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Jun 15, 2018, 7:09 AM

Making a blessing before we exercise!

It’s not too far of a stretch to imagine that, for most of us, our daily routines center around sedentary activities. We sit around a lot during the day, whether at our desk, or waiting in traffic, or unwinding at home with friends and family....

Mar 21, 2018, 9:48 PM

The Four Children: Reflections on Singles, Infertility, and Foster Kids

Every Passover, the highlight of the Seder experience for me is the story in the Haggadah about the Four Children. As is known in the common parlance, there are four children who we know by their descriptive qualities: the wise one, the wicked one ,...

Mar 13, 2018, 2:13 AM

Mussar & Loving Animals!

The mass suffering of animals in factory farming is one of the greatest ills of our time. It requires an urgent response that is not only just but loving. Sadly, in many Jewish communities today, a culture pervades that meat consumption is not only a...

Aug 22, 2017, 4:42 AM

Twenty-five phenomena of renewed Modern Orthodoxy

Over the years, many people have approached me to ask what distinguishes Progressive/Open/Liberal/Modern Orthodoxy from the rest of Orthodoxy (Centrist-Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodoxy). There are many similarities, of course, such as a belief in Torah m’Sinai, the binding nature of halakhah, reverence for tradition, clinging to the...

Aug 15, 2017, 5:34 PM

Halakhah: The Roadmap of Civil Disobedience!

If the tragic events over the weekend in Charlottesville, VA have proven anything, it’s that the scourges of hatred, racism, and baseless bigotry are alive and well in our society. Yet, despite the strongest single hoard of neo-Nazis and vile racists marching in the open...

Aug 7, 2017, 1:44 PM

The Lost New Year: Celebrating the Animals

Every year, the Jewish calendar sets apart sacred time to celebrate the renewal of the world. Many are familiar with these four different Jewish new year celebrations. The Rosh Hashanah we know most, of course, is one of the most celebrated and widely attending holidays during...

Jul 27, 2017, 1:39 AM

Halakhah: More Conscience, Less Authority

Since many assume that the term halakhah is translated directly to encompass the limited meaning of “Jewish law” (rather than, say, “the Jewish way” or “walking Jewishly” or, simply, “Jewish vehicle for progress”) many people believe that halakhah concerns itself primarily with obedience to authorities....

Jul 18, 2017, 8:01 AM

Loving the Convert: how are we doing?

The path of the Jewish convert can be strenuous and taxing on the soul. The processes that have been established over centuries have acted as both bulwark and entry way to a life of keeping the commandments and devoted to Torah learning. But how are...

Jul 6, 2017, 8:40 PM

Are Other Faiths True?

Jews have an obligation to seek truth wherever it is found

Mar 17, 2017, 1:57 AM

Can one be Religious and Unethical?

It is vital to embrace the notion that none of the religious traditions of the world is absolutely perfect

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About Me

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz is the President & Dean of the Valley Beit Midrash, the Founder & President of Uri L’Tzedek, the Founder and CEO of The Shamayim V’Aretz Institute and the author of ten books on Jewish ethics. Newsweek named Rav Shmuly one of the top 50 rabbis in America and the Forward named him one of the 50 most influential Jews.