranny, what's left?

Kabbalah, psychology, and the real issue behind "gun control vs. people control"

When we understand the root and essence of terrorism, we also understand how despite its awful power we can fight it, each and every one of us, until it is absolutely destroyed

"Peace" is commonly regarded as synonymous with compromise. But what if you compromise the very foundation on which the existence of peace depends?

Remembering the Holocaust, we're faced with the eternal question: Where was G-d? But I believe that 60 years ago G-d was watching and waiting for an answer to an even more important question: Where is man?

The situations arising today in the realm of conception have no medical precedence, and yet the centuries old Torah has much to say about the spiritual ramifications of these procedures

Those who refer to the biblical story of Eve as a Divine endorsement of sexism are overlooking a simple truth: a curse is not something that should to be the way it is -- it's something that should not be the way it is...

You can have two religions or five or fifty and it's okay. Pray on a carpet, on your knees, standing up. Whatever. But when it comes to morality there is only one G-d

Twice in the Torah we find a human and an animal conversing: Eve and the serpent, and Balaam and his ass. In both cases, they're talking about the uses and abuses of the Inner Voice

Should we clone people? Is there such a thing as a life not worth living? When is it correct to go to war? But the real question is: on what biases do we answer these ethical dilemmas?

For truth to be upheld, it is fundamental that human beings do not live in intellectual isolation, only hearing views that reinforce their own...

Ecology is a highly practical branch of science - nothing could be more "down to earth" than preservation of the planet. Yet there is a facet of ecological awareness that is often overlooked: the spiritual dimension

Why suppress human nature in favor of environmental nature? Are we not all part of the same ecological system?

Does man belong to nature, or does nature belong to man?

We have our own state; so why do we still mourn our exile on Tishah B'Av?

It seems that what people fear more than anything is not crime, illness or even death. The greatest fear is their own feelings, especially the "big three": loneliness, helplessness and insignificance.

Has the deliberate, laudable avoidance of focusing on others' weaknesses also led to a reluctance to focus on others' strengths -- for fear that it will hurt the self esteem of those who don't have those particular talents or strengths?

Does Jewish unity allow for diversity? The pros and cons of multiculturalism are reflected in the two primary mitzvot of Sukkot -- taking the Four Kinds and dwelling in the sukkah.

Is it a message from G‑d, calling us all to take heed, or are the tragedies that strike our lives just random events?

Every soul journeys down into this world with two suitcases. One is full of challenges; the other, the talents and strengths necessary to withstand those challenges. The first suitcase is opened for you; the second you have to open yourself.

Throughout our lives, we will all experience endless irritations, frustrations and losses. What makes the difference between those who stay down and those who pick themselves up and start rebuilding?

An American Chabad rabbi working in Uruguay to "activate souls," and a well established doctor, self proclaimed atheist from the interior of Argentina, explore their Jewishnesss, establishing a line of communication that not only transcends their differences but feeds off them…

I recently attended a seminar on the Canadian Human Rights Commissions. On the whole, the event amounted to a wholesale "Let's Quash the Human Rights Commissions" extravaganza...

As I watched this gripping video, my recurring thought was how a positive ideal could become absolutely evil if distorted from its proper context or taken to too extreme a measure.

If the popular demonstrations going on in Iran right now turn into a full blown revolution—and it's getting darn close—it may well go down in history as the Twitter Revolution...

Millions worldwide watched in awe as the lunar module raced through space. People held their breaths at what was seen as the almost impossible mission. But many religious people felt disoriented...

Why would a Jew who would never consider eating pork or turning on a light on Shabbat consider swindling the government? After all, the same Torah has determined both to be absolutely forbidden.

The line between creator and creation has gotten blurrier lately, thanks to sophisticated robots that are smart enough to invent technologies of their own. Who has the right to patent these cybersolutions, the inventor of the robot, or the robot itself?