The Difference Between Superstition and Ritual
Much of what all religions teach is magical. If one does not believe in God, then we would rightly call it all superstition.
Why Do People Leave Orthodox Judaism? Why Do People Stay?
People act not because they think it’s right; they do what they do because it’s what they want to do
Answering the Most Difficult Question About the Agunah Crisis
Ethical and moral laws in the Torah depend on the context. Kindness and virtue largely depend on the subjective expectations of one’s friends and community.
Rabbi Kelemen on Kids Leaving Orthodoxy (I Think He’s Wrong)
Basically, the real problem is bad parenting. He calls it parental selfishness.
We Are Not Under Attack By the LGBT Community
Orthodox Jews are free to teach Leviticus and we are free to deny any religious rights and privileges to anyone we so choose.
Mozilla: ‘Judge Not Your Fellow Until You Have Stood In His Place’
It is unfair to judge a 52 year old man with the glasses of a person who lives in a different world.
Women Wearing Tefillin Is Really Not Such a Big Deal
Some people are assuming the intentions of these women are less than perfect, but that’s complete conjecture.
Two Different Tracks: Women and Tefillin vs. Women and Torah
Women learning Torah is becoming increasingly permissive, but women wearing tefillin is becoming increasingly stringent.
Can One Be a Shomer Torah u’Mitzvos and Accept Bible Criticism?
Historians currently assume the Bible was written between 720 BCE and 587 BCE, between the destruction of the Northern Kingdom and the destruction of Jerusalem.
What Do I Tell My Children (About the Boys)?
What do we do when we want to be mad at God but we also want God to make it all better? Indeed, what do we do?
Can People Live Longer than 120 Years?
The Talmud is making a general statement for which there are more exceptions that situations where the rule applies.
The Morality of Accepting Charity from Immoral People
Rambam would also allow charity from a mumar as long as the person maintains basic belief in God and Judaism.
Let’s Call Them Modern Chasidim
The problem is that Tuna Beigel is a pejorative.
Ami Magazine Forcing Gilgulim Down our Throats
Trying to explain Holocaust deaths as tikkun and a way of cleansing a soul is offensive.
My Favorite Nelson Mandela Quote
The world lost a great man last week.
The Challenge of Modesty
There is no real theological reason that tznius be heavily codified in Jewish law while other areas of our lives that require modesty are left to our whims and desires.
Lessons Orthodox Judaism Can Learn from Mormons
Both communities value using books to study their texts, and digital devices are a less preferable way for younger people to study.
Defenders and Benders of Roles for Genders
Boys can play with dolls. Men can embrace their feminine side. Girls can play sports.
What’s Wrong With the Star-K Kosher Phone?
A kashrus agency should be concerned with one thing and one thing only: the kosher status of our food.
Why Do We Celebrate Chanukah?
Megilas Taanis simply proclaims the 25th of Kislev a holiday and it is forbidden to mourn for 8 days. The text does not give a reason for the celebration.
Monsey Kosher Market ‘Integration’ Great Idea, Terrible Execution (Video)
It’s really not that different than the situation in Israel with the charedim. Both situations need insiders to make the change happen.
What Kind of Life Shall We Choose?
Dvar Torah for Nitzavim Vayelech.
A Song of Love, a Song of Life
There is no song that tells the story of freedom like Shir HaShirim.
What Kind of Community Needs to Hear this?
Rabbis have to stop dismissing everything that comes from outside the Beis Medrash.
Wisdom from a Venice Beach Vagabond
He told me that according to a Muslim poet, children do not truly belong to their parents. Instead, parents are the vessel through which children flow into the world.
Creative License When Interpreting the Bible
When we are dealing in non-legal matters, we are no longer concerned with precedent.
How Far Will Gershonides Go to Avoid Mystical Interpretations?
In short, he says the whole thing was a prophetic vision, a dream. There was no physical battle.
Life is in Its Struggles: Dealing with the Tough Questions
When the "offensive" statements in our Talmud were stated, no one thought they were offensive.
Torah M’Sinai According to Professor Tamar Ross
The revelation continues as the world progressed and however the Torah was emended or edited after Sinai was part of revelation.
Will the Real Haredi Feminists Please Stand Up?
Ruth Colian is running as a Haredi woman for political office.