Times Are Strange
A lengthy op-ed in the New York Times today by one Susan Katz Miller celebrates intermarriage and the raising of children of intermarrieds in both Jewish and non-Jewish traditions. Her family “celebrates Yom Kippur,...
On The Internecine Battles in Israel and the World Series
Rabbi Moshe Grylak’s op-ed in last week’s Mishpacha calmed the frayed nerves of a community with the instant effectiveness of a double espresso on the weary. He owned up to the existence of something...
Orthodoxy and Honesty
The essay below was written for, and published by, Haaretz.com. I offer it here with that paper’s permission — and with my apologies to readers who may feel that enough has been written about...
Non-Orthodox Orthodoxy: Playing With Fire
by Avrohom Gordimer When an Orthodox rabbi’s actions cross into the realm of the non-Orthodox, the rabbi’s actions are typically defended by his sympathizers as being “within the outer bounds of Orthodoxy”. And when...
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...