“The Torah speaks to that part of us that understands but cannot articulate what it understands. It allows us to go beyond the realms of the definable, perceivable, and demonstrable. It is a form of religious metaphor, a mirror that enables us to form mental images of the indescribable.” —Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo In this collection of essays, Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo looks at the weekly Torah portion through the eyes of philosophy, contemporary controversies, and personal struggles. Written in his unique style, this book offers something for many different types of readers: laymen and clergy, full-time students and the intellectually curious, Jews and non-Jews alike. The biblical prophets raised eyebrows with antics that would have kept the tabloid headline-writers of the ancient world on their toes. Alas, Rabbi Cardozo received no divine imprimatur to perform stunts of this ilk. But the flamboyant philosopher-rabbi does his best to implement their literary equivalent. The prevailing value of this book is its potential to jolt the reader from a religious somnambulism that idealizes robotic routine over spiritual search for meaning, empty ritual over an attempted relationship with God. - Shmuel Phillips, author of Judaism Reclaimed: Philosophy and Theology in the Torah I find it impossible to resist the combination of humanity and spirituality wrapped up in a lucid and even humorous morality that is Cardozo. Warning: The book is addictive! - Rabbi Daniel Landes, former Director of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Original. Provocative. Iconoclastic. All of these adjectives can be used to describe the prolific writings of Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo. The essays in this book were written specifically to be topics of (hopefully fierce!) debate around the Shabbat table. Without a doubt, this book will achieve that goal, and enable you to study the Torah in new and exciting ways. - Rabbi Professor David Golinkin, President of The Schechter Institutes, Inc. Jerusalem Rabbi Lopes Cardozo is a fierce and courageous proponent of rational thinking. His honest and open exploration of Judaism, challenging fundamentalism and conformity, is a breath of sanity and fresh air. - Jeremy Rosen, Professor at FVG and Rabbi of the Persian Community of Manhattan Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is the Founder and Dean of the David Cardozo Academy and the Bet Midrash of Avraham Avinu in Jerusalem. Hailing from the Netherlands, Rabbi Cardozo is known for his original and often fearlessly controversial insights into Judaism. His ideas are widely debated on an international level on social media, blogs, books and other forums.