Category Archives: Jewish Thought

Tikkun Olam = What I am Against

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Rabbi Linden

Here is the thing about tikkun olam: if you are going to write an entire article blasting people for using the term incorrectly, you really ought to get your facts straight, or at the very least do a tiny bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Thought, Jewish world, Rabbi Thoughts | 1 Comment

Yes, But Is It Kosher?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Rabbi Linden

The Forward has a disturbing article about the way some kosher certifying agencies are using the proceeds of their supervision: Badatz Yerushalayim is one of the most respected kosher supervisions in the world. Unlike other hekhshers, the presence of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Jewish Thought | Tagged | 4 Comments

So You Say You Want a Revolution

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Rabbi Linden

Let me begin by saying that I love Limmud.  I support Limmud here in New Orleans, and I think it’s a great thing. It is not, however, the salvation of the Jewish people.  David Hazony seems to disagree however: What if … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Thought, Jewish world, Religion in America | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Core Value

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Rabbi Linden

I appreciate Rabbi Shmuley Boteach’s broadside against recent Ultra-Orthodox misbehavior in Israel.  He is certainly right about this: Religious extremism festers when decent lay people are cowed into submission by fanatics whom they falsely believe to be more religious than them. … Continue reading →

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God and Tragedy

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

Last night on Fresh Air Terry Gross did a great interview with two New York City Firemen who responded to the attacks on the Trade Center. One of the Firemen, Jay Jonas, was trapped on the fourth floor of the … Continue reading →

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Back with Beck

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

As my return post, I pass along without comment this report from the first of three rallies Glenn Beck is holing in Israel: The most electric moment of the night came shortly after keynote speaker Pastor John Hagee, the founder … Continue reading →

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Game of Thrones, The Bible and ‘Nerd’ Genres

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

This is a bit of a departure from my usual fare, but I feel the need to applaud HBO for its terrific adaption of Game of Thrones, the first book in George R. R. Martin’s series A Song of Fire … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Thought, Movie Reviews | 1 Comment

The Maimonides/Tim LaHaye Convergence

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

What do Moses Maimonides, the great medieval Jewish scholar and Tim LaHaye authors of the wildly successful novelization of the Book of Revelations in a series called Left Behind agree on?  It’s not a good a idea to predict the … Continue reading →

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Don’t Bother Reading This Post…

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

…Because the end of the world is neigh.  And when I say neigh, I mean seriously neigh. Margaret Pease stands on a corner in downtown Pittsburgh, handing out doomsday pamphlets. “JUDGMENT DAY FOLKS!” she yells with a volume that would … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Israel, Jewish Thought | 3 Comments

Pro-Choice

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

A teacher of mine at the Seminary once said that Conservative Jews have an odd idea of pluralism: the Orthodox can take things down a notch, the Reform can take things up a notch, and we can all agree to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Judaism, Jewish Thought | 2 Comments

Sanity?

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

Fascinating write-up of an interview with Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, a fairly prominent Sefardi rabbi in Israel who was a member of the Shas party.  Rabbi Amsalem has come a long way from his Shas party days: R’ Amsalem expressed his … Continue reading →

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The God Question

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

Watch this video on YouTube If you have some time, it is well worth watching this debate between Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Christopher Hitchens.  Hitchens is the author of God is Not Great and is one of the so called … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Thought | 3 Comments

All We Need is (Not) Love

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

Alex Sinclair, who used to teach at the Jewish Theological Seminary and is now the Director of Israel programs for JTS, thinks Liberal Judaism needs to be more combative in confronting Orthodox excesses: A new world Jewish movement is needed: … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Thought, Jewish world | 1 Comment

Union Maid

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

Rabbi Jill Jacobs has been thinking along the same lines that I have, and she has a strong article up at the website Religion Dispatches. (Jill did Seminary Summer the same year I did, so it seems the AFL-CIO got … Continue reading →

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Why the Internet Was Invented

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Rabbi Linden

For lists like this, from the website Jewcy: The 50 Most Essential Works of Jewish Fiction of the Last 100 Years.  Number #1, by the way, is The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka.  I’d love hear some thoughts on this list.  … Continue reading →

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