Articles on Jewish teaching

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Members of the congregation sing during a Rosh Hashana service at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles in 2013. Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are times for soul‑searching, but not on your own – community has always been at the heart of the Jewish High Holidays

David L. Graizbord, University of Arizona

Community is vital in Jewish ritual and tradition, and the High Holidays are no exception, a Judaic studies scholar writes.
An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man is arrested by Israeli security forces for resisting efforts to shut down a synagogue in the Me’a She’arim neighborhood in Jerusalem, April 17, 2020. AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Jewish history explains why some ultra‑Orthodox communities defy coronavirus restrictions

Joyce Dalsheim, University of North Carolina – Charlotte

Persecution is central to Jewish collective memory. So when armed police entered ultra-Orthodox areas of Jerusalem to close synagogues due to COVID-19, some residents reacted with fear and suspicion.
Preparation for the Seder: A 14th century miniature showing the master of the house distributing the matzot (unleavened bread) and sweetmeat during passover. From Haggadah for Passover (the ‘Sister Haggadah’). (British Library)

How the ancient Israelites dealt with epidemics — the Bible tells of prophecy and rituals

Hanna Tervanotko, McMaster University

People have always searched for meaning in their misfortunes. It can be comforting to believe that things happen for a reason and something can be learned in chaotic situations.
A woman stands near an exhibit of photographs of victims of the Holocaust called the ‘Klarsfeld Pillars’ in New York. Mike Segar/Reuters

Exploring the complexities of forgiveness

Yerachmiel Gorelik, Colorado State University

Can the Nazis be forgiven? A rabbi explains why this question needs a more profound examination of some of Judaism’s deepest ethical mores and theological beliefs

Related Topics

  1. Auschwitz
  2. Coronavirus
  3. COVID-19
  4. Jewish beliefs
  5. Jewish holy days
  6. Judaism
  7. Religion and society
  8. Repentance
  9. Torah

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