- https://PayPal.Me/lukeisback
"Luke Ford reports all of the 'juicy' quotes, and has been doing it for years." (Marc B. Shapiro)
"This guy knows all the gossip, the ins and outs, the lashon hara of the Orthodox world. He’s an [expert] in... all the inner workings of the Orthodox world." (Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff) LATEST POSTS:
- Robert Putnam: The Man Who Counted What America Lost
- W. Bradford Wilcox: The Sociologist Who Tells America to Get Married
- Peter Moskos: The Cop Who Talks to People
- Julius Krein
- Ryan Burge: The Numbers Man in the Empty Church
- Emily Oster: The Economist in the Delivery Room
- The Most Ridiculous Story Ever Told
- Tanner Greer
- Economist Tyler Cowen
- Richard Reeves: A Life in Institutions
- Jake Adelstein: The Reporter Who Became His Story
- Jim Goad (1961-2026)
- Moira Greyland
- Robert Oscar Lopez: The Inconvenient Witness
- Two Ledgers: Decoding the Gurus and the Price of Talk
- The Pervert’s Progress: Costin Vlad Alamariu and the Making of Bronze Age Pervert
- Curtis Yarvin: A Life Against Democracy
- Mark Helprin: Against the Current
- Mark Brandt: The Man Who Asked Who Else Is Prejudiced
- John T. Jost: The Psychologist of Acquiescence
BEST POSTS:
- * The Enlightenment Wasn’t Enlightened (6-23-26)
* Mr. Burge Draws The Line (6-23-26)
* 'Improving on Democracy' (6-17-26)
* People Leak To People Who Are Fun (6-11-26)
* Why Does Australia Produce So Many Great Journalists? (6-11-26)
* Steve Wynn and the Press: Power, Litigation, and the Contest Over Las Vegas (6-3-26)
* Sheldon Adelson and the Journalists (6-3-26)
* The Vigilant Animal: Thinkers Who Reject the Myth of Human Gullibility (6-2-26)
* The Cost of Refusing the Misunderstanding Myth (6-2-26)
* Show Me How It Travels (6-2-26)
* The Norm Explainers (6-2-26)
* Centering Marginalized Voices (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Washington Post put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What would it look like if the Financial Times put its reader first? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for the Los Angeles Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* What It Would Mean for The New York Times to Put the Reader First? (6-1-26)
* Why Wembanyama Lives on the Perimeter (5-31-26)
* The Emotional Palettes Of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco & Sacramento (5-27-26)
* The Administrative Capital: Sacramento Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* San Diego - The Quiet Republic (5-27-26)
* The Quiet Bar: San Diego Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* SF v LA Legal Culture (5-27-26)
* Why Talent Travels Poorly Between San Francisco and Los Angeles (5-27-26)
* San Francisco and Los Angeles as Rival Models of Urban Access (5-27-26)
* Social Cliques in New York, 2026 (5-25-26)
* Social Cliques in San Francisco, 2026 (5-25-26)
* The Rival Courts of Washington (5-25-26)
* The City of Private Rooms (5-25-26)
Category Archives: Modern Orthodox
Why Marc B. Shapiro Won’t Be Giving Any Classes On The Rebbe, The Rav, And Aharon Kotler
In his first class on Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg for Torah in Motion, Professor Marc B. Shapiro says: Let me tell you about who we won’t be discussing — the three most important figures in post-war North American Orthodoxy — … Continue reading
Posted in Haredi, Marc B. Shapiro, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy
Tagged american hebrew, american orthodoxy, kotler, lubavitcher rebbe, Marc B. Shapiro, professor marc, soloveitchik, torah in motion
Comments Off on Why Marc B. Shapiro Won’t Be Giving Any Classes On The Rebbe, The Rav, And Aharon Kotler
I Was A Talmid Of The Rav!
Only now can the truth be told! I know every rabbi claims to have been a talmid of the Rav, but I really was. I studded under the Rav for three years when he was still teaching in Yiddish. The … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Personal, Rabbis, Satire
Tagged biblical criticism, broken man, intellectual exercise, orthodox judaism, rav, talmid
Comments Off on I Was A Talmid Of The Rav!
What Is The Scientific Study Of Judaism?
