Something Fishy About Anisakis?
The current halachic rage – the status of fish known to host worms – presents two layers of fascination to me. From the very beginning, I recognized that how you generally understand the intersection...
Artscroll Shas at More Than Half Off
My son Peysi submitted this tidbit. It was a one day deal – but Borders has run it before, and may very well run it again. The entire Shas can be purchased for $1369....
How the Gadol Hador Showed Love To His Sons
Frequent contributor Rabbi Dov Fischer offers what Rav Ruvain Feinstein shlit”a remembers about his father, Rav Moshe zatza”l: In the New York winter, after waking up Rav Ruvain as a little boy, Rav Moshe...
Gemara on Abuse and Leaving the Derech
Maybe. I’m running a bit ahead of myself in the Daf, which means that when I run into issues and observations, I have no one to run them by. Perhaps readers will keep this...
Finding a Mussar Mentor
Recently, I rejoined a morning shiur that I had attended for many years. The primary attraction was that the shiur had just started Mesillas Yesharim [Path of the Just] for the mussar [ethics] segment....
The Decline of Particularism: Fatal Flaw For Jewish Survival
We should not sound triumphal in pointing to the fatal flaw in Daniel Gordis’ important, powerful, and incisive article mourning the abandonment of Israel by young rabbinical students. His error is more excusable and...
Only in Israel
We have something in Israel that I think exists no where else in the world. It is Hebrew Book Week. Instituted in 1926 in Tel Aviv, today it has grown to dozens of open-air...
Bored at a Meeting? Make a Kiddush Hashem
How to distract yourself during boring meetings depends on ever-shifting expectations of corporate etiquette. The ubiquity of handheld devices has made it easier – and in many places, more acceptable – to show less...
Banning Mila and the Ascendance of China
Frum Jews seem to be aware of the proposed bans of bris mila on minor children in San Francisco and Santa Monica, but not terribly alarmed by them. (This is in contradistinction to proposed...
Maryland drivers test 49th out of 51
I have always known this to be true. Now returning you to your regularly-scheduled Jewish content…