A Call to End Anti-Chasid Bigotry
People were literally saying that a chasid cannot write so well. It’s impossible they claimed.
Will the Real Haredi Feminists Please Stand Up?
Ruth Colian is running as a Haredi woman for political office.
What Kind of Community Needs to Hear this?
Rabbis have to stop dismissing everything that comes from outside the Beis Medrash.
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.
Let’s Call Them Modern Chasidim
The problem is that Tuna Beigel is a pejorative.
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.
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.
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.
Satmar Matzah as New York Times Front Page News
This kind of stringency borders on silliness.
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
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.
Modesty Messages from a Mormon
Mormons are expected to be chaste in every possible way and this can be particularly difficult for young men.
Rabbi Kelemen on Kids Leaving Orthodoxy (I Think He’s Wrong)
Basically, the real problem is bad parenting. He calls it parental selfishness.
Was Assimilation the True Enemy of the Maccabees?
If the Syrian-Greeks were not pushed out of the land, Judaism would have been lost.
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.
The Insidiousness and Laziness of Guilt by Association
Adegbile was not making a moral statement by representing a man convicted of killing a cop.
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.
R’ Eliezer Knew More Science than R’ Yehoshua
According to the Torah Temimah...
The People Are Looking for Answers
A rabbi who writes controversial things becomes international news.
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.
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.
Abuse in New Square
This kid gets a medal for coming forward.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Can You Cry ‘Heresy’ in a Crowded Beit Midrash?
Why does a opinion in the Talmud say the last verses in Devarim were not written by Moses? Was it the easiest solution to a very obvious problem?
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?
The State of the Jew According to Pew
Very few middle aged and older people consider themselves ultra-orthodox. It’s a youth movement.
On the Shoulders of (Imperfect) Giants
In order to truly appreciate Torah, one must be a master over one’s spirit as well.