Some two weeks have passed since Bernard Madoff has admitted to his sons, and later to the police, that he had perpetrated the greatest financial swindle of the history of mankind, and we yet have to come to terms with it (hint: it’ll take years). Meanwhile, a life was lost, as one institutional investor, Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, committed suicide after having lost some USD 1.5 billion for his clients through Bernard Madoff. For the benefit of those who, surely steeped in their Torah study, failed to notice the uproar in the streets, I will briefly outline what I gleaned from court papers and the financial press on this matter. (If you do know the details, you can skip ahead.) Read the rest of this entry »
The Folly of Greed
December 25, 2008
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English, Essay, news | Tagged: ethics, greed, madoff | 
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Posted by Arie Folger
Miracles Alone Do Not Cause Belief
December 6, 2008 This essay, which was originally delivered in German as a sermons to Parshat Mishpatim, on the 29th of Shevat 5767 (17th of February ’07), explores why biblical miracles were experienced only during, well, biblical times.
Dor haMidbar: The Singular Generation – by Rabbi Arie Folger
After learning of the great miracles, which the Ribono shel ‘Olam (Master of the World) performed to save our ancestors from their enslavement, and to punish our tormentors, both in Egypt and at the Yam Suf, after His wondrous Revelation on Mount Sinai, where the people “saw” the sounds, one is inclined to expect the wondrous and miraculous to continue throughout history. Indeed The very significance of some of HaShem’s Names and titles conjure His omnipresence, thus: E-lohim, Sha-dai, Adon Kol, Melekh ha’Olam and Ribono shel ‘Olam.
Yet, while miracles aren’t entirely absent from our lives, those miracles are quite different from the miracles Moshe Rabbenu performed at G”d’s command. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | English, Essay, Sermon | Tagged: miracles, supernatural, פרשת משפטים | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Can Prayer Fail Us?
December 5, 2008 A week has passed since the horrors of the murders of Mumbai unfolded, and this tragedy has, as tragedies often do, aroused introspection. We ask many questions on many levels. There are political questions, why in Mumbai? and why were Anglo-Saxons and Jews particularly targeted?; there are organizational questions regarding the readiness and effectiveness of the Indian security forces; questions of how do react to the atrocities on the individual, organizational (how should Jewish organizations adapt their security model, should we trun our communal homes into secure, but uninvitng fortresses?) and political levels; and there are questions of faith, too. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | English, Essay, news, prayer | Tagged: theodicy | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
The Sin of Drunkenness / Die Sünde der Betrunkenheit
October 31, 2008| The Sins of Adam and Noach Compared |
 Die Sünde Adams und Noachs im Vergleich |
| Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge and became aware of their nakedness. Noach planted a vineyard, brew wine, got drunk and became uncovered in his tent. At first sight, these are two very different incidents, which occured more than 1500 years apart. Furthermore, Adam and Chava ate, while Noach drank; Adam and Chava became aware of their nakedness, while Noach was unawareof his nakedness, as he had become uncovered while in a drunken stupor.These differences could prove that the two sins were thematically quite unlike one another, except for lesser known midrashim that broaden our knowledge about the Sin with the Tree of Knowledge (pun intended). | Adám und Chawá assen vom Baum der Erkenntnis und wurden davon bewusst, dass sie nackt waren. Nóach pflanzte einen Weinberg, baute Wein an, trank, wurde betrunken und in seinem Zelt entblösst. Auf dem ersten Blick geht es hier um zwei ganz unterschiedliche Ereignisse, die mehr als 1500 Jahr voneinander trennen. Ausserdem sind sie thematisch unterschiedlich: Adám und Chawá assen, während Nóach trank; Adám und Chawá wurden bewusst, dass sie nackt waren, während Nóach unbewussterweise, in seiner Betrunkenheit sich entblösste. Diese Unterschiede könnten beweisen, dass diese zwei Sünden keinen thematischen Zusammenhang haben, sei es denn, dass einige wenig bekannten Midraschím uns zu die Erkenntnis der Sünde des Baums der Erkenntnis und des Weinberges Nóachs bringen. |
2 Comments | Deutsch, English, Essay | Tagged: Adam, Chava, Noach, sexual morality, wine, עץ הדעת | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Choshen Mishpat, Gift of the Jews
October 13, 2008This essay explores the moral importance of the conflict between Halakhah and temporal civil law. It was presented as a sermon to the Book Shemot, on the 28th of Tevet 5766 (28th of January ’06).
