Category Archives: Judaism

What Must We Believe?

Posted on August 9, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Are certain beliefs required to be a Jew in good standing? Moses Maimonides says yes. Moses Mendelssohn says no. (And yes. And no. Mendelssohn was all over the map on that issue.) Among religious Jews, Maimonides is … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy, The Times of Israel | Tagged Beliefs, Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides, Mendelssohn, Nature of Belief, Required Beliefs, Spinoza | Leave a comment

Maimonides and Keeping the Commandments

Posted on August 5, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer “God rewards those who perform the commandments of the Torah and punishes those who transgress its admonitions.”1 The Jewish sage Maimonides called that an essential tenet of our faith. But there’s something a little odd about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy, The Times of Israel | Tagged A Maimonides Reader, A Priori, Belief, Commandments, Epistemology, Functions of Belief, Halacha, Judaism, Maimonides, Mitzvot, Times of Israel, Twersky | Leave a comment

Words, Order, and Tisha B’Av

Posted on July 24, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer One of Judaism’s deepest beliefs, says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, is “that God is to be found in words, that these words are to be found in the Torah …”1 That’s right in one way, but wrong in … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy | Tagged Book of Lamentations, First Temple, Idealism, Jewish Calendar, Jewish History, Jonathan Sacks, Joseph Telushkin, Kabbalah, Ninth of Av, Second Temple, Tisha B'Av | 1 Comment

Turning Around Spinoza’s Challenge

Posted on July 23, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Spinoza meant it as a taunt. But it might hold one of the keys to Jewish survival. Depending on where you sit, Baruch de Spinoza is either the founder of modern Jewish philosophy or Judaism’s deadliest critic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Descartes, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Maimonides, Mendelssohn, Philosophy, Spinoza, Times of Israel | Leave a comment

Mendelssohn and Missionaries

Posted on July 15, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer How should we as Jews respond to Christian missionaries? Many Jews see Christian evangelism as a threat. Even though staunch Christians are our strongest defenders, their motives are obvious. They believe that the return of Jews to … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism | Tagged Christianity, Dying God Myth, Essenes, Hercules Oetaeus, Jewish Faith, Jewish Philosophy, Marcion of Sinope, Missionaries, Moses Mendelssohn, Seneca the Younger | 3 Comments

Is the Messiah Coming?

Posted on July 13, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Is the Jewish Messiah coming? Yes. But it’s complicated. Belief in a Messiah is central to the Jewish tradition. Maimonides listed it as a key principle of Judaism: “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy | Tagged Aryeh Kaplan, Jewish Faith, Jewish Philosophy, Joseph Telushkin, Judaism, Maimonides, Messiah, Messianic Age, Moses Mendelssohn, Moshiach, Spinoza | Leave a comment

Is It Reason or Revelation?

Posted on July 11, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Apart from goofy statements made by individual philosophers, philosophy has a pretty good reputation. It uses logic, cites evidence, and presents comprehensible arguments that you can accept or reject on their merits. On the other hand, religious revelation has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Bible, Boethius, Brettler, Consolation of Philosophy, Hazony, Jewish, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Parmenides, Philosophy, Pre-Socratics, Revelation, Tanach, Torah | Leave a comment

Is Jewish Philosophy Bad for the Jews?

Posted on July 10, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N. S. Palmer Is Jewish philosophy bad for the Jews? I think it has to do with apple pie. Whatever it has to do with, it’s not an idle question. Moses Mendelssohn, the 18th-century philosopher who led the Jewish … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy | Tagged Horeb, Jerusalem, Jewish assimilation, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Maimonides, Modern Orthodox Judaism, Moses Mendelssohn, Samson Raphael Hirsch | Leave a comment

Where You Stand Depends on Where You Start

Posted on July 9, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer We like to think that we base our beliefs only on logic and evidence, but we don’t. Don’t worry. It’s not just you. Or me. Nobody does. If we start with different assumptions, we interpret evidence differently. Based on those different interpretations, … Continue reading →