A New Beginning?
The era of Godless leadership in the Knesset ended with Menachem Begin. One might even say it ended with the Six Day War.
Emes Ve-Emunah: Listening to the Lord
Eschewing labels, Lord Sacks prefers the term "Jews Engaged with the World"(JEW)to Modern Orthodox
One Step Forward – Two Steps Back
The government’s insistence on a core curriculum is considered an attack against the Torah.
When Reality Hits You in the Face
If a secular or Dati Jew is subject to be put in harm’s way, so too should a Charedi Jew--Everybody’s blood is red.
Today is Memorial Day
Eisenhower forced the residents of a nearby town to go to one of the liberated camps to see what their leaders had done.
A Plea to Lakewood’s Rabbinic Leadership
To their credit, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) came out with a statement applauding the courage of Kolko's young victim.
Will Modern Orthodoxy Survive?
Yes, Modern Orthodoxy is losing some of its youth to secularism.
An Attempt to Export Failure
The Pew study provides a stark picture of the disintegration of American Jewry--with the exception of the Orthodox.
Police?…Or Shomrim?
The public the Shomrim serve trusts them more than the police. They ought to be disabused of that notion. Shomrim should be an auxiliary to the police, not the other way around.
Cost/Benefit – An Analysis of a Jewish Education
If one looks at the range of tuition one would have to pay per child, one might get sticker shock. It doesn’t take a genius in math to multiply those figures by 5, or more, children.
The ‘Tznius Chase’: Is This Photo Immodest?
This is the 'tznius chase,' a subset of the 'Frumkeit race,' also known as the move to the right.
Who is to Blame for the Divisiveness?
According to a recent survey in Mishpacha Magazine, most secular Israeli Jews do not hate charedim.
Emes Ve-Emunah: What They Really Want
Thought the fight over the Kotel was about egalitarianism? Wrong. Conservative leader, Rabbi Steven Wernick, has made that very clear: "The issue is about legitimization, it’s about recognition,"
Of Apples and Trees and Rabbis
I never liked comedienne Sarah Silverman. I never thought she was all that funny. Her humor is mostly vulgar and designed to shock people into laughing. Most comedians will tell you that if the only way you can make people laugh is with vulgar jokes, then you’re not really much of a comedian. But I digress. What upsets me the most about her is her very open self-identification as a Jew. Normally when successful people tout their Judaism, it makes me proud. But when she does it – it is an embarrassment. In fact I wish she would just change her name… or go away altogether.
The New York Minute
Truly, in the modern world, we live in the time of ‘What’s in it for me?’ The time of the ‘selfie’!
The Loss of a Feminist Icon
She had little in the way of a Jewish education. But at the same time she was proud of her Jewish heritage. She said she was motivated by the Torah’s command of Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof – justice, justice you shall pursue.
The Atrocity of Ignorance and Fanaticism
Recent anti-Christian acts are due to a culture of hatred of the goy (non-Jew) that permeates certain circles.
What Is Sexual Abuse?
Should a university be sued because their officials at that time misread those events as relatively harmless?
Intermarried Rabbis
If ritual observance is voluntary and all that counts is ethos, why not just drop the whole charade and just call anyone with an ethical perspective on life a Reform Jew?
‘What If I Don’t Want to be Gay?’
For the record, all those who try and interpret this act out of its Issur-prohibition are mindboggelingly foolish, in my view.
The Road Paved with iPhones
There are many Halachic reasons to disqualify a witness. Owning an iPhone is not one of them.
Should Unity Include Extremists?
I don’t know who is responsible for the continuing attack against the IDF in Israel, but it's not my kind of Judaism.
A Rational but Insufficient Haredi Response
Rav Lopiansky tries to actually answer some of the questions I have publicly asked about the current Charedi opposition to drafting Charedim into the army.
Is Going to the IDF an Evil Decree?
The implication of such statements is that anyone who serves in the army is guilty of violating a yahorog v’al ya’avor.
Can a Grass Roots Campaign Change their World?
When a young man gets a job he's broken from the mainstream Chareidi world, complicating his dating
Trump, Clinton, Terrorism, and the Election
Trump polled well below Clinton initially after his nomination was assured. Since Clinton has proven to be a careless and sloppy liar she is deemed less trustworthy the Trump, he is now running even
Dov Lipman – Telling it Like it Is
A Rosh Yeshiva guessed 60% of bochurim in Israel's yeshiva system belong there only 3-4 yrs post HS
To Be (Anonymous) or Not to Be
Although I allow people to post anonymously (albeit with at least an alias) I would prefer that people stand by their words and not be afraid of them.
Societal Abandonment of the Bible as a Moral Guide
Who individuals are attracted to is none of our business and shouldn’t influence our encounters with them, but that is different than the normalization of gay sex.
The ‘Nine Questions’
I generally do not respond to patronizing comments on my blog. However, the questions raised by a recent commenter are common ones and deserve answers.