Book
Excerpts from The Maccabean Playbook: Then and Now
From the “Preface” Notably, the
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
January 16, 2025
Genesis
Survival, Deterrence, Honor, Vengeance?
This is such a terrible story that one has to ask what is the purpose of keeping its memory alive. And from all places, nowhere else but in Israel’s formative literature: the TaNaKh.
There are two possible answers to this question:
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
December 13, 2024
Iran
The Israel Effect
An undercut Syria is advantageous to Israel since it would further disrupt the Iranian-Syrian-Hezbollah axis, which includes Hamas and the Houthis, with their plans to exterminate Israel.
However, as much as Israel wants to see Assad weakened enough so that Syria cannot be a real threat to Israel for many decades, his complete overthrow would bring turmoil and uncertainty to the area. In the end, a total triumph by either side of the contenders would probably strengthen an anti-Israeli regime.
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
December 6, 2024
Genesis
Jews Don’t Do This
Traditionally, Jews have been highly conscious of their behavior as a group, as “am Israel,” as the people of Israel. Unity and solidarity have been distinctive aspects of that behavior.
If the idea of “Jews don’t do this” doesn’t keep on coming up every time Jews misbehave among themselves and toward others, Erich Fromm’s rumination that we will still have an ethical heritage, but it will soon be spent could become true.
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
December 6, 2024
Israel Politics
Yair Lapid’s Peace Proposal
Lapid’s fluid political view is fueled by his conviction that: “there are no simple answers to complex questions; there is only the intelligent and level-headed management of changing situations.”
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 29, 2024
Genesis
Isaac’s Wells
Even though I approached chapter 26 with an open mind and wide eyes, I had to ask why this particular sentence was written. Surely, the author must have understood that for a story to be passed down through the generations, it needed to be current.
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 28, 2024
Issues
Behind the Judiciary Reform
At a press conference on January 4, 2023, Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced his plans for judicial reform. Seven days later, the Minister and the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Simhah Rothman, made public draft texts of three laws that contained the reforms of the Judiciary
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 25, 2024
Issues
How Israel should defend its existence
in a new book published for the Catholic Church’s jubilee year, Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s operation in Gaza constitutes genocide. Despite Israel’s enemies’ avowed extermination goals, the Pope has never referred to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Houthis, or the Iraqi militias as having distinctly genocidal intent.despite Israel’s enemies’ avowed extermination goals, the Pope has never referred to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Houthis, or the Iraqi militias as having distinctly genocidal intent.
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 22, 2024
Genesis
Sarah
If we were a normal nation, when a visitor arrived here, we would take him not to Yad Vashem [the Holocaust memorial and museum in Jerusalem] but rather to Hebron. We’d take him to where our roots are
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 22, 2024
Issues
A Remarkable Woman
Part of a generation that was raised to be responsible for the existence and survival of the country. “If you condemn Hamas and then add a “but” followed by condemnation of Israel, you’re dead to us.
Rabbi Moshe Pitchon
November 15, 2024
