Ask the Rabbis | Does Jewish Law Offer Guidance on How to Fight a War?
Before engaging an enemy in combat, we must offer to negotiate a peace (Deuteronomy 20:10).
From 2009 | Ask the Rabbis | When Does Life Begin?
Classical Jewish rulings concerning abortion rely primarily on the woman’s instinct, and they respect that until the fetus emerges from the womb, it remains an integral part of the woman’s body alone.
Ask the Rabbis | How Is Judaism Different After Half a Century of Female Clergy?
Fifty years ago, Sally Priesand was ordained as a Reform rabbi, the first woman clergy member in American Jewish history. To mark this anniversary, we asked rabbis, male and female, to reflect.
Ask the Rabbis | Is Political Compromise a Jewish Virtue?
That’s how Abraham resolves his dispute with Lot over grazing lands: “If you head left, I’ll head right. If you head right, I’ll go left” (Genesis 13:9).
Ask the Rabbis | How Do You Deal With People in Your Community Who Don’t Want to Get Vaccinated?
I don’t. It is not my place to nudge people to get or not to get vaccinated.
Ask the Rabbis | How Can We Avoid the Trap of Self-Righteousness?
Everyone wants to be right—in the right way. What’s the line between striving for moral perfection and being a jerk?
Ask the Rabbis | Does Absolute Evil Exist, and If So, What Does It Look Like Today?
Evil was introduced the moment God looked at Creation and “saw that it was good!” For the existence of good implies the existence of evil, just as big implies small and cold implies hot.
Ask the Rabbis | Post-Pandemic, What Elements of Virtual Judaism Will We Keep?
In 2018, as synagogues pondered livestreaming some services for the convenience of infirm relatives, we asked the rabbis to contemplate what was surely a distant, speculative future: “What role should virtual presence play in Jewish ritual and community?”
Ask the Rabbis | Jewish Ethics and Electronic Surveillance
Some issues dominate the news; others drift along under the radar. This is literally true of electronic surveillance, a worldwide and quickly growing force that could profoundly change our lives.
Can Robots be Jewish? And Other Pressing Questions of Modern Life
Amy E. Schwartz, in conversation with New York Times best-selling author Laura Blumenfeld, discusses whether robots can be Jewish and other perennial questions, such as what Judaism has to say about love, miracles, the afterlife and so much more from Amy’s new book, Can Robots Be Jewish? And Other Pressing Questions of Modern Life , a selection of questions and answers drawn from Moment’s ever-popular Ask the Rabbis column. This smart and provocative talk is perfect for anyone interested in the rich diversity of Jewish thought on contemporary questions.
Ask the Rabbis | Do Jews Believe in Miracles?
“Jews have traditionally perceived everything as miraculous.”
Ask the Rabbis | Should Jews Support Reparations for African Americans?
Our team of rabbis weighs in.