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My Mission

My mission is to teach. To show what Judaism has to offer and how living its life can be reconciled with modernity and living in two worlds.  And to make this learning enjoyable.

Most people want certainty and prefer not to ask uncomfortable questions. I believe in questioning. I do not believe in brainwashing or in closing minds. I embrace the fuzzy boundaries and inconsistencies of human beings and the process by which Judaism has developed, and continues to develop, to meet challenges.

Reality has many facets and there are “seventy faces to Torah.” I want to show the richness of tradition and its way of helping us cope with the challenges of life in our times. My goal is to help people find their own place in Judaism based on knowledge and experience.

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Most Recent Commentary

  • Self Defense
    Elliot Horowitz in his overview of Purim over the ages, Reckless Rites and the Legacy of Jewish Violence has a subtext. It is a quote from the English poet W.H. Auden “ Those to whom evil is done, Do evil in return.” And Purim he suggests is an example of this. He documents Christian and Jewish ( liberal and reform) disapproval of the unseemly rejoicing of the Jews on Purim for glorifying killing non-Jews over the centuries. As an example of how barbaric we were. Of course, they fail ...

Most Recent Video Commentary

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Commitment and Controversy: Living in Two Worlds Vol. 3

In this third collection of Rosen’s insightful, wide-ranging thoughts on Jewish life and its relationship with the larger world, he reveals a moderate who is nonetheless deeply committed to his ideals. Rosen deftly jumps from discussions on feminism and current affairs to art, history, politics, and more.

Varieties of Jewish Religious Thought

An exploration of ideas that are the core of Jewish tradition and identity. Using both rational and mystical approaches to the issues of Jewish theology, this book is aimed at the thinking, critical person who is unable to accept dogma without question or inquiry.

Commitment and Controversy: Living in Two Worlds Vol. 2

In this compilation of blogs, Jeremy Rosen draws on his experience as a rabbi, academic and teacher to provide insights on the issues facing life as a Jew in a western, open society, covering Jewish customs, tradition, and theology as well as history, politics and current affairs.