Jewish Blogs

A Response to Rav Dessler Regarding Secular Study

While much of last week’s buzz concentrated on words that were never uttered, the issue behind it has been around for many hundreds of years. Should Torah chinuch stress limud Torah alone, taking a dim view of any other involvement, or should it include aspects of secular training and acculturation, large or small?Read More: @ cross-currents.comYou might also like: How To Write ...

A Reader-Roundup Of CJM Inspired Projects!

One of the rewarding parts of running this blog is connecting with readers, and especially those who have been inspired by some of my projects to make their own versions! So while I’m celebrating Passover with my family, I thought I’d share with you some projects that readers have sent in or linked to on their own blogs.Fresh off the ...

A Pizza Box Top Robot!

Last week as I was cleaning up after my daughter’s birthday pizza party, I was about to throw away the pizza boxes since they seemed to be a bit too soiled to salvage, but then my better sense took a hold of me and I realized that the tops of two of the boxes were actually clean so……I ripped them ...

A New Season of So Much

The Jewish calendar has a funny way of corresponding to what we need in real life: The lights of Chanukah in the dead of winter, the wild abandon of Purim just as spring comes around, the curious lack of important holidays during the lazy days of summer.This week we’ve entered into the month of Elul, a time of reflection and ...

A New Haggadah to Get Excited About

Guess what? The Maxwell House Haggadah is being reissued this year, and it’s new and improved…but let’s face it, probably still solidly mediocre.If you’re looking to add something new to your Haggadah collection this year, I recommend the brand new JPS haggadah, Go Forth and Learn: A Passover Haggadah written by Rabbi David Silver with Rachel Furst.There’s two parts to ...

A Must Read for Rosh Hashana

INVESTMENTS VERSUS REWARDSThe very first point that must be emphasized is that contrary to popular belief, Rosh Hashana is not about reward and punishment. The Talmud informs us that mitzvot cannot be rewarded in this world (Kiddushin 39b). The commentators explain that the physical world simply does not have the resources to deliver the amount of joy required to compensate ...

A Mural & A Swastika

Hanging out with my brothers eventually leads to a discussion about basketball–specifically, about the Sacramento Kings. This weekend, when I was home for Rosh Hashanah, the case was no different. I don’t specifically remember the argument we were having, but I do recall my older brother finishing up his point by saying, “Let’s see what Sactown Royalty has to say ...

A Modest Proposal—Avoid Travel

Yesterday morning I was at airport at five in the morning. After a grueling security line, I was instructed to walk through the infamous backscatter. I asked for a pat down instead, and was then subjected to…well, I don’t know what to call it. Something between a physical and a third date. The woman who—what is the correct term? felt ...

A Modern Orthodox Rabbi Reacts to Kabbalas Shabbos at HIR

In a special news report published online by the NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK, a woman was designated by Rabbi Avraham Weiss to lead Kabbalat Shabbat services on Friday night, July 30, for the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, an Orthodox Union synagogue. First, a review of the “Key Players” associated with American Modern Orthodox (MO) Judaism: Most MO pulpit rabbonim typically ...

A Look at JWA at 16

The summer’s whizzed by and so has JWA’s fiscal year (which ends September 30th). As that date approaches, we’ve been taking a hard look at the numbers.This year, much of what we’ve found surprised even us. Since it might surprise you, too, why not test your JWA savvy with this “JWA-by-the-Numbers” trivia?1. How many unique visits were there to the JWA website from all 50 states ...

A Loaf of Love

I do so love to bring in Rosh Hashanah right, considering it sets the tone for a whole year and I secretly believe I can bribe God into putting us into the Book of Life with baked treats. So this morning I got up extra early to wake the family with sweet, cinnamony smells before I left for work.Read More: @ ...

A Letter to Jeffrey Zaslow’s Daughter Eden

Dear Eden,When I heard the horrible news yesterday evening about your father’s tragic death I immediately thought of you. I then spent the entire 25 hours of Shabbat asking God how this could happen and hugging my children a few extra times than I ordinarily do.I can’t stop thinking of the first time I met you because, whether you realized ...