Dear Friends,
Many friends have asked me to explain a little more why the David Cardozo Academy has no longer the finances to send new weekly Thoughts To Ponder, authored by myself as I have done for many years. Till now they include nearly 700 essays. Besides documentaries, audios and videos. (See www.cardozocademy.org) And besides the many books I have published and still hope to publish.
The answer is simple: several big donors, who pledged money, did not fulfill their promises. Some regretfully died suddenly and others discontinued since they were informed by some influential people/rabbis that my thoughts are no longer 'kosher', after which they told me that when I would again start writing purely traditional ideas which would fit to mainstream/conventional orthodox Judaism, they would again sponsor the David Cardozo Academy.
I have full-heartedly refused to do so, even when it will force me and the academy to bankruptcy. No money will ever force me to change my mind unless it has been proven that my thoughts are no longer rooted in the Jewish tradition.
While it is true that my thoughts are often novel, unusual and even controversial, there is not the slightest doubt that they do not violate what authentic Judaism stands for. The difference is that I know of ideas within orthodox Judaism my opponents do not know of, or do not understand and are not capable to grasp the possibilities to develop them and so give birth to new ideas, something which Judaism has always stood for.
Not once have they showed me that my ideas can no longer belong to authentic Judaism.
I pride myself with the fact that people much greater than myself, such as Maimonides, Rav Kook, Rav Benzion Uziel, Rav Shagar and many others had the same problem.
That is all there is to it. We will wait for better days!
