Ki Seitzei – Butterflies and Baker’s Bread
The ben sorer umoreh is judged al sheim sofo – because of where, on the evidence of the present, the youth’s life is headed. And his very existence, Chazal say, is the result of...
Rav Avrohom Ausband, zt”l
He strongly influenced the lives of thousands of talmidim and followers. They – and others like myself, who also gained from him – are in shock over his petirah. It occurred as we could...
Shoftim – The Consequentialness of a Court
In the U.S., offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting something of value in exchange for influencing a judge’s or other public official’s actions is illegal (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 201). The Torah’s prohibition of...
Jerusalem Tachtonim: A Reply to “Yerushalayim Shorts”
By Rabbi Michael J. Broyde Dear Rabbi Adlerstein, I always look forward to your posts on Cross-Currents, and “Yerushalayim Shorts” certainly caught my attention. The middle one, in particular, surprised me. You lament an...
Re’ei – Killing’s Toll on Killers
Killing takes a toll – on the killed, of course; that’s pretty obvious. But also on the killers. That is something that the Ohr Hachaim introduces in his commentary on the pasuk “And He...
Yerushalayim Shorts
You’d think that it might be kind of thrilling to participate in an event occurring for the first time in over 3300 years. It really wasn’t so much. Reflecting on the irony of its...
The DNC’s platform problem
Past Democratic conventions have seen a slow but steady decline in support for Israel in the party platform, ever since Barack Obama became the party’s nominee.
Agudath Israel Condemns Biased UN Tribute to Terror Victims
The omission of any mention of Israeli victims of terrorism from an International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism display at the visitors’ hall of United Nations headquarters is...
Ekev — Consumer Goods
It’s remarkable how prominent eating is in the Torah. The designation of which animals one may eat, the consumption of parts of all korbonos except olos, matza on Pesach, seudos on Shabbos and Yomtov…...
Vo’eschanan – Avodah Zarah Lite
A standard term for idols in the Torah is elohim acheirim, “foreign forces.” At one point in our parsha, though, the term elohim is used without the second word, signaling, perhaps, a less blatant...