Yakov Nagen, at The Blogs

Yakov Nagen

Jun 28, 2026, 2:53 PM

“‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’ (Lev. 19:18) – Rabbi Akiva says, ‘This is a great principle of the Torah’” (Sifra Kedoshim 2:4). Less well known is the opinion of Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi, who states, in a...

Jun 12, 2026, 1:25 PM

Israel’s tribes united meet the United Arab Emirates

Former president Reuven Rivlin famously described Israeli society as comprising four "tribes": the ultra-Orthodox, religious Zionists, secular Jews, and Arabs. In early June, dozens of men and women from all four tribes journeyed together as a single delegation to...

May 28, 2026, 10:41 AM

A Blessing for Our Courageous Muslim Allies

Together with these heroes in Jerusalem. (Courtesy: Yakov Nagen)

Day by day, my appreciation, respect, and love grow for my beloved Muslim friends who, in these dark times, choose to stand with the Jewish people against hatred and evil. Their consistent moral courage has unleashed upon them a...

May 24, 2026, 2:01 PM

Beyond the Headlines: The Wilderness Generation and Israeli Society

The Book of Numbers presents a troubling portrait of the generation of the wilderness. Again and again, we encounter complaints, failures, and crises: grievances over food and water, the sin of the spies, Korach’s rebellion, the moral collapse with...

May 20, 2026, 3:54 PM

Parsha Naso: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the cult Western that catapulted Clint Eastwood to superstardom. The title of the film could just as easily have been taken from our parasha, which features a motley variety of characters,...

May 14, 2026, 11:04 PM

Bamidbar: Each of Us Has a Name

Each of us has a name given by God and given by our parents Each of us has a name given by our smile... Each of us has a name given by our celebrations and given by our work Each of us...

May 14, 2026, 1:26 PM

The Grotesque Closing Scene Before the Tide Turns

If the world were a theatre, I feel we have reached the scene in which all the villains assemble together on one stage, a moment where darkness appears overwhelming just before the tide begins to turn. After the grotesque...

Apr 17, 2026, 7:40 AM

Judaism and the Trinity: A New Theological Encounter

Two white kippot. Nagen with Pope Leo in the Vatican.(Courtesy of Rachel Frankel).

I recently attended an interfaith conference in Rome, where an unnamed Jewish Professor startled the audience by declaring: “I would like to thank the Trinity for preserving Judaism throughout the Middle Ages.” He went on to explain that the...

Mar 30, 2026, 3:51 PM

Passover: Stories Happen to Nations That Tell Stories

The Exodus is a success story with a dramatic plot – a weakling slave nation that goes up against the most powerful nation of that ancient age and wins its freedom. Some might claim that the theme of the...

Mar 23, 2026, 6:13 AM

Parshat Tzav: The Empty Golden Temples

Togetherness at the Golden Temple.
credit: Yakov Nagen

In this day and age, the Temple seems like an anachronism. We do not know of any temples or visit any temples. At most, those of us who have been to the Far East have encountered statue-filled temples. Once...

About Me

Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen is the President of the Jerusalem Interfaith Center and the Co-Chair of the Interreligious Council of The Abrahamic Movement. He is also a Rabbi at the Yeshiva of Otniel and has written ten books about Jewish Spirituality, Talmud and Interfaith.