Torah

Torah, as the foundation of Judaism, offers a vision of a liberated, meaningful life and the tools by which to achieve it. It lays down the revolutionary idea that true freedom is a state that you reach, not by pursuing your heart's desire, but by channelling your passions towards the service of God and other people.

Although Torah narrowly refers to the Five Books of Moses, traditional Jews use the word Torah to describe the entire body of scriptural and rabbinic literature. In this sense Torah is a very dynamic concept, describing what is essentially an epic conversation that spans thousands of years and the entire globe.

Covering literally every subject under the sun, this oral tradition of Judaism gives us an exhilarating way of looking at everything we do in life, how everything we do has knock-on effects way beyond the immediate visible results. It can and should bring us to a fine tuned sensitivity to everything and everyone around us.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Torah”

• UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYECHI

  
  Rick's Caf American — Authority: 167
  UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYECHI By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum Torah Reading: VAYECHI Gen. 47:28-50:26. Haftara: I Kings 2:1-12. AND JACOB LIVED. "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years" (Gen. 47:28). These were "good" years (17 is the gematria of TOV = "good") as opposed to the first one hundred and thirty ...
  8 hours ago

• Spiritual Amnesia

  
  Lazer Beams — Authority: 129
  We hope you enjoy Spiritual Amnesia , this weeks 60-minute Emuna lesson that you dont want to miss.
  10 hours ago

• Is the Torah outdated and irrelevant?

  
  Frum Satire: Jewish Comedy — Authority: 129
  Blogger Israeli Mom made the following comment on the post about the Yeshiva University gay symposium . “The gay issue is one of those things that prove to me just how outdated and irrelevant the torah is as a text to live my life by. It has good things in it, but it’s mixed up with so much primitive and ...
  23 hours ago

• FBI Misses Jewish Radical under their Nose

  
  INCOG MAN: Sick of all the BS... — Authority: 122
  Another Jew Rat exposed to the light of day.
  1 day ago

• Yeshiva University symposium on being gay and orthodox

  
  Frum Satire: Jewish Comedy — Authority: 129
  Homosexuality and orthodoxy is not so simple, I know there is an ongoing article between several folks on the interview with an orthodox Lesbian post from the summer. I can understand both sides, Homosexuality is one of the worst sins possible, according to most it is classified as deviant behavior and many folks ...
  2 days ago

• Love Truth and Peace - Naming our Kids, Part V

  
  On The Contrary — Authority: 415
  Parts I, II, III, and IV.When we learned that Pesha is pregnant with our fourth child, a girl, we began discussing potential themes and names, although we knew that we would not finally decide on anything until after the birth.We operate within certain constraints, though. All of our children have double names that ...
  2 days ago

• A New Relationship With Christmas

  
  Joyfully Growing in Grace — Authority: 103
  I saw this post over at 8thday4life’s Weblog and Sondra graciously granted me permission to share her post with you here.  Her perspective as one formerly in the Hebrew Roots Movement is valuable and provides insight that I, as one who merely observes, questions, and comments, cannot give.  I encourage you ...
  3 days ago

• Chassidic Torah Parashot (Vayigash)

  
  Shearim — Authority: 140
  B"H All kinds of chassidic Parashot in Hebrew, English and Yiddish ! Among other: Toldot Avraham Yitzchak , Chernobyl  or from the Edah HaCharedit .
  3 days ago

• Using Sex To Sell Torah

  
  Your Moral Leader — Authority: 449
  I was doing some research on Rabbi Simcha Weinberg and found some interesting comments about his late uncle Noah Weinberg , the founder of Aish HaTorah . I did not realize there was so much venom towards him. Here’s one typical comment : Rabbi Weinberg’s work towards the goal of Kiruv was often ...
  4 days ago

• Facts Are Stubborn Things!

