Peace and Pluralism
In a few days, I will be going away for two weeks, and Rabbi Yitzchak Adlerstein asked me to make a contribution to the blog before I go. Reb Yitzchak, your wish is my...
Arafat’s Heir
The CBS host this evening called it simply “celebrating, Palestinian style.” The noise in the background was unmistakable: machine guns firing almost at random. I wonder how many of their own were killed by...
Daas Torah, Authority and Passion in Israel
Last week two conferences were held on the same night, one on Jewish History at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the other on Halacha and the Disengagement at Bar Ilan University. I listened to...
…And I’ll Cry if I Want To
I couldn’t find this yet on the Internet, but I was chatting this morning with a friend in Israel and it sounded like he did a spit-take looking at the Jerusalem Post. Apparently, today’s...
Oops, They Did It Again
As Joseph Schick notes, Jonathan Rosenblum pointed out here last week that calling a single incident a “phenomenon” of Jews spitting on priests is a wild exaggeration. There was no reason to call upon...
A Sigh of Belief
R. Yitzchok’s post, specifically his recounting of Rav Avigdor Miller’s story, led me to consider once again something that I’ve pondered over the years. In my experience, people constantly and unsuccessfully use physical evidence...
Tsunamis, Jeff Jacoby, Anger, and the Ramchal
Is it OK to be angry with G-d for allowing great disasters? It is much better than the alternative, argues Jeff Jacoby. A poll on Beliefnet shows that, of five descriptions of G-d�s possible...
Correspondence about my daughter’s bas mitzva
I wrote the other day about my daughter’s upcoming bas mitzva. (Jan. 4, if you want to look for it.) I want to thank all the people who wrote to say mazal tov, and...
Meanwhile, Over in Al-Memlaka Al-Mutahida*
The Corner’s John Derbyshire highlights the ominous in this lighthearted feature about popular kids’ names in England… I know, I know – C-C’s probably not the right blog for this, but it’s where I’m...
Judgment Call:
I’m not sure what the expectations for this blog are among its participants or its readers, but I think that one of the reasons I was invited might be my political involvement. There’s an...