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Orthodoxy's Growth
The Havdalah Ceremony at an NCSY Winter ConclaveThere has been much made about the Pew statistic which states that even though the only segment of Jewry in America that is growing is Orthodox Jewry,...
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David Gordon, a Hero Who Suffered
David Menachem Gordon, OBMUpdateIt appears that it has been confirmed to Rabbi Eliyahu Fink by reliable sources that, sadly, David did indeed commit suicide. That makes his eulogy and that of Rabbi Ron...
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The Beis Yaakov Feminist Experience
Torah reading by Orthodox feminists (from the JOFA website)Talia Weisberg is a self described feminist. And yet this young woman from a Modern Orthodox background - having attended a Modern Orthodox...
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Single Charedi Women Speak Out
Traditional Jewish matchmaker Heather Sirota (The Guardian)Once again my ire was raised by the terrible situation of Shidduchim in the Charedi world. I must admit that as bad as I knew it was, the...
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Skipping the Middleman
Reform Rabbi Andy Bachman (center)Liberal Judaism is dying. I don’t think that is even arguable. The reasons for that are abundantly clear. And no one expresses them better than Commentary online...
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Missing: Aharon Sofer
Border police and volunteers involved in the search for Aharon Sofer (VIN)A few words about Aharon Sofer, the 22 year old Yeshiva student from Lakewood New Jersey who has been studying in Israel over...
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Shidduchim – The View from the Other Side
Prototypical Shidduch material (FrumPics)I received an e-mail from young man who asked to be identified only by his initials, JS. He otherwise prefers to remain anonymous. Considering the sensitive...
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Unresolved Dilemmas
R' Joseph B. SoloveitchikOnce again, I am amazed at the insight a Conservative rabbi has into Orthodox Jewry. Professor Jack Wertheimer has written yet again on the subject of Modern Orthodoxy (MO)....
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The Courage of their Convictions
Letter by American rabbis endorsing controversial seminariesI cannot think of two more establishment Rabbis in the Charedi world than Rabbis Shmuel Fuerst and Zev Cohen. Both of them are steeped in the...
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Jewish Education and the Smartphone
The evolution of the current state of Orthodox Judaism has proven to be a major success in maintaining and perpetuating itself. That success as evidenced by its exponential growth over the last sixty...
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Time to Move On?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifying before congressOn September 11, 2012, the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by Islamic terrorists. America’s Ambassador to Libya,...
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A Poisonous Atmosphere
Anti IDF poster from July of 2013 targeting 'Chardakim' (TOI)Yesterday, one of my Charedi critics that lives in Israel accused me of ‘rank anti-Charedi hypocrisy’. That’s because I have been critical...
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Misplaced Rage
Pulitzer Prize winning WSJ journalist Bret StephensThe news coming out of the Middle East is about as grim as could be. I do not remember a time where I have witnessed such barbarism since the...
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Defining Modern Orthodoxy
Logo of Modern Orthodoxy's flagship institutionOne of the things I have not sufficiently addressed over the years is how to define Modern Orthodoxy. Those times where I did, it was usually in other...
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Mr. Abutbul: Tear Down that Wall!
Charedi and secular Israelis clash in Bet Shemesh. (photo credit:REUTERS)I completely understand the predicament of the Charedi community in Ramat Bet Shemesh. Their student population increases...
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Business as Usual or a Teachable Moment?
Two young women studying at a seminary in Israel (TOI)Cross Currents beat me to it. But that does not mean I am free to ignore it. Rabbi Yakov Horowitz has posted on his website what I consider to be...
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Why Are You Orthodox?
I hear him… but at its basic level I have to disagree with him somewhat. Rabbi Eliyahu Fink has written a thoughtful essay about why people leave – or stay in Orthodox Judaism. His primary reason is...
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How Many Orthodox Jews Are Believers?
This is the logo of Reform Rabbi, Jeffrey Falick. Are there Orthodox versions of this?I am beginning to believe that there are a lot more people who are observant that are not interested in theology in...
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Removing the Evil from Their Midst
Rav Gedalia Dov SchwartzClarity. That is the beauty of the fine mind of Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz, the Zaken Ha’ir – Chicago’s rabbinic elder. Not only is his mind perfectly clear, he has the character...
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Is Daas Torah for Real?
There is a lot of confusion about the definition of Daas Torah. This is a relatively new term used mostly by the Charedi world. It is based on the concept of Emunas Chachamim. Faith in our sages. Rabbi...
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