Politics in America, Rabbis “I want to know what my rabbi thinks of Jacob and Rachel, not of Pence and Pelosi” Author Drew Kaplan Date 14 June 2017 I know outstanding rabbis on the left of the political spectrum and others on...
Marriage, Orthodoxy, Sex “Young Orthodox men and women today come into marriage confused” Author Drew Kaplan Date 13 June 2017 Young Orthodox men and women today come into marriage confused. Sexual images pervade their...
Babylonian Talmud, Beer “Being the principal alcoholic beverage of Mesopotamia, beer is discussed at length in the Babylonian Talmud and, naturally, the vocabulary is Mesopotamian” Author Drew Kaplan Date 12 June 2017 Being the principal alcoholic beverage of Mesopotamia, it is discussed at length in the...
Bible, Judaism, Menstrual Impurity, Rabbinic Literature, Tannaim, Tannaitic Literature “In addition to the biblical distinction between normal and abnormal discharges, the rabbis developed two more categories…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 7 June 2017 Leviticus 15 is concerned with normal and abnormal, male and female genital discharges. As...
Amoraim, Babylonian Talmud, Judaism “The practice of waiting seven blood-free days following the end of a regular menstrual period is variously described in the Talmud as heḥemiru al atzman, minhaga, and halakhah pesukah, indicating that a variety of attitudes existed as to the severity of the requirement” Author Drew Kaplan Date 6 June 2017 Zimmerman is correct in saying that a seven-day wait after any bleeding has become...
Orthodoxy “The public Orthodox/halachic image of Jared and Ivanka…is something created solely by the Jewish community” Author Drew Kaplan Date 4 June 2017 The public Orthodox/halachic image of Jared and Ivanka, and the resultant subjecting of their...
Jewish Books, Jewish Education “Where are the Torah graphic novels?” Author Drew Kaplan Date 30 May 2017 For many people, the texts of Torah learning are themselves the biggest obstacles. They...
Judaism “…if misrepresented as a rabbinic ordinance, a custom may be seen as more sweeping than it actually is” Author Drew Kaplan Date 29 May 2017 …custom, even when considered obligatory, derives its authority from the practice of either a...
Conservative Judaism, Open Orthodoxy “…denominations are more than just ideas and orientations…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 29 May 2017 It seems kind of obvious that, if there is a denominational shakeup and a...
Conservative Judaism “…it will be fascinating to see if the term ‘Conservative’…makes a comeback in the form of the Conservative Jews who want to ‘hold the line’ on intermarriage” Author Drew Kaplan Date 28 May 2017 …it will be fascinating to see if the term “Conservative” – which many Conservative...