"Love, therefore, the Lord your God, and always keep His charge, His laws, His rules, and His commandments." (Deut. 11:1) This passage from Parshah Ekev is not unique. It is one of many places we are told to "love" God. But what does that mean? Rabbi Jakob Petuchowski wrote, "Jews study Torah...read more
The concept of teshuvah, repentance, is a given in traditional Jewish circles: One who sins before God has the inalienable right to repent and to be absolved. Nevertheless, an analysis of the Torah indicates that such a theology might be absent from the text.
In this week’s portion, Ekev, Moses...read more
Rabbi Menachem Creditor is the spiritual leader of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. He is the founder and facilitator of ShefaNetwork.org: The Conservative/Masorti Movement Dreaming from Within, co-founder of KeshetRabbis: The Alliance of Gay-Friendly Conservative/Masorti Rabbis, and...