Rabbi Louis Jacobs

Should Jews feel one emotion over the other--or both equally?

A master Torah commentator who foreshadowed biblical criticism

A Spanish poet, philosopher and proto-Zionist.

The tension between individual and communal needs cannot be resolved, but the two must be balanced.

From biblical law, through classic rabbinic debate and medieval law codes, and continuing in the modern period, Jewish law has undergone constant development.

Jewish ethical literature provides practical, down-to-earth guidelines on how to behave towards one's guests and towards one's hosts.

Jewish law mandates a healthful lifestyle.

Jewish law may make no requirements or restrictions about architectural form, but one prominent 18th century rabbi issued a warning about copying the styles of the rich and famous.

Rabbinic restrictions on behavior in the synagogue reveal continuing tension between ordinary Jews' sense of being at home and at ease there, and the desire of rabbis to set it apart as a sacred place.

Evidence from Qumran shows that the medieval debate about the order of biblical passages in tefillin has ancient roots.