Ulysses

Judaism has engaged and locked horns with Greek culture for thousands of years. Alexander the Great was welcomed in 332 BCE…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Boycott Hanukah

Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was a protestant land agent in Ireland in the second half of the eighteenth century.
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Blame the Jews

Every year when we come around to reading about Joseph and his brothers, I am reminded of a part of the Yom Kippur Ashkenazi service. In particular, the poem Eyleh Ezkera…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Lost Jews…writes Jeremy Rosen

Israelites, Hebrews, Jews, whatever you call them, have been scattered and settled all over the place for thousands of years. Read more

Midterms

Everyone seems to agree that these midterm elections in the USA have been particularly bitter and antagonistic…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Hagar

Since I wrote about Abraham last week, it seems only right in this era of #MeToo, that I should write about a woman, Hagar. She too is far more complex and multi-faceted than a surface reading of the text would suggest…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Death in Pittsburgh

The massacre of eleven Jews in a synagogue in Pittsburgh is not just about current antisemitism…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Abraham: A Man for all Seasons

Abraham is revered by the major monotheistic religions. In Judaism, what he went through is constantly being re-examined to provide us with an example we should follow. Ma’aseh Avot Siman LeBanim…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Billy Rose

Who was Billy Rose? If you have visited the museum complex in Jerusalem, not far from the Knesset, you will be familiar with the Billy Rose sculpture garden…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Bible stories

At this time of the year, we re-read the early chapters of Genesis with their fantastic tales of creation and early humanity struggling to cope with life and divine Authority. Read more

Yuval Harari and religion

I have always enjoyed reading books that challenge my preconceptions…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Genesis and the Marshmallow

I was reminded of the famous Marshmallow Experiment last week when I read that Dr. Walter Mischel had died on September 12th at the age of 88. When he was a professor at Stanford, he carried out an experiment on children that became one of the most influential psychological tests, even though over time it has been challenged for its narrow methodology…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Impermanence

In discussing the festival of Sucot, the Talmud gives all the various possible explanations for the origin and purpose of a Succah…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

For all our sins…writes Jeremy Rosen

The Torah introduces us to the idea that we confess our sins to God (Leviticus 5:5 and 16:21). To God, not to humans—priests or otherwise—because, according to our tradition, it is a question of human dignity not to demean ourselves in the eyes of other human beings by revealing our errors to other humans. Read more

The Head of the Year

We are about to enter the season of long synagogue services, with a liturgy that, when translated into English or any vernacular, strikes many people as archaic, distant, and even irrelevant. How many of us can make literal sense of most of the concepts?…writes Jeremy Rosen. Read more

Charity begins at home

This is the time of the year when many of us have spent a great deal of money on summer vacations. So it is appropriate to think about how much we give charitably to those less fortunate than we are. Read more

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