Daily Archives: April 15, 2012

Were The Vilna Gaon And The Chatam Sofer Rationalists?

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

In his fourth lecture on the Chatam Sofer for Torah in Motion, historian Marc B. Shapiro said: “The Rambam did not believe in amulets and the like. The Chatam Sofer would give out amulets. He was not a Lithuanian Torah … Continue reading →

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Rabbinic Autobiography

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

The great rabbis have not been given to writing honestly and openly about themselves. The great exception (though R. Aryeh Leib of Modena also wrote an open autobiography) is 18th Century rabbi Jacob Emden, a subject of the 1988 Harvard … Continue reading →

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This Week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47)

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

I discuss the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Rabbs Mondays at 7:00 pm PDT on my cam and on YouTube. Facebook Fan Page. This week we study Parashat Shemini (Leviticus 9:1-11:47). * Should a Jew study Torah primarily because God commands … Continue reading →

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Persian Jews Targeted

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

The Los Angeles Times reports: “Persian-Jewish community targeted – The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a Los Angeles man of operating an investment scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $7.5 million. The SEC alleged in a lawsuit … Continue reading →

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Why Aren’t Most Jews Orthodox?

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Luke Ford

I ask an Orthodox rabbi: “Why do you think most Jews are not Orthodox? Is the principal obstacle difficulty or expense or intellectual or moral? And what did you think of the Newsweek top 50 rabbis list?” The rabbi replied: … Continue reading →

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