Category Archives: Uncategorized

Whenever non-orthodox/non-traditional streams of Judaism, or at least representative organizations within them, act exceptionally aggressive towards the orthodox, certain elements within the orthodox “side” reacts by discrediting the progressive movements for being “not real Judaism”. Frequently, since many of their … Continue reading →

For almost two millennia no Jew would marry in the days between Pesach and Shavuot (Passover and Pentecost). Without the Holy Temple “alive” and functioning, we are in a state of perpetual mourning, of minimal functionality. Obviously, “life must go … Continue reading →

A very close friend lives north of Jerusalem in the mountains of the Galil. Like me, but for his own reasons and as product of his own experiences, he also rarely goes to shul nowadays. Rather, he usually takes a long … Continue reading →

[Note–I usually would proof read and revise this essay for several more iterations, but it’s taken me so long to write this, to capture the urgency and desire which might help us overcome the anxiety which, for literally millennia, have … Continue reading →

We Jews love to pray. It’s our most widespread religious practice which, in one form or another, transcends our denominational divides.  We pray formally at least three times each day, but almost constantly we keep up our dialogue with The … Continue reading →

Anyone who knows me at all knows that much of my life has always revolved around music. I’ve played instruments since the age of five or six and am rarely more than a few feet from a guitar. Therefore it … Continue reading →

“Vayigash Alov Yehuda“, And Yehuda came very close, almost touching, him (Yosef). How appropriate that we read this parsha this particular Shabbat, as we, Bnei Yisrael, the Jewish People, seem to be in the vortex of changing our relationship to … Continue reading →

To remark that this is merely “curious” or “ironic” blinds us to the perhaps most corrosive internal struggle Judaism faces today. There is no more subtle and beautiful technique within the Torah tradition than discovering and generating Halacha as it … Continue reading →

It seems so obvious to me that it should go without saying, but experience both historical and contemporary requires me to emphasize and re-emphasize this. Exploiting Halacha and the halachic process in order to manipulate power, political, social, economic or … Continue reading →

The Maharal of Prague (16th Century) remarked in his Introduction to his own book which explores Pesach and our Redemption from Egypt, Gevurat HaShem, God’s Power, that since only God is perfect, God being unique in the universe, everything else … Continue reading →