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The Yabloner Rebbe
George C. Nagel - aka the Yabloner Rebbe (screenshot)Rafi Goldmeier posted a fascinating video on his blog Life in Israel (reproduced below) that is appropriate for the upcoming Day of Judgment –...
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A New Year's Prayer
As the year 5778 comes to a close, I wish to ask Mechila - forgiveness from anyone that I have offended in any way. Intentionally or unintentionally. I have already granted Mechilla to those that have...
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Thank You, Mr. President
PLO Office in Washington (WSJ)First let me restate the obvious. (Something I have done many times.) Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are suffering. The optics of which point to Israel as an...
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LGBT - A Torah True Approach
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the UK (Getty images via the JC)One of the things that separates the extreme right wing of Orthodoxy and the more moderate right wing (in which I include moderate...
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Is the Uman Experience a Truly a Religious One?
Snapshot of the event from 2013 (Times of Israel)I am a 7th generation descendant of a Chasidic Rebbe (Rebbe Shimon Maryles MiYaroslov). But I am not a Chasid. Not even slightly. I am much more in line...
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Travel Day
I’m off to the holy land for Sukkos. I will be once again staying in Ramat Bet Shemesh (Aleph) until October 7.Those readers that happen to live there or happen to be in town for any reason, come on...
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A Caring Essay with a Glaring Omission
Agudath Israel Board Chairman,Shlomo WerdigerSurvivor. That is a term I have heard most of my life. If someone said they were a survivor, I would know exactly what they meant. They were a survivor of...
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Sincerity in Teshuva
How is it that on Yom Kippur we can do Teshuva pretty much knowing that afterwords we will very likely go back to our old sinful ways? Isn’t that a bit dishonest of us? Is saying you’re sorry to God...
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The Jew and Society - The Perils of Isolationism
Guest contribution by Rabbi Akiva Goldsman*The following post was submitted by a Charedi Rebbe in a Yeshiva high school for over 20 years in a small town. I know his identity but he asked for anonymity...
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Wearing a Wig for Religious Purposes is Not Being Slutty
Is there nothing more urgent in the Torah world than how long a married woman’s Shaitel (wig) should be?! And yet with all the serious issues affecting this world, for some people- this is the subject...
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What is the Significance of the Sukkah?
Lord Rabbi Jonathan SacksFaith is the ability to rejoice in the midst of instability and change, travelling through the wilderness of time toward an unknown destination. Faith is not fear. Faith is not...
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Allegations of Sex Abuse as a Weapon
Judge Kavanaugh testifying before congressI’m not sure we have reached that point yet. But I am beginning to suspect that we might just have reached a point where not all (or most) accusations of...
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The Two State Solution
The President and the Prime Minister at a press conference (Jerusalem Post)Much has been made of the President’s recent endorsement of a two state solution to the conflict between Palestinians and...
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Kill the Messenger - Not His Message
Bill Cosby- following his sentencing for sexual assault. (Chicago Tribune)In what has been pretty slow period for Jewish News worthy of commenting upon (that I haven’t already commented upon ad...
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A Wonderful Experience. But...
As we approach Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah - the final phase of this holiday season, I once again wish all of my readers Chag Sameach. I am not much of a dancer. I mention this in the context of...
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Divisions that May Take Us into Oblivion
Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz adressing the Mir (Matzav)I could not believe what I was witnessing. Not that I didn’t know about the divisions going on in the Charedi world. I’ve dealt with them numerous...
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Shocking Murders - Too Close to Home
Counterclockwise from top left: Eliyahu, Mr. Watts, & the suspect (Sun-Times) Two people were randomly murdered in Chicago over Sukkos. Both shot in the head at point blank range by an unknown...
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The Senate Should Approve Kavanaugh
Judge Kavanaugh's emotional testimony after being accused of sexual misconductJust a quick word about the current status of the Kavanuagh nomination.I stand by my original belief that all of the...
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Filping Out? Or Becoming More Religious?
There is a fascinating article in Hamodia about the ‘Flipping out’ phenomenon entitled ‘Moving Right’. Hamodia sees this phenomenon in a positive light. Hence the use of their title instead of what it...
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