Judaism
What Business Has One Born of Woman Among Us?
Pin It At the time of the giving of the Torah, the Talmud teaches (Shabbat 88b-89a), the heavenly angels appeared before God and asked, regarding Moses: “What business has one... Read More »
Is Our Problem The Technology Or The Users?
Pin It A good player doesn’t blame his equipment when he drops the ball. He knows that rain or shine, it’s up to him to make the play. Is technology... Read More »
Two Kings Wearing One Crown
Pin It The relationship between religion and ethics is a perennial problem in philosophy of religion. In one sense, it seems redundant to say that a particular action is required... Read More »
Making a Difference on Yom Ha’atzmaut
Pin It In Israel, you get used to seeing IDF soldiers everywhere: walking the streets, on patrols, at the Machsom (road checkpoint). They are always on duty, ready to help.... Read More »
“Let Him Cry and Shout”
Pin It Today is Yom Hasho’ah, Holocaust Memorial Day. All four of my grandparents are Holocaust survivors so the day is highly personal for me. I grew up with the... Read More »
A.B. Yehoshua: American Jews Are Only Partial Jews
Pin It A.B. Yehoshua is not a stupid man, despite recent evidence to the contrary. The famous Israeli author and Israel Prize laureate remarked at a lecture last week that... Read More »
Purim on Pinterest
Pin It Are you on Pinterest yet? What are you waiting for? This social network (not new by the way – it’s been around since 2009, has boasted the fastest... Read More »
Sounding the Shofar of Social Justice
Pin It I met Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz several years ago when we were students in Yeshivat Hamivtar, in Israel. As those who know him personally would surely attest, Reb Shmuly... Read More »
Jewish Relativity, Revisited
Pin It Fellow Jewneric blogger, Joshua Einstein, writes about a common argument made by Jewish outreach organizations: “the secular world is morally relative and adrift†and only religion provides “moral... Read More »
Jewish Relativity
Pin It Religious leaders often posit that the secular world is morally relative and adrift. The changing and metastasizing values of the larger world are no doubt foreboding and challenging... Read More »
“Hodu” This Year in Israel
Pin It There is a lovely children’s book called Rivka’s First Thanksgiving by  Elsa Okon Rael (Margaret K. McElderry Books; 2001). Set in 1910’s, it is the story of a little... Read More »
Judaism, Democracy, and Public Reason
Pin It The appropriate role of religion in American political discourse is a debate older than the Constitution itself. It predictably recurs whenever a politician or celebrity invokes or insults... Read More »
Who Goes to Shul?
Pin It After World War II, new synagogues opened all over the United States. Jews had started to move to suburbia and away from New York. Wherever they went, they... Read More »
A Hole in the Jewish Calendar
Pin It After the flurry of Jewish holidays in the fall, it’s no wonder that the month of Cheshvan, which follows on the heels of Sukkot, is devoid of Jewish holidays.... Read More »
The Official Jewish Mother’s Day
Pin It After the back to back celebrations in the Jewish month of Tishrei, many Jews look forward to a break in the month of Cheshvan, which is the only... Read More »
Is There a Bright Future for the KosherSwitch®?
Pin It Orthodox Judaism often struggles with new technology. Its top problem is a simple question: “Can you use this on Shabbat?” While this sometimes comes up with manual/mechanical items,... Read More »
New Trends in Hair Covering?
Pin It I call myself Modern Orthodox, aka “Dati Lite” in Israel. Or, as my friend Shira once termed it, an “endangered species.” How would I describe this level of... Read More »
Why You Should Never Explain Sukkot to a Gentile
Pin It To the outside world, we Jews are crazy, and Sukkot is the icing on the cake. Wait, so … you mean to say that you just fasted for... Read More »
Even Our “Temporary” Home is Different
Pin It וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְּחַגֶּךָ… וְהָיִיתָ ×ַךְ שָׂמֵחַ V’Samachta b’chagecha…vehayita ach sameach And you shall rejoice in your Festival…and you will only be happy (Devarim 16: 14-15)  The first year after... Read More »
Annie Get Your Gun… and Your Havdalah Candle
Pin It Your local Jewish Community Center is likely somewhat of a melting pot of the Jewish community spectrum in your area and, if it offers the right services, even... Read More »
