Big Questions

What does Jewish learning have to do with your every day life?

A lot, it turns out. The big hairy questions we all deal with - Am I a good person? What is my responsibility to Tzedakkah? Is there a meaning of sex? Do Jews believe in Heaven and Hell? - engage a rich history of thought, discussion, and wisdom from ancient and modern Jewish thinkers.  Every week or so, we'll post a new Big Question with some context, some questions, and some more resources in case it strikes a nerve.  Add your own wisdom to the mix.

Here are the Big Questions we've looked at so far:

 1. What Is Good?

When you were a child, your parents probably urged you to be "good," - by which they probably meant, "behave." And if you've asked a friend how he feels, you've surely heard, "I'm good."

What does it mean to be good? Do Jews have a roadmap? Is it different than anyone else's roadmap?

 2. Dr. Ruth Asks: What is Sex For?

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, renowned psychosexual therapist and author of Heavenly Sex: Sexuality in the Jewish Tradition, poses a few questions about sex:

"The old-time Jewish comics made it seem that Jewish women are more prone to having headaches than sex. The jokes may have been funny, but they became part of a folklore which isn't based in Jewish roots. The truth is that the Talmud instructs Jewish men to make sure that they satisfy their wives; I don't believe you'll find such instructions in any other religion. Why does Judaism believe that intimacy should be pleasurable? What role do you think sex plays in our lives?"