There is a common misconception that fluency in Hebrew is a requirement to be considered Jewish—or to undergo a valid conversion. In truth, this is not, and has never been, a requirement according to the Torah. While Hebrew is the historic language of the Jewish people, the essence of being…

Let’s talk about Jesus. Not the Jesus of stained-glass windows, medieval paintings, evangelical revival meetings, or later Christian theology. Not the cosmic Christ of the creeds. Not the second person of a Trinity. Let’s talk about the Jewish man who lived in the Land of Israel during the Second Temple…

Modern Jewish life is overwhelmingly monogamous, and for most Jews this is unlikely to change. Yet when we examine the question strictly from the standpoint of Torah and classical Jewish law, we find that polygyny—a man having more than one wife—is not inherently forbidden. Derekh HaTorah does not advocate polygyny…

The idea of the Kingdom of God occupies an important place in Jewish thought, although Judaism understands that kingdom very differently from the way the phrase is sometimes used in later religious traditions. The Hebrew expression Malkhut Shamayim—the Kingdom or Sovereignty of Heaven—does not primarily describe another world to which…

One of the central responsibilities of Jewish life is learning how to make moral and religious decisions with integrity. Judaism does not call us to surrender our minds, silence our moral instincts, or become passive followers of religious authority. At the same time, Jewish conscience does not exist independently of…

Tzedakah is often translated into English as “charity,” but the word carries a meaning much deeper than voluntary generosity. It comes from the Hebrew root tzedek (צדק), meaning righteousness or justice. Tzedakah is therefore not simply something we give when we happen to feel generous. It is part of the…

Secular Judaism is one of the most significant expressions of modern Jewish identity and, at the same time, one of the most challenging to define. Millions of Jews throughout the world understand their Jewishness primarily through ancestry, family, history, language, culture, memory, and identification with the Jewish people rather than…

Chesed, commonly translated as kindness, lovingkindness, mercy, or steadfast love, stands near the heart of the Torah’s vision of how human beings are meant to live before God and with one another. It is more than an occasional act of generosity or a pleasant disposition toward others. Chesed is a…

Jewish marriage is the coming together of a man and a woman, following those laws established in Torah, in a manner that honors God and in such a way that they are recognized by the Jewish community. Marriage, we must understand, has a divinely appointed purpose which is why the…

Humility, anavah in Hebrew, is among the most important qualities of a Torah-centered life. It is sometimes mistaken for weakness, timidity, or the denial of one’s own abilities, but Jewish tradition understands humility very differently. True humility is the disciplined recognition of who we are before God and of the…