Street Torah

The Calling

12/03/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

“I never had a one day transformative calling. I’ve felt called every day of my life.”

Post-modern Jewish Identity

11/17/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

While packing for a trip to Ghana eight years ago, numerous observant Jews dissuaded me, arguing I could not volunteer abroad and maintain full, authentic observance. I knew that I had multiple identities and this trip gave me no pause. Since then I have worked in ten countries learning that I can be an observant Jew and a global citizen.

Who is a Jewish Hero?

11/05/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

Jay saves lives with bone marrow in Boca Raton while Stephen conducts medical training seminars to help earthquake victims in Haiti. These are only two of the many stories of nominees for this year's Jewish Community Heroes award, announced at the General Assembly in New Orleans next week.

A Jewish Imperative to live in the Diaspora?

10/15/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

Living in caravans in a small settlement town during my years learning in Israel, my dream was always to settle the land. As a religious Zionist, I feel that living in Israel is a tremendous and miraculous opportunity, and all Jews can and must consider making this life transition as we are all very familiar with the halakhic obligation of yishuv ha’aretz, the religious obligation to settle the Land of Israel. I would like to suggest, however, that in addition to this well-known imperative, there is also a crucial duty to reside in the Diaspora.

Moving out to the Sukkah – A Reflection on Ethical Consumption

09/22/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

Each fall after the High Holidays have passed, the Jewish people move from comfortable homes into impermanent huts in backyards, driveways and on balconies for the festival of Sukkot. By eating and living in these fragile shelters, we train ourselves to temporarily subordinate our gashmiut (materialism) to the value of ruchaniut (spirituality).

A Jewish Apology to the World

09/07/2010 | Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz | Special to the Jewish Week | Street Torah

At this time of year, it is common for many of us to pick up our phones and send emails apologizing to others for the ways that we wronged them in the past year. In addition to doing personal repentance (teshuva), Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, explained that we as a people (Knesset Yisrael) must also do teshuva. How do we, as a nation, ask the nations of the world for forgiveness?