Absolute nonsense, this entire op-ed article. I am reminded of a simple shopping incident in a K-Mart. A grandmother was teaching her young granddaughter about the importance of glassware and pictures of the messiah on items. I am also reminded of candles in a 7-11, which have pictures of the Christian Messiah. We Jews will never be able to compete with other faiths, structured in a theology which is sometimes, bizarre, sometimes unbelieveable, and often times irrelevant. The real problem is not with leaders (teachers) but the message. Our message is often so complicated as to shun even long time members of the faith, and force many to convert to something more tangible. Orthodoxy does not have the answers, except to those who adhere. Reform/Conservative Judaism is more practical, but still miss the salient message: we are all Jews, some less, some more observant. Ask Ahmad, David Duke and Louis Farrakhan. Its not what one puts in one's mouth ( kosher) its whats in ones head., a people, a common past and future, shared rituals, individual prayer, joining others in prayer, loving our concept of G-d, and knowing what G-d is NOT. Not a G-dhead, not Mohammad, not Joseph Smith and not Budda. The rest is sophistry.

Ask any Islamic fascist or more moderate what is a Jew? You will be shocked. Ask an anti-semite for a definition of a Jew. You will be shocked. Ask a Christian the perceived differences between we Jews (Haredi vs Reform) and there is no difference except the garb. Our problem is the message, not our leaders. W/O a definite message, leadership is irrelevant. The Christians differ in their theology, but have a core theology., lacking in Judaism. Should the Torah be divinely inspired, or what? Is Etz Hayim the true Torah? Is a secular Jew less "Jewish" than the Haredi? Should Orthodox Jews dismiss other Jews as Christian wannabes? Hey guys, Hitler murdered 6.5m of our people, w/o any discrimination or pity. Get it!

Maybe what is needed is someone with the courage to say that Old Testament, rather than dictated by God, is a compilation of Jewish history with various philosophies and ideas thrown in as they were relevant many years ago and served a common good. To keep insisting that something is unchangeable, when so much has been changed, already, insults normal intelligence. To demand that anyone with a God-given brain continues to accept some of the contradictions, scientific fallacies, petty, and sometimes downright bloody behavior as attributable to an omnipotent, omniscient God is outrageous. The idea alone that God had to resort to "dictation" to reveal and explain Him/Herself is incomprehensible. Even that wasn't enough. He/She now had to - and continues to do so - designate, choose, appoint, call it what you will, some of the very people, who don't have and never will have a clue as to the nature of God, to explain and expound on those divine dictations. Either one admits that the Good Books were written by human beings, who were big on genealogy and tried to make sense of their world, and agrees to keep the good parts, or one can only conclude that God is a screw-up and simply throws out the baby with the bathwater. As for Christianity and Islam, they're like houses built on sand.... What religions have done to the concept of God and to each other in the name of those concepts is beyond the pale. Isn't the sheer grandeur and majesty of the universe enough to show that God is? Since we are created in God's image, we can't possibly be so inherently and totally evil that only threats of dire consequences, whether here or in some hereafter, keep us halfway decent. If it looks like not even those threats are working too well, maybe it's because some people are still convinced that their God can beat up everybody else's God..... Where are those Aliens, when you need 'em?

It should have been from Israel that such leadership should have arisen. But to our regret, the rabbinic establishment has been corrupted or generally lacking almost from day one. Few Israel's rabbis have never had to earn their standing and influence by the force of their ideas and teachings. Rather, they get it from deals with the political establishment, and their links to the party system. That's how they get their military exemptions, funding for their schools, and their control over social policy. Rabbi Sacks in a recent talk relates how, in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, he was asked to help deal with the psychological aftermath. Did Israel not have rabbis trained to deal with such matters, he asked? They did not. Israel's rabbis knew "Torah" (revelation), but were lacking in worldly wisdom. Maimonides would not have approved.

