Peter Ochs is a professor of modern Judaic studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is an expert on Jewish philosophy and theology, the history of Jewish thought and Jewish ethics. Among the courses he teaches is one on Jewish theology after the Holocaust and another on belief and ethics after the Holocaust. He […]

Reuven Kimelman is a professor of classic rabbinic literature at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., where he is an expert on contemporary Jewish life and ethics and the moral meaning of the Jewish Bible. He says a major challenge facing Jews today is finding a cogent Jewish voice on contemporary moral issues.

Louis Feldman is a professor of classics and literature at Yeshiva University in New York City. He is an expert on conversion to Judaism and can discuss conversion from a historical perspective.

The Puranas are a narrative of the history of the cosmos from creation to destruction. There are 17 or 18 divided into categories named for the Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The Vedas are the primary texts of Hinduism and are among the oldest sacred texts in all the world’s religions, with the oldest of them composed about 1500 B.C. There are four Vedas: the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda.

Smartism is the branch of Hinduism that worships five deities, Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Ganesha and Devi. Any deity may be worshipped in Smartism. Adherents to Smartism are called Smartas. Smartas comprise the smallest of the four Hindu sects. In Smartism, all of the deities are regarded as equals, though individuals are allowed to give preference […]

Shaktism is the branch of Hinduism that sees the goddess Devi as the Supreme deity. The Tantras, which were written as Shaktism was developing between the fourth and seventh centuries, are the only holy Hindu texts in which Devi takes the role of the Supreme, and as a result, they are particularly influential in Shaktism. Shaktism looks […]

Shaivism (also written as Saivism and Shavism) is the branch of Hinduism that sees Siva as the Supreme God. It is regarded as the oldest Hindu denomination. Shaivism is prominent throughout India, with particular influence in Southern India and Sri Lanka. Siva is considered to transcend physical form and is seen as symbolizing the entire […]

Vaishnavism is the branch of Hinduism that sees Vishnu, or one of his reincarnations, as the Supreme God. Adherents to Vaishnavism are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas. Approximately 80 percent of Hindus are Vaishnavites. The Vedas, the Bhagavad Vita, the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Samhita and the Gita Govinda are regarded as especially important in Vaishnavism. […]