Remembrances of Tisha B’Av Past
Certain key occasions in the Jewish calendar invoke strong memories of my seven years in Gateshead Yeshivah. One of my teachers assured me that by spending Yomim Tovim and other special moments in the...
A Powerful Metaphor, but Does it Work?
“I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of Moshiach. And even though he tarries, I still await his arrival every day.” Those words form one of the 13 basic principles of faith...
Conversion To Judaism: The Need For A Uniform Standard
Three weeks ago, Rabbi Marc Angel, the retiring spiritual leader of Manhattan’s Congregation Shearith Israel argued in the Jewish Press (“Conversion to Judaism: A Discussion of Standards“) that: (1) there is a multiplicity of...
Harry Potter and Shabbos
See my comment at the end of this posting for an update on the actual fining of stores that opened on Shabbat. 3 bMenahemAv Only in Israel would the hourly news report a storm...
Uninvited guest
3 b Menahem Av Remember the party-crashing in the Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza episode? Well, I had my own experience last week. Jonathan Rosenblum describes below what he would have told the Jewish People Policy...
Chareidim Arois
The inaugural conference of the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute convened last week in Jerusalem. Academics, philanthropists, and Jewish educators from around the world gathered to discuss threats to Israel ‘s security, anti-Semitism around...
Kamtza and Bar Kamtza: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Story
The story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza is perhaps the most well known rabbinic text associated with the destruction of the Second Temple. And yet, perhaps it’s our very familiarity with the episode which...
Conversion: A Look From the Inside
Comments to Rabbi Shafran’s recent piece were so wildly all over the place, that I thought a few thoughts from someone who sits on a regular beis din (one of the few entirely accepted...
The Most Annoying Phrases
A while ago, a feature article published on the website of the UK Telegraph newspaper asked, ‘what is the most annoying phrase in the English language?’ Suggestions included ‘chill out’ and the replacement of...
The law is an ass
The term “collective punishment” conjures up images of Nazis executing entire villages in retaliation for a partisan ambush. No wonder Jews are acutely sensitive to charges of imposing collective punishment or targeting civilians. And...