Its not that we need to create a new path or venue, It's all about taking the ideas that worked, and turning them into working in modern age. For the Torah is Nitzchius and will be applicable to all of us and to all generations to come. We withstood Auschwitz, communism, crusaders, and so on all ages whatever tactic was used against us always failed, Klal Yisroel are an "AM KSHEI OREF" and will not diminish our spirit and strive to keep on with the ways we were taught by our parents.

Judaism holds a light that is capable of corresponding with and illuminating Christianity (solving the mystery of the trinity), Islam (reconciling monotheistic purism with existential multifarity), and the eastern philosophies. That is where Jewish energies should be orientated. We were not commanded to be a light unto ourselves but rather to be a light unto the nations. They are killing us in lesser numbers these days (currently) and with English as the global lingua franca and the internet, now is the time to ask not what Judaism can do for us but what obligation we can fulfil by putting the light of our religion to the service of others. This and future generations of Jews will discover the joy and meaning of their own religion by the process of collecting together the splintered shards scattered outside our tent.

First, one needs to lead by example. Exile is the Jewish Dark Ages. Come home if you really, REALLY want to accomplish change that it is in tune with the inexorable flow of Jewish History. remember, Rabbi: Kee Mitziyon Tezei Torah.... You want to really influence the future of the Jewish People? Come home. The Land is where the Jewish future is being created, regardless of how you identify what 'stream' you flow in. Otherwise, you lose out influencing the place where the majority of the Jewish People live: Eretz Yisrael. Besides, a rabbi should know: It's the Law.

It is a shame to know that the so called religious movement in Judaism is not reaching out to the Jews of the world, and losing entire generations, to lack of underestanding, to the reality of todays world and the real opennes of mind to the needs of the new generations, it is a shame that young men of today, have to dress like those in the midle ages to be religious, and to be religious means to eat or not to eat their definition of Kosher food, and not to act and think with love and understanding, and why not, love, to fellow Jews and those outsiders that come knocking to our doors, who are driven away by not valid reasons including racism. We have to be a light to Nations, but that light has to shine first among ourselves by beign inclusive, not exclusive

Rabbi Brackman wants to bring Jewish practices into the 21st century. The conservative movement is also trying to do the same thing, so why does he denigrate them. The main problem with orthodoxy is their slavish adherence to 16th century ideas & doctrine in the “Shukchan Aruch” and its Ashkenazi addition “The Mappa”. The realization that Halacha is a human interpretation of Torah requirements and as such it can be flawed and certainly needs to be updated. The main elements in need of updating are the status of women, the use of electricity, and realization of how people live today and their physical location vies a vie a synagogue. I hope he succeeds in bringing main stream Judaism into the 21st century.

Why don't you become the innovator you speak about Rabbi Brackman? All you have to do is ask G-d how to do such and He will show you. And you shouldn't have to physically move, unless G-d specifically tells you to, in order to be that innovator. You just need to get to know G-d more rather than know about Him. You just need to get closer to Him and you can become that innovator. You might try reading the whole Tanakh, like a regular book, from Genesis to II Chronicles and then after you have done that reread the whole Tanakh out of order, say read the Writings, then jump to the Prophets, then to the Five Books of Moses. Then reread the Tanakh yet another time reading the Writings out of order, the Torah out of order, and the Prophets out of order. Reading the Tanakh from the beginning to the end as a straight reading can spiritually enlighten you one way. Reading Tanakh out of a straight order will bring you enhanced spiritual enlightenment. This suggestion may sound unOrthodox, but can help you to KNOW G-D and come closer to HIM. And don't underestimate the power of your prayers during this time of coming closer to G-d either. So I suggest Rabbi Brackman you become the innovator.