Academic study of Judaism aka critical study aka scientific study all mean something simple — following the facts wherever they lead. The major Ashkenazi denominations of Judaism (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox) developed in Germany in the 19th Century. A founder … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Marc B. Shapiro, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy
Tagged critical notes, critical study, julius wellhausen, Marc B. Shapiro, samson raphael hirsch, semitic languages, steinsaltz, talmud study, torah in motion
Comments Off on What Is The Scientific Study Of Judaism?
A New Modern Orthodox Blog
About a year ago, I said to Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, "When are you getting your own blog?" He seemed pretty overwhelmed at the time and I did not expect him to post one any time soon. I got an email … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Pico/Robertson, R. Yosef Kanefsky, Rabbis
Tagged Aish HaTorah, Beth Jacob, ketuba, rabbi yosef, shuls, YICC
Comments Off on A New Modern Orthodox Blog
Training Women To Become Orthodox Spiritual Leaders
From a JTA blog (link): Rabbi Avi Weiss announced last week he was creating Yeshivat Maharat, "an Orthodox Yeshiva of Higher Learning … [to] train women to become Orthodox Spiritual Leaders – full members of the Rabbinic Clergy – in … Continue reading
Posted in Feminism, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, R. Avi Weiss
Tagged bayit, full complement, pastoral duties, rabbi avi weiss, semicha, university campuses
Comments Off on Training Women To Become Orthodox Spiritual Leaders
Do Rabbis Avi Weiss, Saul Berman Deserve To Be Called ‘Amalek’?
Yehuda posts to Hirhurim: Gil, it’s lovely you’re so tolerant. I’m glad you know what they mean. Despite your tolerance, I think anyone calling you, Rabbis Weiss or Berman, or any other Torah opinions "Amalek" deserves a public rebuke, and … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodox Union, Orthodoxy, YCT, Yeshiva University
Tagged beit midrash, lawrence kaplan, public apology, rabbi david, rabbi dovid, torah scholars
Comments Off on Do Rabbis Avi Weiss, Saul Berman Deserve To Be Called ‘Amalek’?
RCA’s Feel Good Resolutions
Michael posts to Hirhurim: Nice feel-good stuff, but really no meat to any of them. The sad thing is that they will likely be ignored by their own membership and OU-affiliated shuls. The smachot in my neighborhood are still over … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Rabbis, RCA
Tagged aharon, campaign funds, capital campaign, charter schools, Kashrut, parent organization, Rabbis, sad thing, talmud torah
Comments Off on RCA’s Feel Good Resolutions
Celebrating Lag B’Omer With Bonfires
"How is that good for Los Angeles?" I thought when I was reading a press release for a Lag B’Omer bonfire Monday night. "We have bad air pollution in LA and bonfires will only add to it. What will the … Continue reading
Posted in Haredi, Hasidim, Hirhurim, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy
Tagged air pollution, bonfires, chasam sofer, chopped liver, goyim, jerusalem post, lag b omer, lag baomer, unnecessary pollution
Comments Off on Celebrating Lag B’Omer With Bonfires
Providing Moral Leadership To A Kid At A Chareidi Yeshiva
yeshivaboy: hey luke, i have a quick question, did you find out about the documentary hypothesis before or after your conversion YourMoralLeader: as a child YourMoralLeader: my dad has a phd in bible yeshivaboy: and you converted anyway YourMoralLeader: yep … Continue reading
Posted in Haredi, James Kugel, Marc B. Shapiro, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Personal, Rabbis
Tagged Dennis Prager, documentary hypothesis, James kugel, marc shapiro, orthodox judaism, torah in motion
Comments Off on Providing Moral Leadership To A Kid At A Chareidi Yeshiva
Non-Orthodox Judaism Disappearing?
I’ve heard other Orthodox rabbis, such as Berel Wein, say they expected non-Orthodox Judaism to be around for hundreds of years. It would be delusional to think otherwise. Chaim Amalek emails:Isn’t that the case with all liberalizing religions in the … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, R. Norman Lamm, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform Judaism
Tagged berel wein, gil student, norman lamm, orthodox judaism, orthodox rabbis, protestant sects, rabbi isaac
Comments Off on Non-Orthodox Judaism Disappearing?