Vo’eira – The Seed’s Decay is All We See
It’s all too easy to disassociate the beginning of a parsha from the end of the preceding one. But Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, in LaTorah UlaMoadim, sees Hashem’s declaration at the opening of Vo’eira...
Conversion Conundrums – Response to Rabbi Michael Broyde
I thank Rabbi Michael Broyde for his illuminating response to my recent article about geirus standards. It seems that my article sparked serious interest and provoked much thought, which is of course a good...
Shemos – Nameless
While parshas Shemos (“Names”) does begin with names, those of the shevatim, and introduces the naming of Moshe, it is ironic that, when the parsha’s narrative begins, anonymity seems the rule. “A man went...
Conversion Subversion
Geirus – conversion to Judaism – is one of the weightiest institutions there can be. Geirus impacts not only the personal halachic status of those who undergo it, but the status (and marriageability) of...
Vayechi – People Can Be Mere Stones
It’s easy to resent being mistreated. It’s also misguided to be resentful. Yosef reassures his brothers that he harbors no ill will for their having plotted against him. “Although you intended me harm, Elokim...
Guest Podcast
Living in Israel as an Anglo-charedi has been a dilemma for many. On the one hand, we can understand the need to preserve halachic standards, and the history of broken commitments by the government....
Vayigash – Man and Beast
Shepherds were abhorrent to ancient Egyptians, Yosef tells his brothers, as he relates what they should tell Par’oh in order to reserve the area of Goshen for his immigrating family (Beraishis 46:34). We find...
Two Rabbis, Three Opinions Episode 13
The latest episode of Two Rabbis, Three Opinions is up and available on Spotify and elsewhere. What’s with one writer’s comparison of charedim to American Indians? Can they claim that they were the indigenous...
Mikeitz – Low-Key is a Lesson for the Ages
“Why display yourselves when you are satiated, before the children of Esav and Yishmael?” (Rashi, Beraishis 42:1). That is the Gemara’s (Taanis 10b) understanding of Yaakov Avinu’s exhortation to his sons, lama tisra’u (understood,...