An award-winning speaker, popular teacher, and experienced officiant.
“Man can alter his life by changing his thinking”
~ William James
An award-winning speaker, popular teacher, and experienced officiant.
“Man can alter his life by changing his thinking”
~ William James
Rabbinic Services
Rabbi Allen is ready to serve your needs in a variety of capacities. He is an award-winning speaker, popular teacher, and experienced officiant.
Speaker
Teacher
Officiant
Rabbi Allen is pleased to meet with you to discuss officiating at your wedding. With the experience of officiating at more than four hundred weddings, Rabbi Allen can customize each …
Books
In addition to the scholarly articles he has contributed to peer reviewed publications, Rabbi Allen has edited two books on Jewish law and co-written along with Harvey Haber a book of introductory prayers for various occasions. Rabbi Allen has also made a significant contribution to the understanding of Jewish theology, philosophy, history, and religious practice through his books.
Thinking About Good And Evil: Jewish Views From Antiquity To Modernity
The most comprehensive book on the topic, Thinking about Good and Evil traces the most salient Jewish ideas about why innocent people seem to suffer, why evil individuals seem to prosper, and God’s role in such matters of (in)justice, from antiquity to the present.
Outlook & Insights
Yearnoing for Peace – Ki Tetze 5786
Commenting on the Torah’s presumption that wherever human beings live together disputes are inevitable (“When there is a quarrel between two parties…” [Deuteronomy 25:2]), the ancient rabbinic Sifre...
Valid Exemptions – Shoftim 5786
According to the Torah, four classes of potential recruits are excluded from military service. Those who have built new homes but had not yet dedicated them are relieved of duty lest they die in...
The True Hasid – Re’eh 5786
One of the most remarkable – and depressing – statements in the Torah is that “the poor shall never cease from the land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). How sad it is that poverty cannot be eradicated. How...
Atheism or Arrogance – Ekev 5786
Sixteenth century essayist Francis Bacon speculates on the reasons for atheism, that is, the certain belief that no such entity as God exists. The task is important for Bacon since he, like many...
A New Master – Va-ethanan 5786
Moses is persistent. He importunes God, pleading his case for entering into the Promised Land. God refuses. In fact, God rebukes Moses, saying, in Hebrew, “rav lakh,” “Enough!” and continuing,...
The World’s Greatest Speaker – Devarim 5786
There are many candidates for the title of the greatest public speaker in world history. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” address justified America’s entry into the Second World War,...