The Great Rabbis
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Rabbi Yosef Caro
Can you give me a brief biography on Yosef Caro? Rabbi Yosef Caro was born in Toledo, Spain in 1488 and died in Safed, Israel in 1575. As a child he fled with his family to Constantinople, Turkey, due to…
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The “Rabbinic Judaism” Myth
I think the holier than thou attitude of Jewish Orthodoxy is rather funny. Orthodoxy is not at all similar to traditional Judaism. Real traditional Judaism was based on the Temple, with a special class of people, Priests, making animal sacrifices.…
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King David
Can you give me some information about the King David’s personality? What was his greatness? King David is best known for his humility, sensitivity, Torah scholarship, and faith in G-d. When the prophet Samuel came to anoint him as the…
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Rabbi Sirkus
I am a direct descendant of Rabbi Joel Sirkus. Could you tell me about his contributions to the Jewish Faith? I would be interested to know more about him. Thank you Lived 1561-1640 in Poland. He served as Rabbi in…
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Shulchan Aruch – “Set Table”
Shulchan Aruch (the standard code of Jewish law) means ‘Prepared Table”, or “Set Table”. Why is it called that? Rabbi Yoseph Caro, its author, chose the name because it conveys the idea of something being all prepared for you, just…
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Bar Kochba and Rabbi Akiva
During the Bar-Kochba uprising Rabbi Akiva supported its leader. But once Bar-Kohba refused to obey Rabi Akiva when he forbade being friendly with Samaritans. As a result Rabi Akiva left Bar-Kohba and his followers. My definition of this situation is…
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The Rabbi Business
Are rabbis allowed to run or own a business. If yes what kind of business. Thank you for you’re question. A rabbi does not have any additional restrictions as far as owning or running a business. In fact there were…
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Jewish Thinkers
As a research project I’d like to compare and contrast two Jewish thinkers and their views on one Biblical text. So what two thinkers would be good to focus on and what text would the two argue about? Sounds like…
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Married Rabbis
I want to know if only a married man is allowed to be a rabbi? “Rabbi” means “master of tradition” who is certified by another rabbi, in a chain going back to Moses. Criteria include expertise and personal character. Marriage…