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Tag Archives: Judaism
The Christmas Conundrum
(The photo shows the Japanese pop music group E-girls, which disbanded in 2020 but reunited for a Christmas farewell video.) At Christmas, it’s natural to think of Jesus, whose life and example inspired the Christian faith. Christians believe that in … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Judaism
Tagged Christianity, Christmas, Duty, Hillel, Jesus, Judaism, Morality, Negative duty, Particularism, Positive duty, The Golden Rule, The Sermon on the Mount, Universalism
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A Visit with Esther and Joe
Did you ever wish you could thank some people from your past who helped you when you needed it? For me, two of those people were Esther and Joe. They owned a little “mom and pop” grocery store around the … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Psychology
Tagged Dreams, Family, Gratitude, Happiness, Judaism, Kindness, Moral Choice, Parenting, Psychology
2 Comments
Do We Need Religion to be Good People?
“Does being religious make someone a good person?” Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy
Tagged Christianity, Divine Law, Faith, Halacha, Judaism, Matthew Arnold, Morality, Prayer, Religion, Social harmony
5 Comments
You Can’t Prove God — and It Doesn’t Matter
“You can’t prove God’s existence. And it doesn’t matter.” Continue reading
Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy
Tagged Atheism, Bible, Christianity, Judaism, Logic, Philosophy, Proof, Religion, Theism
2 Comments
The Fifth Question
Are you the same person today as you were yesterday? If so, how do you know? And what does it even mean for you to be “the same person” as you were yesterday? Therein lies a tale. It leads us … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jerusalem Post
Tagged Judaism, Memory, Neuroscience, Passover, Personal Identity, Pesach, Seder, Soul
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What Is Faith in God?
What does it mean to have faith in God? It’s not a simple question. Lately, I’ve been wrestling with The Tenacity of Unreasonable Beliefs, a book that tries to analyze religious belief from a psychological perspective. The author, Solomon Schimmel, … Continue reading
What Do You See?
Look at the ink blot. What do you see? The ink blot is used in what’s called a “Rorschach test.” The picture is supposed to be neutral, and not to look like anything in particular. What you see in it … Continue reading
Maimonides and Keeping the Commandments
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
Turning Around Spinoza’s Challenge
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
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The Thousand-Year View 