When Jesus called the leaders of his day "whitewashed tombs," or "hypocrites," many interpreted this as a critique of Judaism. However, the critique is a common Rabbinic one, and one no person is immune to. In this, we explore the mussar concept of Tocho k'varo.
Jewish tradition recognizes three categories of people in the world, the Tzadik, the Rasha, and the Beinoni. From various sources, we unpack what it means to be an inbetweener and how we get the wrong idea about spiritual growth.
A strange encounter between a Rabbi and the daughter of the Roman emperor opens the door to a deeper mystery about humility, the soul, hidden wisdom, and the meaning behind Jesus’s teaching about “new wine.”
In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.
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In this session, we walk through the timeless wisdom of Pirke Avot, also known as the Ethics of the Fathers.
In this session, we look at the transition from the Passover Seder into the Counting of the Omer, and how the Torah has provided a model for spiritual transformation.
Drawing on the Mussar trait of Perishut (Abstinence), we explore the discipline of abstaining even from the permitted as a path to clarity, freedom, and holiness.
Long before Chasidic Judaism, the Bible and the sages spoke of the chasid, one who serves the Creator with love, humility, and holy intention. In this article, we begin an exploration of this concept and examine how it may have shaped the spiritual worldview of Jesus.
Did Jesus reject Jewish dietary laws, declaring all foods clean? In this article, we unpack the discussion in Mark 7 to challenge the popular tradition that Jesus abolished Torah-given commandments, and reflect a misreading of first-century Judaism.
There is one practice of character development that can radically transform your spiritual development, yet it may be one of the more challenging to correct. Fortunately, we have an ancient tradition with tools and tricks to help us judge others favorably.
In this article, we explore the nature of reality, looking at a few striking parallels between simulation theory, the Bible, and Jewish thought. Is it possible this new idea on reality is not so new after all?
