Insights

If G-d "already" knows what I will do tomorrow, is not my freedom to choose nothing more than an illusion?

The respective roles of faith and intellect in Abraham's discovery of the truth of the one G-d.

It is dawn in Jerusalem. The light is clear. A bent woman lays her head upon the stones; the men are draped in a sea of undulating black and white prayer shawls. The morning service has begun.

13 chapters are filled with the details of the Sanctuary's construction. In contrast, the Torah devotes one chapter to its account of the creation...

My body is "me," so why should anyone else care? Why should the Torah care? Why should the Torah give rules for how I treat my own body?

Moses, Pharaoh, Hillel, Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe on cosmic justice.

Why is the belief in Moshiach and the Redemption so central to Judaism? What makes it one of the "thirteen principles" of the Jewish faith upon which its entire edifice rests?

G-d wants us to remove the forskin ourselves. To demonstrate that as we complete the physical appearance of our bodies, so can we perfect the contours of our souls....

Preserving the dignity of the receiver is a cornerstone of mitzvah of charity: Maimonides lists eight levels of giving, correlating to the degree to which the giver is sensitive to the needs and feelings of the recipient

What was the purpose of the plagues?

Doing good without believing in reward is the flip side of doing good only for reward. In the one case, good is constrained to the metaphysical; in the other, it is limited to a crass physical expression . . .

If the body is but a temporary and deficient container for the soul, why recompose and revive it?

The most sacred -- and mysterious -- ritual in the Holy Temple was the burning of “Ketoret,” a specially prepared "incense." What is the significance of the Ketoret?

The Rebbe examines our relationship with G-d from an interesting angle -- the legal angle. Using Torah law as our criterion, what would be G-d's obligations toward us?

What is the purpose of the commandments? One explanation in the teachings of the Sages is: to refine people. The Commandments of the Torah are intended to have a civilizing effect on the Jewish people.

We detect two tendencies of thought on the place of alienation and loneliness in the Jewish analysis of the emotions. To state this contrast is not to formulate an opposition; simply to open another gate...

Try to imagine life without the word "because."

Do we ever really want to go against G-d's will? What is the point of despair? What stops a person from being sensitive to G-d?

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

The fearless few who throw caution to the wind and heedlessly plunge into every offered challenge are indeed strange exceptions to our race. So where do all our heroes come from?

It is irrational to believe that an elephant can fit itself through the eye of a needle. But what about the One who brought elephant, needle, size, space and logic itself into existence?

Our relationship with G-d is completely scripted. The tasks demanded by this relationship seemingly don't leave much room for improvisation, for impromptu and original outbursts of care and love.

We remember people, events, scenes and feelings from our childhood. But do we remember the self we were? The manner in which we perceived reality?

"And the earth was chaotic and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of G-d hovered upon the face of the waters." A spooky verse, a Talmudic law, and an empowering Midrash.

Is it fair to punish Pharaoh, if his refusal to recognize G‑d is forced upon him -- by G‑d Himself? Doesn't G‑d grant free will?

Heaven or earth? The kollel or the kibbutz? We Jews have been debating the issue for as long as we have been a people