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24 bAdar What do you do when you enjoy a colleague’s witty, acerbic satire of other Jews, but you feel that perhaps one should not mock people, even if you believe their derekh is...

The JTA headline on the recent World Zionist Organization elections says “WZO Elections Send Pluralist Message – But Who’s Listening?” Perhaps the reason why no one is listening is because that isn’t really the...

This is one of those challenges we throw out to our readers. It represents thought in progress, not a finished product. Please don’t take it as such. The Orthodox community continues to grapple with...

The body lies on a stainless steel table, draped with a sheet. Together with three other women, I cut away the body bag and hospital clothes, remove bandages, pull out IV lines. We wash...

Three current new items, with a bit of commentary. Item One: From a JPost editorial on 3/2/06: “As the government of Tajikistan was busy demolishing the only synagogue in Dushanbe, UNESCO, the international body...

United Press International reports that the “ultra-Orthodox” (just love that pejorative) are consulting virtual rabbis more than ever. It’s not just the Orthodox — our Ask the Rabbi system fielded thousands of inquiries last...

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Jewish & Israeli Blog Awards. With your help, we won Best Group Blog and Best Designed blog, and placed second to Gil in the Best Jewish Religion....

Like Hollywood, the blogosphere can be a place where no good deed goes unpunished. When I wrote my original piece about Jack Abramoff’s hat, I thought I was being generous to him by speculating...

From Rabbi Avi Shafran, Am Echad Resources “One of the 613 Mitzvot is ‘Tikkun Olam,’ to heal or repair the world,” declares the Social Action Committee of a Massachusetts temple. The assertion is characteristic...

In an earlier post, I published the sharp but friendly remarks that we traded, on camera (so to speak) and off.  I took up the challenge to offer a halachic defense of the permissibility...