AND OYU KNOW THAT THERE ARE 3 REASONS WHY A JEW IS EXEMPT FROM MAKING ALIYAH *NOW* BUT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT ONE DAY HE WILL SO MOSHE..IT IS YOU THAT HAS A PROBLEM OF NOT SYNCRONIZING YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH WISDOM . THE GAP IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS GROWING YOU MOSHE SHOULD ALSO KNOW THE VARIOUSWAYS MASHIACH WILL ARRIVE ONE OF THE WAYS IS **SLOWLY** YOUR COMPATIONATE PLEA IS A REAL TURNOFF ME THINKS YOU SHOULD FIRST CLEAN YOUR OWN HOUSE BEFORE YOU INVITE COMPANY. I INVITE YOU TO BROOKLYN TO LEARN SOME DERECH.. THE ISRAELI ARROGANCE IS BEYOND APPRECIATION.. AND AS I SAID A TURNOFF RABBI? FUTURE CREATED? NOT BY THE ISRAELIS AND NOT BY THE CURRENT ANTI TORAH LEADERS YOU MR. MOSHE ARE IN THE EXILE WHAT HAVE YOU JEWS DONE TO ISRAEL IN 70 YRS IS AN EMBARRASMENT . ISRAEL IS LIKE SODOM.... THE GOOD IS THE LAND THE INHABITANTS LIVE LIKE SODOM OR CANANITES WHAT EXAMPLE ARE YOU DOING OTHER THEN EMBARRASING JEWS WHO WRITE ARTICLES...TO STIMULATE JEWS.. YOU CHASE ME AWAY READ STONE COMENTARY 32:9 VAYISHLACH 32:9 MR. MOSHE THEN APOLOGIZE TO ALL JEWS FOR YOUR ARROGANCE

I haven't heard of anyone having been recently "exiled" to the US, so there has to be another reason why 40.3% of the world's Jews choose to live here. Speaking only for myself and having come to this crazy place, because I had married an American, I only know that this country grows on you and you don't realize it until it's too late and it's become home. Just like you don't have to live in Italy to be a good Catholic, maybe you don't have to live in Israel to be a good Jew. If I had to go back to Europe, where my ancestors had lived for who knows how long, they'd have to drag me out of here, kicking and screaming. And if I didn't die from homesickness first, I'd probably drown trying to swim back, if I had to. Home is where one's heart and good memories are and all the laws can't change that.

Rav Brackman may mean well as I am sure most God fearing rabbis do but this article may lead people to believe that what was is not what is and what will be as far as every mitzva in the Torah. Only Erev Rav Rabbis will want to tell their congregants that there is a new Psak, a new rule, a new meaning, a new interpretation because after all Joshua is not Moses and King David is not Joshua. Every generation is different...oh yes..even moreso ...PROGRESSIVE!! Instead of saying: Let us relive Judaism as it once was, we get a rabbi that states: "Take Judaism out of the past." How sad, how pathetic, how DANGEROUS!

Generalizing that all Orthodox Jews are Khareidim is like generalizing that all animals are horses. That error is so fundamental it's inexcusable from someone with a title of rabbi. It's SO fundamental I thought for sure someone would immediately point it out. Moreover, it's the logical fallacy of ex falso quodlibet, meaning that everything reasoned from that false premise is invalid. Paqid Yirmeyahu Paqid 16, The Netzarim, Ra'anana, Israel Israeli Torah-reverer (Teimani, Baladi, Dor Daim, Orthodox Jew) Advocate for Logic as Hermeneutic Halakhic Authority Welcoming All Torah-reverers (Jews & non-Jew geirim)

I am saddened by the comments on this sight, in response to the article. Its exactly their take on what Judaism is, or should be, that has driven 600,000 (recent) Jews to other faiths and 35,000 yr being lost through assimilation/intermarriage and indifference. Lets keep Judaism understandible and relevant to we who remain, those who left and want to return and perhaps a few who desire another choice. The Christians say its the "word", that we Jews are pre-historic and our faith still in the biblical ages. They tell me, the Messiah has already come. My explanations that if so, why is he still floating around, either dead or alive? What purpose did G-d fulfill by having himself crusified? To save whom? For starters read: "What is a Jew" by rabbi Morris Kertzner for insight. Folks, 20m have a Jewish parent/grandparent. Millions more in Europe (Spain, Portugal, Russia/Ukrain). I want Judaism relevant and reachable. Whether in Israel, the USA or the Diaspora. I disagree strongly that we all should relocate to Israel..thats suicidal. Nearly 1m Jews have LEFT Israel..that says something. The Laws of Noah is all we should want from other peoples, not exposing them to our Jewishness. Lets be practrical and not live in fantasy land.

