The Evidence in the Barrel
Back in a previous lifetime, when I was a mesivta rebbe, I once heard a menahel exhort our talmidim to not get carried away on Purim. As an illustration, he described how a certain...
Weekly Digest – News and Essays In and Out of Orthodoxy – Week of Parshas Tzav 5776
Rav Soloveitchik zt”l on Purim – Audio Rav Hershel Schachter: Volunteering Mitzvos Rav Mordechai Willig: What Is (and Isn’t) the Rabbi’s Job? EXCLUSIVE: Letter from Rav Shalom Kamenetsky Confirms P’sak of Bais Din Led by...
Golden Silence
The mother was understandably concerned. Her first-grader was a sociable, talkative little girl, and so her teacher’s phone call was certainly disturbing. This is a true story and took place mere weeks ago in...
Touring Israel With The Museum of the Bible
Surprise is an oxymoron in Israel. The sheer delight of new discovery is totally predictable. And so it was in my just completed six days with the Museum of the Bible (MOTB) tour. Some...
Weekly Digest – News and Essays In and Out of Orthodoxy – Week of Parshas Vayikra 5776
Chief Rabbi: “It Is Proper To Eliminate Terrorists” The Dzikover Rebbe, Rav Yechezkel Eliyahu Horowitz zt”l The Nazi’s Table: A mother leaves Prague in a cattle car; her son returns as a Sabbath-observant, US ambassador....
Why Seminary Still Makes Sense
In a recent piece on Matzav.com, Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin discusses “Sending Girls to Seminaries and the Shidduch Crisis” and asks: “who are the American boys supposed to marry at 21 if all the good American...
Handling Success With Care
Back in 1941 (no, I don’t remember it personally, but it’s documented), there was an American Jewish establishment group called the “Joint Boycott Council.” It objected vehemently to Agudath Israel of America’s policy of...
The Upcoming Ordination Imbroglio
I avoided it as much as possible. I found every excuse to delay it. I did not want more controversy. I did not want to make people feel uncomfortable, nor to have to field...
The Conservative Movement: The Masorti Movement that Isn’t
The Conservative movement has reached a point of no return in the USA. While its members reject opportunities for deeper involvement and are leaving, this is not the time for its inaptly named Israeli branch to demand recognition in that country.
Rome Travelogue2
The Roman Jewish community dates back over 2100 years, which means that it is neither Ashkenazic nor Sephardic, since it predates most of that split. Even before a papal bull herded Jews into a...