Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - Consider Forgiveness - YouTube

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - Consider Forgiveness - YouTube:

'via Blog this'

Once again, the Reverend Rabbi conveys a beautiful view of Judaism that I remeber being brought upon, but that I fail to discern here in the Land of Israel, today.

The intransigence of Religious officialdom and their political organs, in the face of discord or all fronts: civil and social considerations inside of the various religions we have here, as well as the religious zeal that has permeated all of the extremists, truly requires that we have a diaspora to maintain authentic Judaism - abroad. What we have here is an aberration.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Dialogue with Atheists - YouTube

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on Dialogue with Atheists - YouTube:

'via Blog this'

I came across a large collections of videos with the Chief Rabbi pf England, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who seems to promote a Judaism, I can connect with in this short interview, he provides legitimacy for doubt - indeed for atheism - recognizing the important role that atheists and heretics can play in keeping rampant religious extremists in check.

If only we had such attitudes among the Orthodox here in Israel - the only country in the Western world, where religion is so institutionalized that allows corruption and backwardness in official quarters to fester. Under the conditions our political system has created, there is now room for checks and balances of the theocracy. It is perhaps this very reason that has lead to the three major exiles of the People of Israel. If so, then we will have only ourselves to blame, if the intransigence of all our factions results in yet another debacle.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, may his soul rest in peace, on Kabala

Dov  Elboim, an influential - at least for me  - personality in bridging the gap between the various schools of Judaism in Israel, has begun advertising a Hebrew release of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's book on Sepher Hayetzirah - the Book of Formation, attributed to the Patriarch Abraham and passed down thru oral tradition ubtill it was finally brought to print  - in several different versions, Sefer HaYetzira is the basis on which Jewish Mysticism was developed, and together with the revival of interest in Mysticism of all kinds, Jewish mysticism included, it is understandable that it is now being published in Hebrew.

The info-ad got me thinking - and goggling, and I want to share with you here a set of video interviews made with Rabbi Kaplan before his death in 1983