Pope John Paul II (1978 – 2005) was the leader of the Catholic Church and I am a rabbi. His fundamental beliefs were completely foreign to the religion I follow. Yet, I must confess that when I finally learnt that the Pope had passed away I felt a sense of…
Category: Religion
Is Radicalisation Bad?
Radicals and radicalisation are the words on everyone’s lips. People are trying to understand the process of how normal people become radicalised to the extent that they become suicide bombers. They therefore talk about radicalisation as if it is always a terrible thing. The truth is however that anyone who…
Judaism: in the Home or in the Synagogue?
How often have you heard people say, “I am a Jew at heart although I do not go to Shul much?” What should the role of a synagogue be in the life of a Jew? Historically, the synagogue only became a permanent institution in Jewish communities after the destruction of…
Moshiach: it’s In Our Hands Now
Amongst other things, the Torah teaches us the six hundred and thirteen ordinances that God commanded us. Many of the Torah’s laws are dependent on the existence of our Holy Temple. Consequently nearly half of these six hundred and thirteen ordinances have not been applicable for the last two thousand…
Has Maimonides’ view on prayer informed traditional religious practice?
By Levi Yisroel Brackman – In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London Introduction There is a view commonly held among scholars that the Maimonidean rationalist approach to religion is incompatible with traditional practice.[1] This dissertation…