Maimonides: Faith in Reason  Yale University Press (Jewish Lives) By Alberto Manguel 256 pages, 2023 ISBN 978-0-300-21789-6 $14.84                                               Maimonides: Faith in Reason   Alberto Manguel’s 2023 “Maimonides: Faith in Reason,” a significant addition to Jewish studies, is published by Yale University Press. This book is a c ..read more

  Becoming Elijah, Prophet of Transformation By Daniel C. Matt Yale University Press March 15, 2022 248 pages ISBN 978-0-300-24270-6 $20.70   Daniel C. Matt’s book “Becoming Elijah, Prophet of Transformation” is a testament to his profound expertise in Kabbalah and Jewish thought. It is excellent and intellectually stimulating, as well as a balanced blend [...] The post Becoming Elijah appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

      The biblical holiday Passover, a significant event in Jewish history, disappeared entirely when the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE. This cataclysmic event marked the end of an era and led to a significant shift in religious practices. However, its name, Passover, was resurrected and given to the holiday Chag Hamatzot, [...] The post The Year Passover Died appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

Our friend Turk Hill requested that I give my opinion on the subject matter. Here it is. There is disagreement among scholars on whether Maimonides accepted Aristotle's view that matter existed eternally. Some say he agreed with Aristotle and others that he disagreed. I favor the view that he agreed with Aristotle. Or, possibly felt [...] The post Aristotle and Maimonides on the issue of the eternity of matter vs. creation out of nothing appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

   Our friend Steve asked how he should prepare for his retirement. I decided to put my secret on this website for him and the rest of my readers. My wife Dina and I married 64 years ago, in 1960. At that time, I was a First Lieutenant in the US Army, earning $2000 a [...] The post How to become wealthy appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

       Maggid Books’ 2024, “The Promise of Liberty, A Passover Haggada,” is superb. It tells the story of the Israelite exodus from Egyptian slavery over 3,300 years ago and reveals the many lessons applicable today, especially what freedom means in Judaism and America. Unbeknownst to many, the Sidur, the daily prayer book, Machzor, [...] The post A new superb Haggada appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

   The acting, dialogue, scenery, and drama in the 1997 movie “Solomon” are excellent and enjoyable. However, the only way it matches what the Bible states is that despite the claim that Solomon was very wise, a close reading of the biblical text reveals that he did virtually everything wrong. Of course, few things were [...] The post Review of the movie “Solomon” appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

  I will explain why there is evil in this world. God did what is sensible. The world is, as the Hebrew Bible states, “Good.” It gives people free will. Humans cause evil in three ways.   The world is created with duality Opposites are generally two sides of the same thing. For example, love [...] The post A possible solution why there is evil appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

    Our friend and reader of Booksnthoughts.com asked a good question: Is the Purim story a parable? “What is the significance that Esther is a Persian name? Did Esther really exist or is she a fictional character?” I thought all of our readers would be interested in the answer. Therefore, I am writing the [...] The post Is the biblical Book of Esther a parable? appeared first on Dr Israel Drazin ..read more

                                                                          The Accounting   The opening words of the weekly Torah reading Prkudei (Exodus 38:21-40:38) state that an accounting was given of the precious metals used in the construction of the Tabernacl ..read more