Jewish Action
A new issue of Jewish Action, – the OU’s glossy quarterly – hit the stands last week. A confluence of factors leads to this unabashed plug. Of course I’m biased. I’m on the editorial...
Author: Yitzchok Adlerstein
Avodah Zarah Matzah
Is this a knock-off of Hirhurim’s Great Shatnez Potato Chip (scroll down to Nov. 12 there) conjecture? Or is it real? If it is, do we start eating hand shmurah the rest of the...
Why We Are All ID Dummies
Oh dear. At least one can say in favor of this posting that it’s accurately titled. Beyond that, it reminds me how important it is, including for rabbis, to hesistate to express opinions on...
Intelligent Design For Dummies
Whatever you believe about evolution – that it is entirely incompatible with Torah belief, that it is nothing to lose sleep over if it turns out to be true, or that it is the...
Why the World Still Needs the Jews
If you understand the mission of the Jewish people to include contributing some truths to the nations of the world, the latest Harris poll is a mix of good news and bad news. While...
Ted Haggard
When the spiritual emperor is found to have no clothes, must the empire come apart? Should Rev. Ted Haggard — and his message — become subjects of unmitigated derision? Do any of us care?...
Rav Yaakov Hillel Outs the Charlatans
Rav Yaakov Hillel, one of the acknowledged masters of Kabbalah, spent a few hours on Tuesday with the collected rabbinate of Los Angeles. Accepted in Israel in the widest circles – including Lithuanian yeshiva...
Winning Friends in High Places
Just how hard should Jews work to build relationships for a rainy day? A little-known work of the Ralbag may hold a clue to the answer. Many of us have heard the stories about...
Dawkins and Friends on Atheism
Scrawled on a wall: “G-d is Dead.” – Nietzsche. Underneath: “Nietzsche is Dead.” – G-d. Many years ago, I found it necessary (or so I thought) as a young kiruv (outreach)worker to learn what...
Reb Hershel Berger, z”l
The end of a generation. I can hardly recall how often I heard that claim made at the levayos (funerals) of various Torah personalities. No one in my generation saw the great yeshivos and...
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