The Passover Seder: déjà vu all over again

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

How to leave Egyptian slavery in the here and now.

Apr 04, 2012 | 2:03 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Judaism’s secret society

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Ritual and profound respect for someone I did not know who could never repay us.

Mar 02, 2012 | 2:14 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

How would you live if you were dying?

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

How would you live if you knew we are dying?

Feb 15, 2012 | 3:46 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Fear and loathing in suburban Jerusalem

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Rape is not about sex, it's about violence. So too Orthodox Jewish men attacking young Orthodox Jewish girls in Beit Shemesh, Israel this past week for wearing short sleeves was not about modesty (the perpetrated acts of violence were of course anything but modest), but about power.

Jan 01, 2012 | 12:27 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

A Hanukkah irony

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

An anti-assimilationist holiday has become the holiday of Jewish assimilationism in imitation of Christmas.

Dec 12, 2011 | 1:15 am | (Loading… ) comments.

• Related: Braised brisket is a Hanukkah classic

Abraham Redux

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Seeing the Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs as righteous but none the less flawed -rather than threaten theological soundness and religious life actually strengthens and deepens it.

Nov 28, 2011 | 9:12 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Did Abraham fail the ultimate test?

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Perhaps the real test was for Abraham was to confront God as he did at Sodom, thus teaching his children “righteousness and justice,” and ultimately to say “no” to God.

Nov 16, 2011 | 2:20 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Halloween is not a Jewish holiday

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Ask yourself what other activities you can substitute for trick or treating.

Oct 10, 2011 | 11:23 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Rosh Hashanah: A day of insight not atonement

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

On Wednesday evening September 28th Jewish people the world over will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the New Year. It will not be a New Year’s party with streamers and beer but a serious, albeit joyous, Day of Judgment.

Sep 21, 2011 | 12:01 am | (Loading… ) comments.

A religious dilemma

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

The easy fixes like not being gay or not being religiously observant are usually not options for people who really are gay and who really are Orthodox Jews.

Aug 21, 2011 | 8:07 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Physical beauty transformed: from Anthony Weiner to Sara of the Bible

When we separate a body from its spirit; we turn that body into a corpse….Let's stop treating our bodies as sex objects, and start embracing ourselves as sexual subjects.

Jul 07, 2011 | 12:23 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Reflections on our community Shavuot (Pentecost) study and Jewish unity

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

I do not believe it is forbidden to read or hear what other Jews believe and often I find they have much to teach us.

Jun 17, 2011 | 3:39 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Seeing the sincerity in those with whom we disagree

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

It is not easy for people who share the same religious beliefs to see themselves as one.

May 26, 2011 | 11:33 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Our neighbors: Jeffrey Dahmer and Osama bin Laden

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Of those we are inclined to see as “our neighbor” to be treated as ourselves, the least likely candidate for such status is a criminal so horrendous they are deserving of capitol punishment.

May 03, 2011 | 2:45 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Avoiding the comforts of extremism

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

It is moderate positions that require more passion and commitment.

Apr 28, 2011 | 4:33 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Freedom in every moment: making the Passover seder more meaningful

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

"Remember that you were a slave in the Land of Egypt (Deuteronomy, chapter 15)."

Apr 18, 2011 | 12:09 am | (Loading… ) comments.

The French Emperor’s Burka: When Liberalism Leads to Close-Mindedness

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

It is ironic when liberalism generates, instead of open-mindedness and acceptance, limitation of others’ free expression and denial of their rights.

Apr 13, 2011 | 1:12 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

Heaven and Heck

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

A Jewish take on Hell

Mar 31, 2011 | 10:42 am | (Loading… ) comments.

Is there a God in the Tsunami?

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

"…After the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake…" -I Kings 19:11...

Mar 16, 2011 | 2:05 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

The Pope’s Exoneration of the Jews: A Step Back from Real Interfaith Encounter

Mar 11, 2011 | 11:51 am | (Loading… ) comments.

• Related: In new book, pope exonerates Jews in death of Jesus Christ

A Jewish blogger looking at the bigger picture….

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Mar 03, 2011 | 10:33 pm | (Loading… ) comments.

• Related: Morethodoxy

On Modesty and Misogyny

Rabbi Hyim Shafner

Feb 23, 2011 | 11:31 am | (Loading… ) comments.