The Ten Percent Solution
[To my recollection, which might be errant, I have never asked that anything I have written be circulated. The following is an exception, for reasons that I hope will be obvious.] The latest issue...
In Our Bones
We cannot see the tens of thousands of mazikin, or “harmers” (often translated as “demons”), that the Talmud teaches surround us always (Berachos 6a). Were they visible, says Abba Binyamin, they would utterly terrify...
Dr Schick in Tablet
Some of the first stirrings and concerns about the Pew Report appeared right here in Cross-Currents, led by Dr. Marvin Schick. He followed up with conversations with the conveners of the study. Now, he...
Now What – Considered Response to the Pew Report (Part Two)
With sincere apologies to those who loyally read these pages in search of something new or inspiring, I offer none of those here. Some of the suggestions that follow have been made before; some...
Strange Calendar Conjunctions
While one calendric oddity has grabbed national attention, another one seems to have gone unnoticed. Except on Cross-Currents. Thanksgivukkah has entered the American vocabulary, for a short period of notoriety. This year will be...
Not Going Off the Rail
My previous post which had nearly an identical title has generated a batch of nice comments, including a number that do not like what I wrote. That’s fine. For the record, nearly all of...
The Import of Empathy
The other day, waiting to board a bus, I was moved to think about empathy. Unfortunately, the prod came in the form of the opposite, crass selfishness. A young woman approached the group of...
Upon the End of 25 Years of Deception
For months, as the Women For the Wall fought for the right of women to pray at the Wall undisturbed, we have heard from many, even within the Orthodox community, that really W4W should...
Open “Orthodoxy”?
A rejoinder to my recent essay on Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and “Open Orthodoxy” was published here . Below is my response to that posting, written in my capacity as Agudath Israel of America’s spokesperson....
Now What? Considered Reaction to the Pew Report (Part One)
The best and worst reactions to the Pew Report that I have seen came from outside the Orthodox world. This paragraph in the Washington Post tidily summed things up: That which is continually diluted...