We live in an age of contradictions. On the one hand the post-modern age is histories most materialistic and narcissistic. In the united states there are hundreds of thousands of people who follow new-age gurus offering a whole smorgasbord of different spiritual paths that claim to be more evolved and…
Category: Religion
Is Astrology Kosher?
Predicting the future is big business. From newspaper astrologist to corporate consultants they all profit from our insatiable desire to know the unknowable. Often when contemplating major changes I am tempted to check my astrological reading. Is there anything wrong with this? Can intelligent people believe in astrology without feeling injudicious? …
Should We Mourn The Pope
Pope John Paul II (1978 – 2005) was the leader of the Catholic Church and I am a rabbi. His fundamental beliefs were completely foreign to the religion I follow. Yet, I must confess that when I finally learnt that the Pope had passed away I felt a sense of…
Is Radicalisation Bad?
Radicals and radicalisation are the words on everyone’s lips. People are trying to understand the process of how normal people become radicalised to the extent that they become suicide bombers. They therefore talk about radicalisation as if it is always a terrible thing. The truth is however that anyone who…
Has Maimonides’ view on prayer informed traditional religious practice?
By Levi Yisroel Brackman – In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College London Introduction There is a view commonly held among scholars that the Maimonidean rationalist approach to religion is incompatible with traditional practice.[1] This dissertation…