Jeremy Rosen
ARTICLES BY: Jeremy Rosen
Understanding the Meaning of Elijah This Passover
“Behold I will send you Elijah (Eliyahu) the prophet before the great awesome Day of God, and he will reconcile fathers to children and children to fathers”...
The Story of Naaman the Leper
This week, the Torah goes into detail about what is called leprosy -- but what is actually any infectious skin disease. The Priests were the...
Why Do We Keep Kosher?
After dealing with the sacrificial system, and the roles that priests play within it, the Torah turns to the laws of kashrut. More specifically, the...
Free Speech Is Being Threatened — and Jews Will Pay the Price
In my youth, I always regarded free, reasoned, civilized speech to be one of the most important and positive features of Western societies. My education...
Purim, Amalek, and the Shabbat to Remember
The Shabbat before Purim is always called Shabbat Zachor -- the Shabbat to Remember. It specifically refers to the battle that took place when the Israelites...
Why Purim Matters So Much This Year
Purim matters so much this year. It tells a never ending story. We were threatened with destruction. We responded by finding ways to combat the...
The Community and the Individual Are Both Needed for Jewish Survival
This week's Torah portion starts with the word Vayakhel. It means “gathering together.” Moses gathered together the whole community to be involved in the construction...
Jews Faced Massive Antisemitism in Ancient England; Can That Inspire Us Now?
Anti-Judaism was often driven by two agents, religion and politics, and the same applies today. It was the same story in England with different actors...
What the Torah Teaches Us About Modesty
Many years ago, I was told a story about my father by somebody who belonged to the same congregation as his family in London. My...
The Quest to Understand God Is the True Journey of Religion
“I am Ad’nai, your God, who took you out of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). One of the most difficult subjects to write about is God. There are...
What the Exodus Can Teach Us About Israel’s War for Survival
There are two themes in this week's Torah reading that stand out as being particularly relevant at this moment in time. The first one is...
What Does the Pharaoh Have in Common with Anti-Israel College Professors?
In this week's Torah portion, we read about the process through which Moses and Aaron try to persuade the Pharaoh that he should let the...
Ireland’s History Explains Its Hostility Towards Israel and Jews
Why is Ireland one of the most antisemitic countries in Europe? The answer lies in its history. In Ulysses, by James Joyce, the antisemitic character Deasy...
A Message from the Torah: Respond to Fear with Faith
As we complete the book of Genesis this week, Jacob has died, and his remaining sons now turn to Joseph and say, “Our father asked...
