“…American Judaism seemed to be emerging from its hyper-political phase, the post-Holocaust, post-1967 era…”
The mini (and short lived) spiritual explosion… took place in the 90’s, the era...
Category Archives: Jewish
“We have been living on yesterday’s fumes for too long”
We have been living on yesterday’s fumes for too long. Old fashioned anti-anti-Semitism, unrealistic...
“An entire generation is being taught that women and girls should not be seen because seeing them can lead to sin”
An entire generation is being taught that women and girls should not be seen...
“The tension between the Hillel and Shammai approaches to conversion still persists today”
The tension between the Hillel and Shammai approaches to conversion still persists today. The...
In the 1990s, “the relative ordinariness of Israel left room for other topics – and spirituality made the most sense”
The mini (and short lived) spiritual explosion… took place in the 90’s, the era...
“My fear now…is that all the talk about politics has chased away the spiritual seekers”
My fear now – and it was a fear back then, expressed by others...
“For the independent early Tosafists the Talmud text itself was the focal point of study…”
The independence of early Tosafist works notwithstanding, it is important to realize that talmudic...
“It is ultimately up to Diaspora Jews to make a decision. You are either native to Eretz Yisrael or…”
It is ultimately up to Diaspora Jews to make a decision. You are either...
“…this is what it’s come to. Rabbis today in America have to be proficient in the language of Iranian sanctions…”
Not long ago, I was sitting with a group of fellow rabbis when the...
“The first two elements of the Tosafist enterprise—i.e., (1) independent analysis and (2) integration of earlier teachings—were the…”
The first two elements of the Tosafist enterprise—i.e., (1) independent analysis and (2) integration...