V’zos Habracha – Spacewarps
A Roman emperor, according to a Midrashic account (Sifri, Devarim 357), sent two army units to find Moshe Rabbeinu’s burial site. When they stood above it on a hill, they saw it below. When...
Category: Judaism
Haazinu – Not Bad But Best
A man once visited the saintly Chafetz Chaim and the sage asked him how things were going for him. The visitor responded, “Well, it wouldn’t hurt if they were a bit better.” “How can...
Sorry, Liberal Jewish Leaders – Judaism Is Not Pro-Abortion
The new anti-abortion law in Texas has now become the target not only of the Justice Department, but of non-Orthodox and pseudo-Orthodox Jewish clergy and lay leadership as well. The executive director of JOFA...
Driving Like It’s Rosh Hashanah
Some Jews attend shul only on the Yamim Nora’aim or for a yahrtzeit. They “compartmentalize” their Judaism. It’s called on only for special occasions. And yet, as always, there’s more to be gained by...
Parshas Vayeilech — Prepared to Not Progress
Children brought to shul need to be controlled by their parents, of course. They mustn’t be permitted to disturb those gathered there to daven. But, at least from an age when they can be...
Two Articles
A piece I wrote for Religion News Service about Orthodox efforts to help beleaguered people around the world was picked up by the Washington Post, and can be read here or here. And my...
Parshas Nitzavim – The Role of Failure
Reflecting the time of year when we read Nitzavim, before the “Days of Awe,” the parshah’s major themes are sin and repentance. And while much of Nitzavim concerns potential punishments for sin, there is...
The Antisemitic Uneducated Jew
What groups like J Street, IfNotNow & Jewish Voice for Peace share in common is an unwillingness to seriously engage with Jewish history, Jewish ideas & Jewish texts. In short, they have little connection to anything authentically Jewish.
Parshas Ki Savo – Happiness Doesn’t Happen
What is arguably the most shocking pasuk in the entire Torah is in this week’s parshah. No, it’s not any of the descriptions of horrors in the portion of the parshah we call the...
Parshas Shoftim – We’re All In This Together
Why, of course the elders of the nearest city didn’t kill the man! So what is the meaning — in the case of a person found murdered on the road, where the ritual of...
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