Jewish Blogs

America’s Top Fifty Rabbis

If you ever wondered how to judge the success of a rabbi, you know how complex the matter can be. What are the criteria, the measuring rods, by which a rabbi is judged?But fret no longer: Newsweek magazine on April 2 solved the problem by publishing its annual list of “America’s top 50 rabbis.” What yardstick was used is not ...

Am I the only one to find sheitles sexy?

There are plenty of arguments against sheitles, most of them revolve around sheitles looking better than the persons real hair but, this isn’t about halacha, halacha states that a married woman has to cover her hair – whether or not that hair covering is sexy, has nothing to do with the fact it’s being covered. I was just thinking that ...

Alysa Stanton, First Black Female Rabbi, Will Leave N.C. Congregation

Alysa Stanton, who made headlines when she became the country’s first black woman rabbi, will be leaving her Greenville, N.C. pulpit — after the congregation that hired her less than two years ago decided not to renew her contract. Stanton said the decision to leave was not hers, and that she fully intends to serve out the duration of her ...

Aly Raisman: Jewish Olympic Champion

Who else felt like shedding a tear last night when Aly Raisman took home gold in the individual floor exercises? There has been no shortage of Jewish champions at the Olympics in the past (Sasha Cohen or Sarah Hughes, for instance), but something about this Jewish American champion just strikes me as so spectacularly Jewish, I can’t help feeling an extra sense of ...

Alan Dershowitz Sees Potential in “Curb” Episode

When I blogged about Larry David’s brilliant “Palestinian Chicken” episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, I focused on the role that the yarmulke played in that episode and didn’t really get into the meatier (get it?) issue that chicken can potentially play in Israeli-Palestinian relations. I figured someone would find value in that comical episode and try to use it to bring the two ...

Al Sharpton’s Apology As a Lesson in Repentance for the Jewish High Holidays

Last week about 20 rabbis from the Los Angeles area participated in a High Holiday sermon writing workshop called “Punching Up Your Holiday Sermons.” These pre-Rosh Hashanah sermon workshops for rabbis are nothing new, but this workshop had a twist. It paired the rabbis with Hollywood screenwriters who helped them come up with more engaging sermons.It’s possible, however, that Rev. ...

Ais Tzarah Hi L’Yaakov

I don’t care so much about what went wrong. I want to know what I should be doing to help. Israel is on the ropes. The people who coordinated the flotilla are part of what is known as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, which seeks to destroy Israel by rebranding it as an illegal, apartheid state. They have much ...

Ahavat Chesed: Why Can’t I Just Be A Good Person

The Chafetz Chaim wrote Ahavat Chesed when he was close to fifty years old and already well regarded in the Torah world. Normally authors much younger and relatively unknown will gather approbations for their work. Yet the Chafetz Chaim solicited haskamot for Ahavat Chesed, including one by the noted Torah scholar, the Netziv, which will be discussed here.The Netziv had his own ...

Agunah Cases in the Age of Social Media

United States Representative Dave Camp is a proud Roman Catholic. The Republican congressman represents Michigan’s 4th District in Congress which includes places in Michigan’s “Up North” region that Jews only visit for a few days each year. Aside from the handful of families who live in Traverse City year round, Dave Camp likely doesn’t give much thought to Jewish people.Dave ...

Advice for Parents Dealing with Sibling Rivalry

My sons, aged 10 and 7, are very different in temperament and personality. They often get on each other’s nerves and can be pretty awful to each other. This is especially an issue because they walk to school together, etc. Should I try to keep them separate, to avoid conflict, or should I insist that they continue to spend time ...

Advice for Life By Chaim Walder

As an experienced educational counselor and prolific author, Rabbi Chaim Walder has dealt extensively with relationships between children and parents, students and teachers – as well as a person’s relationship with himself. Drawn from the author’s vast knowledge and flavored with his engaging literary style, this book bursts with a wealth of information, ideas and advice.Read More: @ thecooljew.net

Advice for a Mother of a Rebellious Daughter

Question:I have a daughter who has a streak of rebellion in her. She is a very intense, responsible, and caring girl. I know that if channeled properly, she can really use her talents. However, the problem is that her personality often clashes with mine. She likes to be in control and so do I. She also has a hard time ...