Perceiving the Good
More than 40 years ago, at just about this time of year, the rebbi insisted I leave class. I readily obliged. The details of what prompted my banishment, while amusing, aren’t important. All you...
Cross-Currents Blog
Responding to a Responsum
R. Ysoscher Katz, Chairman of Department of Talmud at YCT and Director of YCT’s Lindenbaum Center for Halakhic Studies, published a responsum about waiting after eating hard cheese. I penned a critique of the responsum,...
Behind the Wall, Part One
Why are the American liberal movements trying to change prayer at the Western Wall? There is much more on their agenda, and the end result would have permanent and tragic consequences.
A Shloshim Reflection on My Father’s Life
I only knew my father, hareini kapparas mishkavo, for 30-odd years. I’m much older than that, and knew and loved him my entire life. But I only really knew him – his full life...
Much Ado About an Embassy
It was back in 1995 that the 104th Congress passed an act that mandated the move of our country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim. Although the United States as a country...
The Non-Rabbinic Rabbinic Training Program for Women
We have read too much lately about scandals within the larger Orthodox community, including the conviction of a former Chief Rabbi, the indictment of many Orthodox landlords from Brooklyn as part of an alleged...
Is “Gadol HaDor” a New Concept?
I don’t believe that I have ever read anything by Dr. Marc Shapiro that did not impart new information and enlightenment. I don’t always agree with his analysis, and am fairly confident that he...
Hypocritic Oath
A nineteen-year-old Israeli citizen of Arab ethnicity was among the 39 people killed in the recent attack of an Istanbul club, for which the terrorist group Islamic State claimed pride of ownership. Lian Zaher...
Please Support This Petition
Please Support This Petition It is not everyday that a cause is endorsed by Prof. Shnayer Leiman, the A list of Israeli roshei yeshiva, the RCA and the RCC. But it is not everyday...
Clash of Civilizations: Chanukah Was Just the Beginning
While Chanukah has come and gone, the ideological conflict at its core remains ever-present. In fact, it looms larger than ever before. Observant Jews need no reminder of the nature of the conflict, but...