Then he most certainly didn't write the Christian Old Testement /Jewish Torah. If G_d is real, he/she/it writes the truth across the hearts of men and women. And that truth is that all humanity is sacred and deserves the love and respect that each of us desire. Even as I young teenager I knew something was terribly wrong with the so-called "god" in the Old Testament. He/It was jealous, insecure, hateful, illogical, barbaric and just plain stupid. He was, in effect, a meme of the ruling caste. G_d did the hateful bidding of the Israeli priesthood. They used G_d's name for their own gain. And the rest of the stories in these books were quasi-myths from dark history. I still think that the philosophy of Jesus would be better served if organized Christianity decanonized the Old Testament. Much of what is terribly wrong in Israel and the world today is caused by belief in some of the more bizarre aspects of this text. Jesus said it best when asked what was the most important commandment. He said, "Love G_d and one another. On this commandment hang the Law and the prophets." It is my belief that he wasn't referring an Old Testament G_d but to the true G_d.

" I still think that the philosophy of Jesus would be better served if organized Christianity decanonized the Old Testament." The above idea of yours would be a * great* idea! Why don´t you lot just do that and let us Jews alone to follow our believes in peace? We don´t need you,but you seemingly need us baddly. "Much of what is terribly wrong in Israel and the world today is caused by belief in some of the more bizarre aspects of this text." Explain more in detail what do you mean in the above quote of yours.

Only speaking for myself, it is exactly your ex falso quodlibet that negates those religions, the falso on which they're based being the unverifiable contention that God spoke to humans, thus rendering any quodlibet falso as well. Until I, myself, hear God with my own ears or see indisputable proof that He/She, in fact, "talked" to anyone, I trust my conscience and brain with which He/She so graciously blessed me much more than whatever someone else insists I should accept as true, because they say so or point at a written version. As convenient as it may be to adopt a premise at point x or y, the fallacy or veracity of its "sequitur" always depends on whether or not the original premise is true or false. Since there seems to be no room for Unknown or Unknowable, the fact that you could no more prove that you're God, because you might say you are, is no less ex falso quodlibet, than trying to disprove that I'm God, because I might say I am. In other words, the Rabbi is no less right or wrong than you are, all semantics notwithstanding Since floods and other disasters didn't and won't do it, one of these days, God Him/Herself might just show up, and either beat everybody over the head with Good Books or make them eat every last page of those books for peddling their confused and confusing contents as coming from Him/Her. If we were meant to base the way we conduct our lives on what other people tell us, why are we endowed with a conscience and the capacity to think? My God would not have wasted those two, if a set of ears and some basic reading skills were enough.

"a core theology., lacking in Judaism" ? not really, we have first to be united in space in order to form a people (Lech Lecha) and then behave as a people that has one G.d (Schema Israel), no more; no less.

G.d does not want believers but makers. Naasse ve nichma. Religion is about following, being a people is about creating. Religions are virtual concepts to believe in, being a people, a nation under G.d's eyes is living, feeling, sharing, moving forward, not backward.

The problem for galut is that of Jewish literacy. People think they can read a dvar torah from google and that they are learning. Until we learn chumash and nach with meforshim and gemara in its source text, and uncover the meaning of our tradition from its source, we have no hope. What attraction or distinction will Judaism have if we don't have to apply ourselves to unlock its meaning? If somebody tells me pshat i may have learned something but I have not achieved this on my own. That time of Jewish knowledge is no different to the knowledge of any other religion. The superficial, quick fix and instant gratification of a sending us a Jewish idea without its origin and without its overall context is what is causing people to overlook the beauty of Jewish tradition.

