Opening a Dialogue
When the Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisrael, Rav Aharon Feldman shlit”a, called to offer me a review copy of the journal Dialogue, there could only be one answer, of course. But having read it,...
Rabbi Bleich’s New Book, and the Growth of Orthodox Non-Orthodoxy
When I thanked Rabbi Dovid Bleich for the gift of his just-released new book, he remarked, “You’ve probably read everything in it already.” While his intent was self-deprecating, it was really a testimony to...
American Paranoia
A strong paranoid streak has been embedded in the American psyche from nearly the first arrival of Europeans on these shores. We need only think of the Salem Witch Trials and much else that...
Too Little Information
At the Sheva Brachos festivities this past summer for the marriage of our youngest daughter, my wife and I heard many wonderful things about our newest son-in-law. Friends and relatives spoke about his impressive...
Daf Yomi For Kids
It may be the ultimate father-son male bonding tool. Think of it as tossing around a glatt kosher football, but first having to make a brachah on the activity. Daf Yomi 4Kids allows children...
The Peril of Pluralism
The essay below appeared under a different title in Haaretz earlier this week. I share it here with that paper’s permission. Those of us who believe that the Torah, both its written text and...
Deathless
Odd that the Torah-portion about the death of Yaakov Avinu is called “Vayechi.” After all, the word means “And he lived.” And, differently voweled, the word can mean “And he will live.” And especially...
Why the Radical Politics of WoW’s Leaders Matter
Is it merely a coincidence that so many of Women of the Wall’s leaders have numerous close associations with radical, anti-Israel groups? Or could it be that WoW is a useful vehicle for advancing...
Have We Lost Our Senses?
The following is the concluding paragraph of an article in the current issue of Mishpacha: “The failure of American Jewry during the Holocaust pales beside that of American Jewry today. By virtue of its...
Are They All Really Resha’im?
Do you know about the CD that is causing much grief to yeshiva-trained Americans? There is no mp3 version. It is not a message from Lipa, or Mattisyahu, or a Modern Orthodox subversive. CD...