True Freedom of Conscience -by Rabbi Arie Folger
Halakhah is frequently at odds – in monetary matters – with applied Western law, such as, for example regarding the permissibility of charging interest on loans, the permissibility of charging certain fines, the validity of speculative contracts, the definition of unfair competition and more. However, the respective national constitutions are clear, the judicial power belongs to the civil courts and they need to take the instructions of the legislative branch into account. Many of us feel uneasy about the disagreement Halakhah has with the national secular legislative reality, and as a result, the Halakhah is either forgotten, or willfully ignored.
The tension between Halakhah and Western law evokes in us memories of accusations of double standards and disloyalty to our respective countries of citizenship or residence. Hence, many choose ignorance over knowledge, breech over observance. The major question is then: have we served the greater good of general society by adopting the single yardstick of law and ethics which our host society provides us with? Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | English, Essay, Sermon | Tagged: Halacha, law, חושן משפט, פרשת משפטים | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Von Tahará zu Keduschá
August 14, 2008
Zur Definition des Begriffs der Reinheit1
Das Judentum ist in seinen religiösen und kulturellen Aspekten sehr relevant für unsere heutige Zeit. Jedoch ist es nicht so einfach, das Judentum zu verstehen und in unserer modernen Welt anzuwenden, da unsere Religion im Orient offenbart wurde und viele ihrer Begriffe recht schwierig zu beschreiben sind, wenn wir uns auf westliche Begriffsmodelle beschränken.
Zu diesen Begriffen, die bisher nicht besonders gut ins Deutsche übersetzt worden sind, gehören tamé’ und tahór und die zugehörigen Substantive Tum’á und Tahará. Üblicherweise werden sie mit „unrein“ und „rein“ bzw. „Unreinheit“ und „Reinheit“ wiedergegeben. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Deutsch, Essay | Tagged: Reinheit, rituelle Reinheit | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Nachmanides’ Schmetterling
August 4, 2008Seit den 60er Jahren vertritt James Lovelock, ein international anerkannter Wissenschaftler, seine grosse einheitliche Theorie des Lebens auf der Erde, die Gaia-Hypothese. Prof. Lovelock betrachtet alles auf der Erde, sowohl Organismen als auch leblose Materie, als einen Superorganismus, der nach Gleichgewicht strebt. Im allgemeinen wird das erwünschte Gleichgewicht erreicht, aber es kann manchmal vorkommen, dass das ganze irdische System nach einer Serie von kleinen Veränderungen aus den Fugen gerät. Das neue Gleichgewicht, das sich danach wieder einstellt, ist gewiss ganz anders als jeder frühere Zustand. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Deutsch, Essay, Predigt | Tagged: Behar-Bechukotai, Chaostheorie, Schmetterlingeffekt, פרשת בהר־בחוקתי | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Die Einheit von Ethik und Ritual
August 1, 2008Unsere Tradition lehrt uns, dass wir in Bezug auf zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen besonders sensibel sein sollen, und so hat sich der Brauch entwickelt, dass wir einander vor oder an Jom Kippur um Verzeihung bitten.1 Sollen wir daraus schliessen, dass das, was dem Judentum wichtig ist, nur der zwischenmenschliche Bereich ist? Liegt das Wesen unserer Religion im Gesellschaftlichen und nur dort?
Manche behaupten das. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Deutsch, Essay, Predigt | Tagged: Jom Kippur, יום כפור | Permalink
Posted by Arie Folger
Mikolot Mayim Rabbim 