Look Up!
We regard the enclosures where we spend Sukkos as, well, sukkos. And they are, of course; the walls comprise a necessary part of a sukkah. But it’s their roofs – the bamboo poles or...
Sometimes, the Truth Isn’t Allowed on Quora
Apparently my answer was not “nice” or “respectful,” but especially considering the question, I admit having trouble figuring out why.
The Arvus Matrix
A mother and father are notified that their darling little boy broke a neighbor’s window. They feel, and of course are, responsible to right the wrong. They are, after all, where the buck stops...
Traffic Jams and the Yom Hadin
As a young teenager davening daily in the shul that my father, a”h, served as Rav, a congregation whose clientele ranged from totally non-observant Jews to fully observant ones, I considered myself something of...
Moving Commentary 9: Outposts and the Power of Mitzvos
Two years; two remote outposts. Their impact could not have been more different. Consider this a travelogue with a Rosh Hashanah message. We hadn’t planned to “ascend Hashem’s mountain,” when planning a vacation in...
Impartial is Impossible
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, back when Donald Trump was a mere businessman building casinos, not an embattled president haranguing the press, I was already dealing with what has since come to...
Second Thoughts on “Racism” at Barkan or Badatz
The accusation of racism may turn out to be a poorly-researched case of “shoot first, ask questions later,” inspired in not a small part by a traditional trope used by anti-Semites throughout history.
Open Orthodoxy Update, Parshas Ki Savo
From wishing Mazal Tov to two men on the “birth” of a boy, to reiterating a claim considered by others to be a “violation of a fundamental of our faith,” Open Orthodoxy is going further off the path.
An Assault on Israel and Orthodox Jews
The following is a Hamodia editorial: World Jewish Congress president Ronald S. Lauder’s impressive philanthropy, including support for institutions that educate Jews overseas about their religious heritage, make his recent public pronouncements about Israel...
Letter in the New York Times
The letter below was published in the New York Times on Shabbos: To the Editor: In his essay “Israel, This Is Not Who We Are” (Op-Ed, Aug. 14), Ronald S. Lauder sees the Israeli...