Beware of Orthodoxy!
The latest Nobel Prize for chemistry was awarded last month to Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman for his discovery of “quasicrystals.” In the 1980s, the Israeli chemist noticed something peculiar as he examined a glowing...
Who Will Daven For Rachel Imeinu?
Rachel Imeinu always looms large and important in our prayers. More so than the other matriarchs, she is the iconic Mother of Israel, interceding in Heaven (Yirmiya 31:14) for the well-being of her children....
Shimi Grama, z”l: The Tragedy and the Tribute
Most often, noteworthy people are known for what they do. Sometimes, what impresses us most is what they are. Los Angeles learned this distinction a few days ago in tragedy that left the community...
I ♥ THE U.N.
I love the United Nations. Yes, I know, the General Assembly was well and memorably described by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as a “theater of the absurd.” Actually, a better metaphor might be a...
Egypt’s Ban on Lulav Exports
I was feeling good about the Los Angeles Times publishing my op-ed about the Egyptian decision to ban the export of lulavim to Israel, and to Jewish communities world-wide. The upshot was a swipe...
Post YK Buzz: Daven With a Minyan and Help an Agunah
It won’t actually help her procure a get. It might help her reputation, though, even if she died hundreds of years ago. Seems that an unfortunate soul by the name of Eliezer disappeared, shortly...
Rewriting the Past
Bar Ilan University Milton scholar William Kolbrener has a profound meditation on Yom Kippur and teshuva (repentance) in his new collection of essays, Open Minded Torah. He begins by noting a profound distinction between...
Steve Jobs’ Mussar For Yom Kippur
We have heard this thought before, stated pithily by Chazal and amplified upon by many who followed after. There is every indication, however, that Steve Jobs actually lived by this ethic. The words that...
A Jewish Guide to Time Travel
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz, the brilliantly insightful 16th century author of the Torah commentary Kli Yakar, comments on the fact that the word the Torah uses for the sun and moon—“me’oros,” or “luminaries,” (Beraishis,...
Litigious Society, or Litigious Road to Anarchy?
Here is a short course on how you personally can help destroy the economy. First, find an obscure clause in a federal regulation which legally prohibits something in the business to consumer relationship, although...