Reading the Times with my coffee
Well, time for something a little lighter than my usual fare. Let’s read the New York Times this morning for our amusement and enlightenment.
Death Watch
Remember how the feminists crowed when they won — in Roe vs Wade — the right to kill unwanted babies? Little did they suspect that the same logic would produce a right to kill...
Silence About Schiavo
Why aren’t people taking to the streets in support of Terri Schiavo? This case will prove to be the Roe v. Wade of the disabled and terminally ill. Tens of thousands of lives in...
Unmasking Captain Courageous: A Pre-Purim Memo
The following confidential memorandum was found by the night janitor in the men’s room at a prominent Manhattan public relations firm. We are indebted to him for bringing it to our attention. M E...
An Innovative Solution to the Intermarriage problem
INTERCEPTED LETTER #2 DATE: Purim, 5765 TO: Members of SHICR (Society for Halakhic Innovation and Renewal) In our last memorandum, we shared with you the groundbeaking decisions of our innovative SHICR halakhic experts. You...
Rabbenu Murphy
The local version of Murphy is that “no good deed in Hollywood goes unpunished.” A variation for writers in the public eye might be “no published idea goes understood.” I experienced this twice today,...
Not Your Garden Variety Event
On March 1, tens of thousands of Jews joined together to celebrate an event called the Siyum HaShas at numerous locations across the country, including New York’s Madison Square Garden and the New Jersey...
Matzitza B’Peh
On March 4, 2005 Agudath Israel sent a letter to Dr. Tom Frieden, New York City’s Health Commissioner, estimating that in the yeshiva world half of the brisim have been conducted with matzitza b’peh,...
‘Tis The Season
My friendship with, and admiration of, David Klinghoffer will survive his latest book. I hope that the good feeling is reciprocal, because I am going to have to respectfully disagree with his thesis. This...
To Ignore or Confront Controversy?
When controversy erupts in the Torah world, should we refrain from discussing it or should we engage in respectful but frank debate? I was ambivalent about which way to go with respect to the...