The Book You’ve Been Waiting For
There is no gainsaying the importance of tznius in the life of the Torah Jew and the Torah community. Yet, few issues have contributed more to young people losing their enthusiasm for Torah –...
Exclusion Via Inclusive Language
No one who actually values the unity of the Jewish people can vote for a resolution that requires violating a Torah principle, because Torah cannot and will not be negotiated.
Tazria/Metzora – Life is Other People
Tzara’as, the condition that occupies the bulk of parshios Tazria and Metzora, is characterized by the Talmud as a punishment for sins like speaking ill of others or stinginess at their expense. Thus the...
Two Pesach Pieces
A piece I wrote for the Forward about the Chametz Law in Israel can be read here. And a thought about the Haggadah and American history appeared today at Religion News Service, here. Chag...
G-d Is Not Happy With Our Infighting. That May Be a Good Thing
Unity. The magical elixir for assuring Divine favor. When we are united, say Chazal, Hashem is with us even when we are sinners. Where does that leave us? We cannot remember a time of...
Judaism’s Stance on Gender Is Clear, Despite Attempts To Rewrite Torah
Genesis 1:27 declares: “Male and female He Created them.” And that is the sum total of what Judaism has to say about “gender identity.”
Tzav – The Challenge of Change
The shalsheles cantillation, expressed in a long, wavering series of notes, occurs only four times in the Torah. In three, the “wavering” may reflect a wavering of will. In Beraishis 19:16, Lot, about to...
Lobstergate and the Hypocrisy of the Israeli Opposition
Some faces in Israel ought to be turning lobster-red from shame, instead of gloating over Bibi and Sara dining at a non-kosher restaurant in London on Shabbos. The opposition piled on to Israel’s First...
Vayikra – Hierarchy and Holiness
Animal sacrifices begin not only the parsha and the sefer of Vayikra but the world as we know it. Because Noach was commanded to take extra animals of certain species on the ark for...
Tetzaveh – Making Livings and Making Light
Most agricultural oils are produced from seeds. The olive is one of the few fruits that produce oil. And olive oil plays a major role in the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash. It is a...