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.
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
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.
Educating about Abuse without Stigmatizing Victims
Organic dating has its own set of problems that the shidduch system can help avoid.
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.
Was Assimilation the True Enemy of the Maccabees?
If the Syrian-Greeks were not pushed out of the land, Judaism would have been lost.
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.
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.
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.
Privacy and Government Snooping in Jewish Law
There is standing prohibition in Jewish law against sharing anything revealed in private conversation.
When a Heretic Speak Heresy Against Heretics
For deviating from the orthodox scientific position, Nagel has been abused, maligned, outcast, and insulted.
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.
What Kind of Community Needs to Hear this?
Rabbis have to stop dismissing everything that comes from outside the Beis Medrash.
What Kind of Life Shall We Choose?
Dvar Torah for Nitzavim Vayelech.
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.
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.
We Are Going in the Wrong Direction
For some, guilt by association is actual guilt. For these people, who you know and with whom you associate determine your credibility.
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.
Will the Real Haredi Feminists Please Stand Up?
Ruth Colian is running as a Haredi woman for political office.
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.
Meeting the Challenge of Tisha B’Av: a Proposal
Can we hear the agony in his words? Can we step into his shoes and experience his torment?
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?
A Call to End Anti-Chasid Bigotry
People were literally saying that a chasid cannot write so well. It’s impossible they claimed.
The Insidiousness and Laziness of Guilt by Association
Adegbile was not making a moral statement by representing a man convicted of killing a cop.
The State of the Jew According to Pew
Very few middle aged and older people consider themselves ultra-orthodox. It’s a youth movement.
The People Are Looking for Answers
A rabbi who writes controversial things becomes international news.
What Should We Say On Billboards for God and Judaism?
The Pope is saying that actions are far more important than faith. This is particularly ironic coming from Catholicism.
R’ Eliezer Knew More Science than R’ Yehoshua
According to the Torah Temimah...
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.
Creative License When Interpreting the Bible
When we are dealing in non-legal matters, we are no longer concerned with precedent.