Accepting Reality: the US Politics Edition
It is interesting to see how far partisans are willing to stretch (or flatly deny) obvious facts. I don’t know what motivates either David Luchins or some of the commenters (notably Charles Hall), but...
“And They Shall Become One Flesh”
What if women no longer took it for granted that marriage was a good thing? What if they had the freedom to choose whether they wanted a relationship, and for how long? What if...
The Other Obama-Romney Debate
by David Luchins [Editor’s note: Mishpacha has hosted a fascinating exchange about the attractiveness of President Obama’s candidacy to the Orthodox community. The combatants have been our own Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblum and Dr. David...
Bibi, Haazinu, and Kiddush Hashem
It was a memorable speech, a moment of truth and clarity after the degredation of the human spirit through the unvarnished evil of Ahmadinejad. The Prime Minister’s presentation before the General Assembly touched on...
Killing Two Idols With One Stone
Looking For Merkulis? Those who follow the Daf just might be. The ancient deity appears on :נז. The halacha about the proper bracha to make when coming across this idol is cited in Shulchan...
From Informing to Inculcating
by Micha Berger You will know today and answer to your heart that Hashem is the G-d in the heavens above and on the earth below — there is none other. – Devarim 4:39...
Shiur on Shemonah Esrei of Yomim Nora’im
I called it “The Longest Day’s Longest Beracha,” which isn’t quite accurate, but I explain right up front why I used that title for a shiur I delivered Thursday evening in Los Angeles. It...
Bad Week for the DNC
The Democratic National Committee, at least from the perspective of Israel supporters, had an exceedingly bad week when it convened. Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was caught in an unpleasant untruth when she claimed...
The Price We Pay For Contempt
A monastery in Israel is desecrated, almost certainly by nationalist extremists. The Catholic Church turns the heat on whom? Haredim! Sadly, however, I can’t be as critical of the finger-pointers as I would like...
Rosh Hashanah Thoughts From the West Coast
For the inspired, the curious, or the just-plain-bored, my Rosh Hashanah machshavah shiur entitled Plan A and Plan B is available for free download. In the old days, I was able to give many...