Jewish Thought

Judaism and Astrology

The notion that the planets influence human affairs cuts against the core Jewish belief in free will, but many ancient rabbis believed it anyway.

Who Is a Jew: Patrilineal Descent

When Dad is Jewish and Mom is not, are the kids Jewish? Depends on who you ask.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi

The editor of the Mishnah is one of the most significant figures in rabbinic Judaism.

Yochanan Ben Zakkai

Student of Hillel contributed to the continued study of Torah and the protection of the Sanhedrin.

Who Was Hillel?

The preeminent sage of first century Palestine whose name is on Jewish campus organizations worldwide.

Martin Buber

The creation of a Jewish existentialism--and a Jewish state.

Maimonides’ Legal Writings

Maimonides' extensive writings on Jewish law, or halachah, remain an unsurpassed accomplishment.

Nehama Leibowitz: The Paradigm of a Torah Teacher

A woman who gained accomplished rabbis as her students, Leibowitz is considered among the great Torah scholars of the 20th century.

What Is Shmita, the Sabbatical Year?

The Torah calls for Jews to work the land six years and let it rest in the seventh.

Judaism after the Temple

Coping with destruction and building for the future.

Who Is a Jew: Matrilineal Descent

Why is Judaism traditionally passed down through the mother?

Albert Einstein

The genius physicist's Jewish activism, while less famous than his theory of relativity, was significant.