Jewish Blogs

Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur Davening: True Atonement

In the Torah, Yom Kippur is referred to in the plural form as Yom Hakippurim. Rav Soloveitchik explains that atonement is associated with sacrifices, which were a major part of the Yom Kippur service. The Rambam writes that since today there are no sacrifices, teshuva atones for all of our sins. Referring to Yom Kippur in the singular might lead us to ...

Romney in Jerusalem: Culture and Providence Led to Israel’s Economic Success (Not Socialism)

In a speech in Jerusalem to rich donors, Mitt Romney disrespected the Palestinians and distorted the history of the State of Israel, according to our reading of a report from the AP. He insinuates that Israeli culture is superior to Palestinian culture, and that God loves Israel more than the Palestinians.And he altogether forgets to mention that Israel began as ...

Roger Waters Is A Wimp

There has been a small, but growing trend among some musicians and bands to refuse to play in Israel because of the country’’s policies towards Palestinians. This, of course, is part of a larger boycott movement against Israel from the far left that generally targets products made in Israel or owned by major Israel supporters.So far, the most prominent musician ...

Rocker Dude Seeks Bitchin’ Bashert

I’m the 26 year old punk rock singer for Can!!Can, an observant Jew with three tattoos, host of PunkTorah.com and gainfully employed by an online Judaica store.Basically, I’m one big frucking (edited for the frummies) contradiction.On one hand, I cover my head. On the other, I daven with the Re-constructionists. I eat biblically kosher at home, but all bets are ...

Roadkill Beer

I ask you all to keep an open mind with this one. Have you heard this story about BrewDog, the Scottish brewing company that has created a beer with a 55% alcohol level? Impressive. But that’s not what I want you to keep an open mind about. Because it isn’t so much the alcohol level that is making the news, ...

Road Tripping with Edgar Bronfman

Tuesday night is Tu Bishvat, the New Year of the Trees. To celebrate it, our great friend and supporter Edgar Bronfman wrote about road-tripping with his brother Charles. Just the idea of the two of them on a let’s-discover-America campaign is brilliant and otherworldly, like an Easy Rider of Robin Hood-type do-gooders instead of druggies, but his essay makes some great points ...

RIP Ronnie James Dio

I have been listening to Dennis Chambers play his funk for the last few days on my iPod and in traditional Heshy style I usually listen to something of the same letter so I debated if I wanted Dinah Washington, Def Leppard, Dream Theater, Danger Danger or Dio. For one reason or another, I turned on Dio’s Last In Line ...

RIP Adam Yauch (MCA) – Jewish and Buddhist

Back in 1987 at Camp Tamarack, I remember a couple of friends and I decided to sing “Paul Revere” for a talent show. “Only if I can be MCA,” I recall saying to my two fellow campers. There was something about MCA that I always liked.Three Jewish white boys at a Jewish summer camp pretending to be three Jewish white ...

Revised USCJ Luach

Today is the second day of Rosh Chodesh Tevet, the beginning of the new Jewish month. It is also the seventh day of Hanukkah. That means that the past two mornings have been long, complicated prayer services with Torah readings from two separate Torah scrolls, Hallel (songs of praise for both Hanukkah and Rosh Chodesh), and a Musaf service for ...

Review of Laura Lieber’s Yannai on Genesis

There’s a glowing review at H-Judaic of a new book on Jewish prayer by Laura S. Lieber.Yannai on Genesis: An Invitation to Piyyut.Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press. The review is by Debra Blank (Brandeis University). Published on H-Judaic (April, 2011).In praising this book in many ways, Blank includes this specific assessment, “The volume’s raison d’être is the k’dushta’ot (poetic versions of the Amidah’s first three sections) that ...

Reunited

This weekend was my 25th college reunion. The big one. Reunions at Princeton is a big, big deal. I use the singular because “Reunions,” which is also capitalized, is an event, a time, a place, an institution among the old Tigers, in a way that, I am told by alumni of comparable schools who also know Princeton Reunions, is not ...

Responsibility Towards Others

In Parshat Bechukotai, the Torah tells of the disasters that will befall the Jewish people if they fail to observe the laws of the Torah properly. It says that people will panic and trip over each other. The Gemara in Sanhedrin comments on this phrase, one Jew will trip over the sins of his brother. “Melamed shekol yisrael areivim zeh lazeh.” This teaches us ...