Loose Ends
We should acknowledge that beliefs mandated by the Torah are frequently described as “conservative” by American politicos. If we faithfully advocate for Torah ideals, we will not escape being cast as “partisan.”
Recidivist Repentance
It’s easy to feel disheartened, even despondent, as Rosh Hashanah approaches, at the realization that some of the things we did teshuvah for last year are things we need to repent for again this...
CS Lewis, Elul and the Shofar
Somebody you know has read The Screwtape Letters. He or she may not admit it, however, because reading the work of the most successful Christian apologist in the twentieth century will not win friends...
Jewish Continuity Isn’t a Zero-Sum Game
Not only are the Orthodox not contributing to the implosion of liberal Judaism, but they are in the forefront of efforts to hold it back.
Kashering Elephants and Donkeys
I appreciate that my friend of many years Rabbi Menken agrees with me that treating political affiliations like sports teams is wrong, as is attaching ourselves to political positions (or parties, as I wrote...
Orthodoxy’s Smashing Success and Lurking Challenges
In Does Orthodox Explosion Signal Doom for Conservative and Reform?, Dr. Steven M. Cohen and other researchers present the bold reality of robust Orthodox growth and dramatic non-Orthodox atrophy and population decline, based upon...
One Man’s Ceiling is Another Man’s Floor
Our self-identification as “conservatives” on a host of issues is not, in actuality, partisan, but the unavoidable consequence of being shomrei Torah U’Mitzvos, Torah-observant.
The President’s Rosh Hashana Conference Call
A piece I wrote for the Forward today about the conference call the White House has set up with a number of American rabbis, can be read here.
Rosh Hashanah Shiur Now Available For Download
As threatened, I delivered my annual Rosh Hashanah shiur for women yesterday. OK, it did use Rosh Hashanah as an excuse to talk almost exclusively about tefillah, particularly the structure of the weekday Shacharis....
Annual Rosh Hashanah Shiur
I’m announcing this one with embarrassment. I had hoped to have completed a move to Yerushalayim by now, but it hasn’t happened. (We have not yet rented out our house in LA, and that...