Modesty Messages from a Mormon
Mormons are expected to be chaste in every possible way and this can be particularly difficult for young men.
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.
The Proper Response to the ASA Boycott of Israel
What data was the ASA using to justify its boycott?
Haredi Censorship of Torah
Certain books are excised from the subscription, in order to reinforce an imaginary history where nothing was inconsistent with Haredi Judaism.
New Republic Article on Feminism from Zion Is All About the Stakes
The article argues that while naturally aligned with their fellow orthodox Jews, women from the modern orthodox community in Israel are finding themselves aligned with secular feminists.
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.
Man-Made Meat? A fence for Wisdom is Silence
The proper response for almost the entire population of planet Earth to these eternal questions about man-made meat is “I am not qualified to render an opinion on this matter.”
My Appearance with Rabbi Shafran on ‘Talkline with Zev Brenner’
The gist of Rabbi Shafran’s argument was that Rabbi Sacks was criticizing a legitimate form of orthodox Judaism and was doing so from a place of ignorance.
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.
The People Are Looking for Answers
A rabbi who writes controversial things becomes international news.
Educating about Abuse without Stigmatizing Victims
Organic dating has its own set of problems that the shidduch system can help avoid.
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?
On the Shoulders of (Imperfect) Giants
In order to truly appreciate Torah, one must be a master over one’s spirit as well.
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.
A Song of Love, a Song of Life
There is no song that tells the story of freedom like Shir HaShirim.
Defenders and Benders of Roles for Genders
Boys can play with dolls. Men can embrace their feminine side. Girls can play sports.
Modern Racism
Categorizing all black people as one large group where the acts of one black person in Florida somehow tell us something about a different black person in Seattle is racist.
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.
Let’s Call Them Modern Chasidim
The problem is that Tuna Beigel is a pejorative.
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.
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.
R’ Eliezer Knew More Science than R’ Yehoshua
According to the Torah Temimah...
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.
Video Mocking Rabbinic Sermons Was in Bad Taste
Spontaneity and quirkiness have their place but a sermon is neither the time nor place for either of those.
Will the Real Haredi Feminists Please Stand Up?
Ruth Colian is running as a Haredi woman for political office.
Ruminations on Meditation
Many great Jewish thinkers have described Jewish prayer as a form of meditation.
Was Assimilation the True Enemy of the Maccabees?
If the Syrian-Greeks were not pushed out of the land, Judaism would have been lost.
Don’t Believe Everything They Say About Us
Human nature is such that hearing something over and over again for forty years will inevitably have an impact on the person.
A Call to End Anti-Chasid Bigotry
People were literally saying that a chasid cannot write so well. It’s impossible they claimed.
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.