Ani Maamin – I Believe Based on the Thirteen Principles of Faith formulated by the Rambam in his Commentary on the Mishnah (tractate Sanhedrin 10:1). 1. I believe with complete faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is the Creator and Guide of all the created beings, and that He alone has made, does […]
The Talmud (Tractate Makkot 23b) recounts that there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah; of these, 248 are positive mitzvot (things we must do) and 365 are considered negative mitzvot (things we must not do). The following list of the 613 mitzvot is from one of our greatest scholars, Moses ben Maimon, or Maimonides, who […]
by Rabbi Haim Ovadia 1. Introduction: The Eruv Today It is well known that Eruv is one of the most contested issues of Jewish Orthodoxy. Many cities, suburbs, and neighborhoods, experience religious battles around the Eruv. In some places the opponents of the Eruv cut the Eruv strings minutes before Shabbat, in others, educators teach […]
An examination of the Sources and Responsa in brief By Ian Adams Who is a Jew? Is being a Jew a religious issue? Is it one of culture, of society, can it be national or even racial? Can you tell a person is a Jew when you meet them? Can you become a Jew? What […]
This is basically the founding document of Reform Judaism. Personally, I think that early Reform Judaism (which is different in many ways from modern Reform Judaism) had a lot going for it, produced some wonderful thinkers and had a profound influence on American Jewry. “The Pittsburgh Platform” – 1885 1885 Pittsburgh Conference Convening at the […]
A condensed version of Shiva Amudey Ha-emunah by Rabbi Yitzchak Breiter “Trust in God and do good, dwell in the land and feed off faith” ( Psalms 37:3 ) . 1. God controls everything Everything in the entire universe is under God’s control. This includes everything that happens to you personally, both spiritually and materially, […]