Ishim ve-Shitot has some comments on, and refers us to, an interesting post at Biblicalia about the conversion of the Patriarch Hillel II as described in the writings of Epiphanius of Salamis. There is a discussion of the story here in French. I’ll try and find some time to look it over later. [...]
[Disclaimer: The following post discusses certain aspects of Jewish law which for some exhibit an attitude towards non-Jews that they may find objectionable, embarrassing, better left undiscussed, or any mutation or variation of the above. Being that my current area of research focuses to some extant on many of these laws that are [...]
With a visit from Pope Benedict the XVI soon upon us, I wanted to point out a reference to a previous Pope in a responsum of the Hatam Sofer. The Hatam Sofer, in a letter to Dr. Tzvi Hirsh Oppenheim of Temesvar written in 1826, responds to a number of changes made in synagogue [...]
In the most recent column of The Ethicist, the following question was addressed,
I serve on my neighborhood homeowners’ association. Recently we discussed a woman who provides day care for 6 to 10 kids, contrary to our covenants against running a home business. Complicating matters, I, too, work from home, doing desktop publishing, but nobody minds [...]
There have been a number of interesting postings on Jewish-Gentile relations, conversion, etc. First Iyov points us to an article in which a writer describes their eventual conversion to Judaism. The article is worth the read. A few comments about the article. First, an article like this can be used as [...]
As a follow-up to this post, I want to point out that David Berger has a longer piece in the Jerusalem Post on the recent liturgical happenings in Catholic liturgy. His conclusion:
In the final analysis, Jewish objections should be carefully formulated and should not indicate that the Christian belief that Jews will convert at [...]
There is a story found in a number of places in rabbinic literature which features a rabbi(s), Romans, and what were/are for some people, a number of problematic matters in Jewish law which seem to discriminate between Jews and non-Jews. I will bring one version of the story in full, pointing out the differences [...]
There was a recent article in the Jewish Week about Sherwood Goffin, the cantor of the Lincoln Square Synagogue. Goffin was lamenting the current state of leading prayer services and what may be termed the over-Carlbachization of prayer services. He is upset that many people lead services and have no idea about what [...]
Much has been written about the recent papal decision regarding the Latin, or Tridentine, Mass. There have been a number of interesting posts regarding this decision. See the comments by Prof. David Berger at Hirhurim, those by John F. Hobbins at Ancient Hebrew Poetry, and this post by Iyov.
In the manuscripts of the Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 43b, we read,
Rabbi Yehudah [1] would say: A person is obligated to recite the following three blessings every day-[Praised are you...] who has not made me a Gentile (גוי); who has not made me a woman (אשה); [*] who has not made me an ignoramous (בור).
Yet if [...]
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