You began by "assuming,"--with no evidence--the falseness of my premise (which you leave undefined), committing your own ex falso quodlibet. Such assertions without proof go on forever in an endless cycle of ex falso quodlibet--typical of ynet tb, which is why tbs can go on forever with no progress whatsoever by either side. No one learns anything. Everyone simply flings out their own assumptions, stops their ears and repeats the same mantras endlessly. To break that chain requires establishing (and accepting) a proven, or at least axiomatic, premise for any given topic. First of all, I have never suggested that "God" "spoke" to humans in a physically audible voice. In fact, not only does that contradict the Perfect Laws created by ha-Sheim, it also contradicts the Immutability of the extra-dimensional, non-physical Creator-Singularity. [That's anthropomorphism.] My position is that humans "hear" the Creator-Singularity--ha-Sheim--"speak" via their Creator-endowed intellect and (for those who develop it) logical reasoning. When "you" reason that 2+2=4, from whence is "your" reasoning? That is where we differ. You claim credit for what the Creator has endowed you. Nesim (miracles) follows the same reasoning, implying the nesim are real (e.g., inter alia, 1948, prophesied return of Jews, etc.) by pre-Design, while intervention by "a holy man persuading God" is anecdotal, and claimed anecdotally "documented" as frequently by charlatan wannabe gurus of goyim as by Jews (including not a few rabbis). Nor do I (or any logician) merely "adopt" any premise--another of your ex falso quodlibet assumptions. Cite a premise I've merely "adopted" and you're in for a lesson in logic--if ynet affords the space (and that is doubtful). Further, your unstated assumption that the capacity with which ha-Sheim ALSO endowed us to contemplate the reality of history and physics is contradictory to YOUR personal conscience and capacity to think (simply because you're unaware of their implications) is an error leading you to dismiss the "conscience and capacity to think" of 4 millennia of historical giants of philosophy encapsulated in the Bible, all of whom I would argue are superior to your intellect, in favor of your own, inflated, "conscience and capacity to think." Or do you suppose "YOUR God" wasted THAT capacity? How are you wiser than all these? [And your questionable experience versus 4 millennia of successful survival against all odds]? Paqid Yirmeyahu Paqid 16, The Netzarim, Ra'anana, Israel Israeli Torah-reverer: Teimani, Baladi, Dor Daim Jew Advocate for Logic as Hermeneutic Halakhic Authority Welcoming All Torah-reverers (Jews & non-Jew geirim)

STATED IN HIS LINKS, WRITINGS, TALKBACKS. PAQID DISQUISED his name to yeshua and the 'first ribi' and other new age referrences to paqids mangod. #19 YOUR ISSUE IS THAT YOU DIDNT LEARN ENOUGH TO SEE AND KNOW THE ONE GD OF ISRAEL THE XTIANS AND BELIEVERS IN JESSEUE ALSO DIDNT LEARN ENOUGH ABOUT THE MANGOD.IF THEY DID THEY WOULD SEE THE MYTH AND FALSEHOOD THEY FOLLOW. 2nd COMMANDMENT GIVEN AT MT SINAI THAT ALL THE WORLD WITNESSED MOSES RECEIVING AND HEARING THE OE GD TELL THEM. 'I AM ALONE' 'THERE IS NONE BESIDES ME' 'THERE IS NONE OTHER THEN ME' 'I AM HOLY' 'I MADE YOU ISRAEL HOLY' 'HAVE NO gods of others BEFORE ME' I AM ALONE WITH NO OTHER' 'I AM ONE' 'HAVE NO IDOLS OR GRAVEN IMAGES' #19 THEN GD TOLD THE PEOPLE AT MT SINAI AND THE WORLD HEARD THE ONE GD SAY ''MOSES IS MY PROPHET'' LISTEN TO HIM'' BELIEVE HIM'' NO ONE EVER HEARD GD TALK ABOUT jeesass #19 the more you learn from an orthodox rabbi, the more you will understand. QUESTION THE RABBI TEST HIM ARGUE WITH HIM TRY TO PROVE TORAH AND JUDAISM WRONG USE YOUR REASONING AND LOGICAL MIND. DEBATE THE RABBI YOU WILL FIND TRUTH. YOU WILL 'FEEL'THE ONE GD' and you will learn that no where in the tanach was there any reference to any other then the ONE GD OF ISRAEL no sons no ghosts no cousins ONLY ''ONE GD '' THE WORLD WITNESSED ''ONE GD' AT MT SINAI no one witnessed paul john luke mathew, ringo or mohamed ever receive anything from THE GD OF ISRAEL 'I AM ALONE WITH NONE BESIDES ME' I MADE YOU ISRAEL HOLY'' MOSES IS MY PROPHET ''FOLLOW MOSES'

