“…there is a basic contradiction between sincere, personal prayer and the communal, synagogue setting”
The synagogue’s primary function is what happens in its sanctuary, the space in which...
Category Archives: Jewish
“The Modern Orthodox community should not fear positive change and growth, but should welcome it”
The Modern Orthodox community should not fear positive change and growth, but should welcome...
“With its mechanisms of accountability broken, Modern Orthodoxy is more and more vulnerable to claims of direct Divine inspiration and non-accountable certainty”
With its mechanisms of accountability broken, Modern Orthodoxy is more and more vulnerable to...
“Nudity in art was not ubiquitous in Eretz Yisrael and America, and it is not surprising that we woke up in the 20th century in American and EY and found these things surprising”
In response to the email from the Lakewood scholar, S. commented as follows: Another...
“Modern Orthodox Jews often express ambivalence about these workarounds”
Modern Orthodox Jews often express ambivalence about these workarounds. On the one hand, the...
“Unfortunately, ArtScroll did not choose this to follow this honest, and common sense, approach”
I think everyone can understand that if people were simply allowed to emend or...
“Majority rule can break down in at least three ways”
Majority rule can break down in at least three ways. First, we can disagree...
“…only applicable with the ancient Canaanites but not with regard to other non-Jews. This is false and ArtScroll knows it is false…”
Ketubot 15a discusses the case of A killing B, when A actually intended to...
“The process of chok-ification, of relating to a halakhah as lacking any humanly discernible purpose, often leads to that halakhah having its application narrowed to the point of nonexistence”
The process of chok-ification, of relating to a halakhah as lacking any humanly discernible...
“…Rabbinic tales; in addition to all their other aspects, they were often attempts to understand the past”
When analyzed in these terms, those same stories which seem so inappropriate for writing...