“Gadolhood is less about the individual erudition of a given rabbi and more about a social fact…”
Gadolhood is less about the individual erudition of a given rabbi and more about...
Category Archives: Jewish
“Dangerous myths have grown up among the American Jewish community, myths that are totally detached from the reality in Israel…”
Dangerous myths have grown up among the American Jewish community, myths that are totally...
“Many American Jews have a strange relationship with Israel”
Many American Jews have a strange relationship with Israel. For years they created a...
“…there is a big difference between the Amish and the hasidic communities”
…there is a big difference between the Amish and the hasidic communities. The Amish...
“…the most modern technology is providing outreach to people in search of an older, traditional lifestyle”
The use of the internet by orthodox groups also suggests a paradox: the most...
“…the meaning of התפלל is to make oneself the object of God’s פלל (assessment, intervention, or judging)”
Most likely, the hitpael form in the case of התפלל is doing the same...
“…degrading one’s ideological opponents despite their great Torah knowledge…stands at the root of all the terrible disputes in the haredi world”
A basic feature of “official” haredism, especially in Israel, is the attitude that even...
“…re’ut is to be understood as a fleeting movement of wind, or air, such as a gust or a breeze”
…the most common claim is the repeated use of the phrase “hevel and re’ut...
“Kohelet sets out on his inquiry from the perspective of a life replete with fortune and opportunity”
Kohelet sets out on his inquiry from the perspective of a life replete with...
“The central message of Ecclesiastes may be encapsulated in a single word: Hevel…”
The central message of Ecclesiastes may be encapsulated in a single word: Hevel, usually...