Aharon Lichtenstein

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Jul 18, 2024, 4:30 PM

Book review – Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt

In her groundbreaking book Off the Derech: Why Observant Jews Stop Practicing Judaism; How to Respond to the Challenge, Faranak Margolese observed that one of the primary reasons young people leave religious observance is that many of their serious...

Jul 10, 2024, 3:11 PM

The Enduring Relevance of R. Amital’s Wisdom

The recent publication of leOlam Yehe Adam turns our attention back to R. Yehuda Amital (1924-2010) as we approach his 14th yahrzeit. I would like to focus on an older volume, leAvdekha beEmet, a collection of 67 eulogies and...

Mar 28, 2024, 5:11 PM

Book review: Dark Clouds Above, Faith Below

Rav Kook was known for many things. Some of them include his love of the land of Israel, his love for his fellow Jews, and that he was a significant Torah scholar. The same can be said for Rabbi...

Feb 23, 2024, 2:07 PM

The Ner Tamid in our lives today

When I was a young boy, I was fascinated by the Ner Tamid — the "Eternal Light" -- that hung above the ark of my local synagogue. It was, of course, an electric light, but it had a certain...

May 29, 2023, 10:15 PM

What is the value of Jewish laws?

I understand that Jewish laws are valuable because they help us learn how to behave and improve ourselves and society. "Values in Halakha" is by Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein (1933-2015). He was an eminent rabbinic scholar and teacher who served...

May 19, 2023, 1:27 PM

R. Aharon Lichtenstein’s Ever Relevant Message for Yom Yerushalayim

Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l and Rav Yehuda Amital zt"l used Yom Haatzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim as opportunities to demonstrate gratitude, to provide introspection, and to dream for the future during these important holidays. Their talks are now printed in B'shuvecha...

Sharona Margolin Halickman

Jul 15, 2021, 1:36 PM

Should we update the Nachem prayer?

On Tisha B’Av afternoon, the Nachem prayer is added into the amida of the Mincha service: Console O Lord our God, The mourners of Zion The mourners of Jerusalem, And the city that is in sorrow, laid waste, Scorned and desolate; That grieves for the...

Elchanan Poupko

Dec 22, 2020, 7:30 AM

The 10th of Tevet & The Forgotten Kaddish

The 10th of the month of Tevet has been a day of fasting for Jews for more than 2,500 years. The mention of the tragedy of this day goes farther back than any other Jewish fast, with the exception...

Nov 8, 2020, 11:31 AM

A Rabbi of All of Israel and Humankind

Ki nach nafshai d'Rav Lichtenstein, when Rav Aharon Lichtenstein passed away in 2015, it felt like a punch in the gut. Tears were flowing for a true Gadol B'Yisrael (a Giant in Israel), whose Torah I consumed, even though...

Sep 17, 2020, 8:56 AM

Happy new year?

This is a weird Rosh Hashanah. My minyan is going to blow only 60 Shofar notes, and we’re not yet sure which of the many PIYUTIM (liturgical poems) we will actually chant. Rosh Hashanah guests are a non-starter. Maybe...

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