Parshas Mishpatim – The Angels Were Right, But Wrong
When we think of the word na’aseh, “we will do,” it is usually in the context of the phrase na’aseh vinish’ma, “we will do and we will hear” – Klal Yisrael’s statement of commitment...
Category: General
A ChatCPT User’s Guide to the Universe
By Rabbi Akiva Adlerstein November 30, 2022 saw the release of Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence platform with mind-blowing capabilities, now available for free to the general public. With it, the once purely theoretical...
Hillel Halkin’s Sour Grapes
Wine grapes come in distinct varieties. There is no reason that sour grapes should not do the same. Hillel Halkin has uncorked his style of their juice with a splash in The Jewish Review...
Chutzpah or Incompetence?
Or maybe just cluelessness. In any event, UTJ’s proposed legislation to create a recognized “therapist” designation to seminary girls after taking a few courses in art or play therapy is a terrible idea. A...
Vo’eira – Nobody Will Get Stoned
Slight divergences between the Torah’s words or phrases and Targum Onkelos’ rendering of them are often laden with meaning. One such seemingly minor change is in the Targum’s translation of Moshe’s words: “Were...
“Give Me Yavneh and Its Sages”
Realistic Orthodox Judaism Saves by Accommodation (Another Reply to Ben Shapiro’s article in the Jewish Press) by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde This article is an expanded and footnoted version of an article published in...
Why Ben Shapiro Isn’t Quite Right
Ben Shapiro’s stinging rebuke of Modern Orthodoxy ought to be met with two reactions. The first is full-throated acclaim for his central premises, articulated with his usual clarity and incisiveness: Torah values must reign...
Reactions to Avi Ciment’s “The Modern Orthodox Conundrum”
Avi Ciment’s recent series, The Modern Orthodox Conundrum (Part I, Part II and Part III), is an absolute must-read. The author rivetingly lays forth the issues facing Modern Orthodoxy and suggests solutions, with great...
The US Midterms – Who Won?
Who won? We did! And “we” could be any of a number of possibilities. Among those possibilities are Americans in general, and Republicans in particular. And let’s not forget Israeli democracy. The first is...
Imagining My Unmet Grandfather’s Last Thoughts: A Grandparents Day Musing
Dark-eyed, long-bearded and posing in rabbinic cap and garb, my maternal grandfather looks down at me from within his cherry-wood frame over the desk where I write. We never met; he died 16 years...
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