Category Archives: Orthodoxy

Shaking Hands With Women

Many Orthodox Jewish men will not touch women (outside of their spouse and immediate family). I shake hands with women but I don’t enjoy it. Reuven posts: Around 2003 there was that "Ethicist" (Randy Cohen) article about that woman who … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Shaking Hands With Women

Do People Leave Orthodox Judaism Because Of Racism?

I’m skeptical of this claim. Sure, Orthodox Jews more than the less religious people I know, are apt to use racist expressions. Orthodox Jews, for instance, are far less likely to romanticize blacks and to imagine that they have a … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy, Race | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Do People Leave Orthodox Judaism Because Of Racism?

Are Orthodox Jews ‘Rednecks’ In Their Attitude To Obama?

Canadian Orthodox rabbi Reuven Tradburks writes: The point of my article was only tangentially about Obama. It was more about the tone and texture of differences. Once a person is identified as not being on my team – because he … Continue reading

Posted in Barack Obama, Blacks, Orthodoxy, Race | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Are Orthodox Jews ‘Rednecks’ In Their Attitude To Obama?

Can Working On A Bail-Out Bill Be Considered Saving A Life?

In Jewish law, you are allowed to break the Sabbath to save a life. Rahm Emmanuel invoked this when asking his rabbi if he could make a phone call on Rosh Hashanah for the sake of the bailout bill. Rabbi … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Can Working On A Bail-Out Bill Be Considered Saving A Life?

It’s Too Easy To Condemn Modern Orthodox Racism

Gary Rosenblatt, the Modern Orthodox Editor of The Jewish Week in New York writes: Last Wednesday, the day after the elections, Elliot Prager, the principal of Moriah, a Modern Orthodox day school in Englewood, N.J., was approached by a 9-year-old … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-Semitism, Blacks, Gary Rosenblatt, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Race, The Jewish Week | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s Too Easy To Condemn Modern Orthodox Racism

How Open Is ‘Open Orthodoxy’?

I think the proponents of "Open Orthodoxy" mean well. They are the part of Orthodoxy I find most easy to hang with, but "Open Orthodoxy" is a contradiction in terms. "Orthodoxy" means one truth. How open can you be when … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy, YCT | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on How Open Is ‘Open Orthodoxy’?

The YCT Rabbinics Student Whose Wife Didn’t Cover Her Hair, Her Knees And A Whole Lot More

Mark writes on Hirhurim about Modern Orthodoxy (MO): I’ve encountered numerous people who claim that they’re MO and while sometimes they share similarities, many times they’re worlds apart. For example, I recently encountered a young man and his wife in … Continue reading

Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, YCT, Yeshiva University, Young Israel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The YCT Rabbinics Student Whose Wife Didn’t Cover Her Hair, Her Knees And A Whole Lot More

The Age of the Earth

Rabbi Aviner writes: While there is still a difference between the dating of the world between the Torah – 5769 years – and scientists – 15 million years (this conclusion is reached through radioactivity in rocks, salts in oceans, etc…), … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Age of the Earth

Orthodox In-Fighting

Joe emails: The infighting among Orthodox shuls in L.A. is really an embarrassment. Young Israel of North Beverly Hills is a total train wreck and a textbook example of what happens when ego is mixed with money and control issues. … Continue reading

Posted in Orthodoxy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Orthodox In-Fighting

LA Orthodoxy Is Weird

From my live cam chat: Josh:  LA orthodoxy exists in a bubble, you guys are so weird. Josh:  In NY, orthodox converts tend to be super-fanatic, whereas you behave like a FFB (frum from birth) Josh:  luke, dude, i’m ffb.  … Continue reading

Posted in Los Angeles, Orthodoxy | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on LA Orthodoxy Is Weird