  
  A Pondering Heart — Authority: 119
  “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”John Adams, ‘Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials,’ December 1770US diplomat & politician (1735 – 1826)Forget the ...
  5 days ago

• Vayigash: Cards on the Table

  
  Frum Satire: Jewish Comedy — Authority: 129
  This week is the conclusion to the Joseph story…or is it? Joseph reveals himself. The brothers are freed. Everyone lives happily ever after…uh, in Egypt. MTV producer Liz Nord tells the story of this week’s G-dcast . Parshat Vayigash from G-dcast.com More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com Share and ...
  5 days ago

• So is height everything or not?

  
  A Bochur In Lubavitch — Authority: 126
  A quick summary of a nice sicha in chelek yud for parshas vayigash: It says that when Yosef revealed his identity to his brothers, he and Binyomin hugged, and cried on each others neck. Why is the term for Binyomins neck in the plural form? Rashi explains that Yosef cried for the destruction of the two Batei Mikdash ...
  5 days ago

• When Yosef is with Yuhudah

  
  Godssecret's Weblog — Authority: 131
  Vayagash                                          Bs”d In the beginning of our parsha when Yosef tells his brothers that Benyamin must stay because the chalice was found in his bag. Yuhuda makes the tikun (fixing) for ...
  5 days ago

• Urgings of the Heart: Why G-d Protects Converts

  
  Memoirs of a Jewminicana: Aliza Hausman — Authority: 481
  Though its not about this weeks parsha (Torah portion), I came across this piece and I couldnt resist using it on the blog. In Sefer Tehilim (146:9) David HaMelech teaches us that God “shomer (protects) Gerim (converts)”. The Hebrew verb ‘shomer’ means ‘to watch, guard, protect’ and it also means ‘to ...
  6 days ago

• The Best Lessons

  
  Walking Therein — Authority: 116
  Psalm 197 The Torah of ADONAI is perfect, restoring the inner person. The instruction of ADONAI is sure, making wise the thoughtless.What a time of learning we are in at this time in our lives. We are coming upon a new year; we have a new life we welcomed into our family in November, and [...]
  6 days ago

• Have a good Shabbos!

  
  Memoirs of a Jewminicana: Aliza Hausman — Authority: 481
  Parshat Vayigash from G-dcast.com More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com Parshat Miketz from G-dcast.com More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com
  6 days ago

• The DVar Torah For Christmas

  
  Most Recent Posts — Authority: 527
  By Patrick Aleph Lets face facts: a ton of Jews celebrate Christmas. Half of all Jews are in interfaith relationships. And many other Jews of the more "secular" flair choose Christmas because of its connection to Americanism (such was the case of Irving Berlin who wrote the song "White Christmas" despite being Jewish ...
  6 days ago

• UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYIGASH

  
  Rick's Caf American — Authority: 167
  UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYIGASH By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum Torah Reading: VAYIGASH Gen. 44:18-47:27; Haftara: Ezekiel 37:15-2. "AND JUDAH STEPPED FORWARD." The key to the dramatic encounter between Judah and Joseph with which our parshah of VAYIGASH begins is to be found in the Haftara our sages attached to this ...
  1 week ago

• Would You Get Spiritual Counseling From A Rabbi Who Had An Affair With A Congregant?

  
  Your Moral Leader — Authority: 449
  A few years ago, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg (brother of Rabbi Matis Weinberg ) lost his job with Lincoln Square Synagogue for having an affair with a congregant. He was caught in the act. He was subsequently divorced (and I believe he married the congregant). He lost contact with his kids. He went into a tailspin for ...
  1 week ago

• 8th Grade Yeshiva Boys Perform a Skit

  
  Gruntig! — Authority: 150
  This video is brought to you by the Eight Grade of Yeshivas Oholei Torah Crown Heights, for the PTA.Credit to: Levi Avtzon, Mendel Stilerman, Mendal Greisman, Aharon Liberow, Peretz Garelik, and Yossi Briyski.
  1 week ago

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