"In a situation when Jewish religious edicts were in conflict with civil court rulings, which would you follow?" Two weeks ago, the RRFEI bulletin [link] included an analysis of the Supreme Court landmark ruling on access for non-Orthodox converts to public mikva'ot, demonstrating that there is a lot more to this than first met the media's eyes. We … [Read more...] about Public opinion poll: only 63% of Israelis would abide by civil court rulings over religious edicts
Halakha
Is “V’ahavta l’reyecha komocha” really only about our relations with Jews?
After the tragedy in France, a local woman said to me, "I know the right thing to do, I just don't want to do it." She didn't want to allow Muslims into the U.S. She knew it was wrong. She knew we have for decades protested that had Jews been allowed into the U.S. before WW II hundreds of thousands of lives may have been saved, with millions of Jewish descendants. Now others … [Read more...] about Is “V’ahavta l’reyecha komocha” really only about our relations with Jews?
The role of Halakha in the modern, secular State of Israel
Over two hundred years ago our spiritual ancestors fought the battles of modernity, bringing Jewish practice into the modern world. Who knew that we would have to repeat the process two centuries later? While all of us, as rabbis, emphasize the importance of halakhah in our lives and the lives of our constituencies, we also recognize the importance, authority and power of … [Read more...] about The role of Halakha in the modern, secular State of Israel