“And They Shall Become One Flesh”
What if women no longer took it for granted that marriage was a good thing? What if they had the freedom to choose whether they wanted a relationship, and for how long? What if...
Author: Yitzchok Adlerstein
Bibi, Haazinu, and Kiddush Hashem
It was a memorable speech, a moment of truth and clarity after the degredation of the human spirit through the unvarnished evil of Ahmadinejad. The Prime Minister’s presentation before the General Assembly touched on...
Killing Two Idols With One Stone
Looking For Merkulis? Those who follow the Daf just might be. The ancient deity appears on :נז. The halacha about the proper bracha to make when coming across this idol is cited in Shulchan...
Shiur on Shemonah Esrei of Yomim Nora’im
I called it “The Longest Day’s Longest Beracha,” which isn’t quite accurate, but I explain right up front why I used that title for a shiur I delivered Thursday evening in Los Angeles. It...
The Price We Pay For Contempt
A monastery in Israel is desecrated, almost certainly by nationalist extremists. The Catholic Church turns the heat on whom? Haredim! Sadly, however, I can’t be as critical of the finger-pointers as I would like...
Rosh Hashanah Thoughts From the West Coast
For the inspired, the curious, or the just-plain-bored, my Rosh Hashanah machshavah shiur entitled Plan A and Plan B is available for free download. In the old days, I was able to give many...
G-d Makes a Comeback at the Democratic Convention
It was a moment that was, shall we say, biblical. G-d had made it back into the Democratic platform, in a way that would have pleased the ancient prophets. The day before, the platform...
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik’s Stunning Invocation
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik’s invocation this evening at the Republican National Convention masterfully and elegantly highlighted themes and values that resonate with both Torah Jews and with a probable majority of Americans. In a brief...
New Evidence For the Medical Benefits of Circumcision
We don’t practice milah any more than we avoid a BLT because of a fear of contracting trichinosis. (This despite what the Rambam writes in the third chelek of the Moreh. See R Samson...
Elul Is Upon Us
Once again, we invite readers to share ideas on preparing for the Yemai HaDin, by telling us what special preparatory learning they will be going during Elul. This worked very well last year. We...
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