Pesach the Rabbi Served Chametz
After reading many new approaches to Pesach on the part of the Open Orthodox rabbinate, I felt compelled to note some of them and explain the problems. So too for a new Open Orthodox...
Muddy Study
Have you heard the story of the scientist whose area of research was insects’ hearing? He trained a flea to jump on command. In the interest of his research, he pulled off one of...
You Can Make a Difference!
by Rabbi Pesach Lerner It is common knowledge that in Israel today, there is an ongoing battle for the definition and future of Judaism in the Jewish state. Will Torah standards be preserved, and...
The Seder Is A Mother
The Forward published an essay I wrote about the “maternal” essence of the Pesach Seder. You can read it here.
Dew-ey Wins!: Tal, Explained
While ancients waxed poetic about dew, most of us city folk only think about it when it fogs our windshields early in the morning. That changes, of course, on the first day of Pesach...
And In Third Place…
And so the horse trading begins. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has gotten down to the nitty-gritty business of cobbling together a government coalition. Particularly attractive stallions, thankfully, will be the religious parties, the Prime...
Askanim For Hire?
We need look no further than the parshah we just read to find evidence of the potential for abuse of power. The Netziv takes note of the pasuk (Vayikra 4:22) dealing with the chet...
Yosef Huttler, z”l
Rabbi Yosef Huttler, Cross-Currents’ poet laureate, took his artistry to a more discriminating audience when he entered the Yeshiva Shel Maaloh a few days ago. I knew Yossi over a long period of time,...
Pesach Shiur Now Available
A bit more somber than usual. We live in somber times. May Hashem soon bring the geulah we so desperately long for. Some thoughts on magid from R. Hutner, RSRH, R. Soloveitchik, and the...
What We Mean When We Talk About Fire Safety And Jewish Observance
An article I wrote about the blaming of the recent horrific fire in Brooklyn on Sabbath-observance appears in Haaretz here. You may need to register (free of charge) on the site to access it....