By Tzvi Freeman Hey Rabbi, Before I started this whole Shabbat and Kosher thing, I had no idea how guilty I was supposed to feel. Then I discover there’s also say-your-daily-prayers and talk-only-nice-about-other-people and say-a-blessing-before-you-eat and a whole slew of other things to feel guilty about. Now I see myself failing almost every day, accelerating sometimes to a speed of […]

By Tzvi Freeman G‑d, in the wrong hands, is a very dangerous idea. Especially a single, omnipotent and perfect G‑d. If G‑d is omnipotent, then we are powerless, our world is insignificant, and that which does not fulfill its purpose is better off eliminated. If G‑d is perfect, He needs nothing, and we have no purpose to begin with. If […]

By Tzvi Freeman Hello Rabbi, My Chabad rabbi insists that the world is moving rapidly towards an era of peace and wisdom. Of course, he doesn’t watch television and he’s definitely out of the news blogosphere as well. Instead, he quotes the Rebbe, who was speaking many years ago. Maybe things were looking up then for a bit. Right now, […]

By Tzvi Freeman Eve came to the world. She became wrapped up with a snake. Noah came to the world. What happened to him? “He drank from the wine and was drunk.” Sarah came to the world. She descended and she came back up, as it is said, “And Abram came up from Egypt, he and his wife with him.” […]

By Tzvi Freeman Question: My father was a hypocrite. He pretended to take on a religious lifestyle, but it was all fake. He never spent time with any of us and didn’t seem to care less, so we all rebelled and left the whole Judaism thing. Problem is, now I’m in college, I have some observant friends and I’m really […]

By Tzvi Freeman Joe and Max are sitting in the same sukkah, but they see two very different things. Joe sees a structure thrown up to celebrate the festival. But Max, having studied its laws in depth, sees much more—a kind of crystallization of concepts and principles brought into physical reality. That’s what’s so often missing from our presentation of […]

By Tzvi Freeman Everything Starts Down Here Two weeks before the Jewish new year begins, we read one of the most enigmatic phrases in the Torah. Most enigmatic because its simple meaning seems so radical and strange: אֶת־ה׳ הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם Literally, that would have to be translated, “You cause G‑d to speak today.” Generally it is translated differently—in many forms—but […]

By Tzvi Freeman Hello Chabad, You rabbis seem to take it as a given that wisdom flows from the vast amount of writings, biblical and more recent, history, interpretations, opinions, etc. that it has accumulated. You appear to think that wisdom flows in one direction only. The supplicant asks and the rabbi answers. A particular rabbi may not have the […]

By Tzvi Freeman Q: Does the Torah promote Genocide? A: No. Q: Did G‑d once not just promote, but command genocide, including women and children, even infants? A: Yes. Not genocide as we know it, since no one spoke of genes in those times, but something that looks quite ugly nonetheless. The Israelites were commanded to entirely eliminate the tribes […]

By Tzvi Freeman There are two kinds of love There is love from the womb. A parent, by nature, loves a child. Siblings, from birth, are bonded to one another. The love came first; the conditions are but an afterthought. True, the flame may burn quietly. They themselves may not even recognize their love for one another. But it burns […]