A Poignant Note From Israel
With all of us having family and friends in Israel, it is not particularly difficult to commiserate with them, to be נושא בעול of our brothers and sisters. With all that we have heard,...
A Communication from Open Orthodoxy, with Reply
The following communications were sent to us via email prior to Yom Kippur. After consultation with Gedolim (leading authorities), we postponed publication until after the holidays, along with our reply. From: Ysoscher To: talkback...
Where “Objective” is Defective
I’m not among those who grow apoplectic at the New York Times’ reportage from Israel. There are, to be sure, occasions when, in misguided attempts to achieve what passes these days for “evenhandedness,” the...
When The Chips Are Down…
I can’t say I see eye-to-eye with Satmar regarding the legitimacy of the Jewish State. But ask yourself who demonstrates more loyalty to other Jews – Satmar, or JStreet?
One Flesh: An Interesting New Take From an Unusual Source
Finding universal themes in the Creation story should hardly be surprising. We can rattle off the obvious ones without straining. The Creation of Man as a single individual underscores the importance of the individual,...
Kalman, Vegans, and Kapparos
There is something ugly about protesting Kapparos in particular. A huge “hats off” to Kalman Groner for helping set the record straight — calmly, clearly, and as filmed by the protesters themselves.
A Very Urban Sukkos – A Very Special Sukkos
Sukkos – for many, it’s summer’s last hurrah. Being outdoors, hopefully in green, lush and warm (or not too cold) surroundings. A pleasant return to nature before autumn really kicks in. A great time...
Two-Way Traffic on the Haredi Highway
Have you ever wondered why, in light of the slew of “I survived Orthodoxy but saw the secular light!” essays and books, there no counter-flood of similar writing by some of the many who...
It’s Not All Ferguson
There are more pleasant things to contemplate than an 11:30PM visit by the police department on the first night of Sukkos. This one, however, rewrote the script – and added to our Yom Tov....
Was Michelangelo a Philo-Semite?
Michelangelo lived at a time when the Catholic Church was increasing its oppression of Jews — but his painting of the Sistine Chapel is almost entirely drawn from the Jewish Bible, emphasizing the connection between the Church and the Jewish nation. And then there’s Aminadab.