This is a Q and A style format with Rabbi Artson. In this podcast, the Rabbi talks about his views on topics such as the Clinton wedding, intermarriage. Rabbinic standards and more.
This is a Q and A style format with Rabbi Artson. In this podcast, the Rabbi talks about his views on topics such as the Clinton wedding, intermarriage. Rabbinic standards and more.
Why do people turn to Judaism? Certainly we have lived through enough to know that being religious doesn't mean that we can avoid the spills and disappointments that festoon the road of life. A Jewish commitment doesn't automatically liberate a person from fear or anxiety or guilt, nor can it guarantee happiness or success. If Judaism can't provide those lofty goals, then what good is it? Why bother?
With a Torah portion, filled with so many details of so many commandments it is hard to decide which issue to single out. Some have theological questions lurking behind them, some practical and technical ones. Some scream 'I represent social justice, pick me!' If that isn't enough, we bless the new moon this Shabbat, ushering in the month of Elul. I know of someone who already received an invitation to a Rosh Hashana meal, how can Elul not be addressed?
In one of the most gripping scenes in the Torah, the Gentile prophet Bilaam has been summoned to curse the assembled Israelites on behalf of Balak, the King of Edom. Protesting that he can only say what he is instructed by God, Bilaam nonetheless ascends the heights of a nearby mountain, to get a commanding view of Israel - all the better to curse them. Each time he attempts to curse the people, and each time he is overwhelmed by God's mandate to bless. Finally, in a moment of personal envy and hope, Bilaam blurts out, "Let me die the death of the righteous. May my fate be like theirs!"
Rabbi Artson discusses the importance behind forging a future worthy of our past. He relates the Torah to our understanding of both our past and future.
Rabbi Artson discusses Jewish concept during this 2010 ordination.
In this podcast Jacob Artson & Rabbi Brad Artson team up to tackle contemporary issues. The hot topic in this recording is the discussion on special needs.
Rabbi Artson and Levy tackle issues of food justice in this episode. The podcast gives a visceral look at the Jewish thought on food.
At its outset, today's Torah portion states that "The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai" and then commences a detailed exposition of the laws of the Shemittah--the seventh year, in which the land must lie fallow as testimony to God's exclusive ownership of all.