In religious like catholocism you have 1 man who everybody worldwide recognizes as the head of the faith and they follow his dictates and the local priests are his ambassadors and preach what he wants them to preach. Judaism is already to divided into different sects and there have been no single leaders since the end of Temple times. You have local rabbis or groups who do things their way based on the sect they belong to but there is no Moses. There are groups like Chabad who do a great job reaching out to everybody. They are orthodox but whist encouraging people to be more observant they don't push it they just say a jew is a jew. Central leadership is a great thing if you can get it but judaism has nobody not in Israel or the diaspora. I have a cousin who is an orthodox rabbi. He wasn't always religious so he understands how people think in the real world and he knows how to get their attention. He takes notice of what the secular and non jewish world around him is like and he tries to do outreach work based on that. He might invite some young people to go have coffee at the local kosher coffee shop and they talk discuss some Torah but also things like soccer and other things seculars can relate to so the atmosphere is relaxed & they enjoy being there and learning. Rabbis & orthodox jews need to learn how to relate to secular jews and then try and work with them at a local level because there is no global leadership. The haredi live in their own little world because they feel secure and happy living amongst their own spiritually safe world. The problem is lack of communication between secular & orthodox they live in 2 different worlds. We need some kind of campaign to help each side see they are not aliens and they can live together as jews who understand some are more observant than others Politicians like Livni tries to gain the secular vote by following the fashion of hating all things haredi and constantly condemns them instead of trying to reach outreach. As most her supporters prefer to hate the haredi so she isn't interested in outreach which fuels the fire of hatred rather than trying to put it out and being responsible.

Cite evidence. There isn't any. Ribi Yehoshua was a historical Pharisee Ribi, the diametric antithesis of the 4th century Christian Yesh"u. Just because you and some others don't know the difference doesn't mean they aren't opposites.

breaking winds. Paq,reading all your " reasonings" ,which look like more an obsene mental act than a reasoning properly,is just too weird. But I will take just one part of your " reasoning" to show you that you are fundamentaly wrong,at least in the Jewish point of view. And you ,as a convert,are supposed to follow the Jewish points of view,otherwise what´d the point of your conversion?Just to keep showing that Jews are wrong and that you are right? Is that it? Here there goes your wrong fundaments: " First of all, I have never suggested that "God" "spoke" to humans in a physically audible voice."You say. Paq,the Fact that created the Jewish Nation is * justly* the fact that G-d * did * spoke to humans in Mount Sinai. Paq,your mental gimnastics deny what you are trying to prove yourself to be-a Jew. Understand what I mean,creature?

from an Orthodox rabbi. Then get a college education in the sciences. First thing you'll learn is that you don't know much.

Maybe your cousin can start a campaign to unify Jews. I would start a Shema Israel campaign and at least get every Jew to stand behind the Shema. Just this one thing, every Jew agree on. Whatever else each Jew may disagree on, let this one thing, the Shema, be above all what every Jew agrees on. Let this Shema campaign be the start of bringing Jews together in unity with each other. Maybe you could even have a day of greeting one's fellow Jew with, "Shema Israel," just these words, instead of Shalom, for example. Just as a way of saying let us stand united as Jews. Let us remember what we agree on, and not on what we disagree on.

It is most likely that the Jewish leaders that you speak of will not be religious. See for example 'Good without God'. Non religious Judaism is the way forward for all Jews.