Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — I was requested to write on the question, “Did Maimonides believe that God produces miracles?” This question has been debated for centuries. I will give the ideas held by those who state that Maimonides contended that God does not perform miracles. To understand this view, one

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — The biblical story of the prophet Elijah is interesting, but it is subject to radically different interpretations. A literal reading of scripture, without imagining acts that are not explicit in the verses, yield a negative interpretation of Elijah’s behavior with God being dissatisfied with him, criticizing

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — In his Guide for the Perplexed, book 3, chapter 51, in the easy to read translation by M. Friedlander, Maimonides (1138-1204) tells readers: “The present chapter does not contain any additional matter that has not been treated in the [previous] chapters of this treatise. It is

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Being Jewish, my wife and I light Shabbat candles on Friday evening before the Sabbath begins. This is a longstanding Jewish practice, usually understood to be over 2,000 years old. The usual explanation for the custom is based on a dispute between the Sadducees and Pharisees.

In Part One, we mentioned the question why, according to tradition, Judah’s family merited having the messiah come from them and obscurities in the Torah in Genesis 37 and 38. This is a continuation. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

The unclear stories about Judah are significant because Jewish and Christian theology contend that the messiah will be a descendant of this fourth son of Jacob. What if anything did Judah do to merit this distinction? We will address this question and point out many obscurities in Genesis 37 and 38. We will address other obscurities in chapters 39 and others in the next essay. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Most people, Jews and non-Jews, think that Judaism prefers that Jews observe Jewish Law, called halakha, rather than ethics, and if the two come in conflict the Jew must follow the halakha. Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn shows in his excellent easy to understand book To be a Holy People: Jewish Tradition and Ethical Values that they are wrong. What are Jewish Ethics? How does it differ from Jewish law? [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

We know, or think we know, that Jacob was attracted to Rachel as soon as he saw her the first time. Genesis 29:11 tells us that he kissed her and wept. In verse 18, we are told, “Jacob loved Rachel.” He even agreed since he had no money, to work for seven years for her father if he would give her to him as a wife. But how long did this love last? We do not know. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — We know, or think we know, that Jacob was attracted to Rachel as soon as he saw her the first time. Genesis 29:11 tells us that he kissed her and wept. In verse 18, we are told, “Jacob loved Rachel.” He even agreed since he had