Articles in Concepts
The Jewish Faith: A Chosen People
The Jewish people
The Jewish
people are a unique nation. Our distinction is not due to major
accomplishment or extraordinary talent but our close relationship to
the Almighty.
Three thousand
and eight hundred years ago there lived a man by the name of Abraham.
As a young child, Abraham came to a full recognition of an all-powerful
and …
The Jewish Faith: The Torah
A Means of Connection
In the Essay on
the Jewish people we have learned of the Jewish mission to bring
humanity to a state of unity with itself and with G-d. A natural
question presents itself. How are the Jews meant to bring about this
utopian age? Why do we believe ourselves to be equipped …
The Jewish Faith: Discipline
Obediance
Our sages taught
the formula for achieving this connection. A burning love for G-d and
intense feeling of awe are pre-requisites for the Jewish approach.
However, Jewish worship and service must begin with a simple but
conclusive discipline to the regiment of G-d and his Torah.
More than our
desire to cleave to him should be …
The Jewish Faith: Moshiach The Messiah
A Miraculous Time
The eager hope
for an imminent and expedient arrival of the messianic age has always
been a fundamental cornerstone of the Jewish faith. To understand the
reason for why the centrality of Moshiach we must first explain the
Jewish tradition of the messianic era.
Jews believe
that in messianic times the world will reach …
Family Purity: The Value of Discipline
Borders that Define
Man’s physical
needs and desires are not denigrated in the Jewish religion, on the
contrary, they are celebrated and embraced. Judaism seeks to draft the
human aspect of man into the religious experience and thereby uplift
it.
To this end,
Jewish law sets boundaries that define the context of permissible
physical expression. Adhering to …
Family Life: Discipline in Marriage
Uplifting Limitations
When Torah
discipline is applied to family relations we see its astonishing
impact. Torah limits our choice of spouses (to Jews only) and also
regulates the timing of intimacy between approved spouses.
According to
Torah, husband and wife may not engage in intimate relations during the
course of menstrual flow, and seven days following.
Stoking the …
Family Life: The Mikvah
Water from the Garden of Eden
Immersion in a Mikvah, a ritual pool of water, releases man from
his imperfect state. When we emerge from the Mikvah we are reborn; the
imperfections and impurities of the past evaporate and we are permeated
with a fresh sense of renewal.
The Torah tells
us of a river that …
Family Life: The Spiritual Dynamic
Perfection Lost
The laws of family purity prohibit intimate relations during the menstrual cycle and for several days following. To appreciate the spiritual dynamic of these restrictions we must first understand the spiritual dynamic of menstruation itself.
Any discussion on menstruation must begin at the beginning. We must return to the source …
