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"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: Judaism
Yisroel Pensack: Rep. Giffords’ Medical Progress Called a ‘Miracle’
It’s not often that The New York Times reports on “miracles”: TUCSON — …Representative Gabrielle Giffords continued Friday to make significant medical progress, her doctors said… Last Saturday, Ms. Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was meeting with constituents in a Tucson … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, New York Times, Torah, Yisroel Pensack
Tagged Arizona, Dr. G. Michael Lemole Jr., miracles, neurosurgery, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, thrice-daily prayers, Torah, Tucson, university medical center
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JJ: ‘Giffords known for her openness and Judaism’
Ron Kampeas writes for JTA: The event was typical Gabrielle Giffords: no barriers, all comers—Democrats, Republicans, independents welcome to talk about what was on their minds and in their hearts. While she was deep in a conversation with an older … Continue reading
Posted in Gabrielle Giffords, Judaism
Tagged american jewish committee, arizona star, christian scientist, democrats republicans, Gabrielle Giffords, personal spiritual growth
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Yisroel Pensack: New York Times Plays ‘Catch Up’ with Jewish Bloggers on Israel’s Subsidy Payments to Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men for Full-Time Torah Study
This heavily-blogged topic is apparently news to The New York Times, which covers it at length today under the headline “Some Israelis Question Benefits for Ultra-Religious.” Isabel Kershner reports: JERUSALEM — Chaim Amsellem was certainly not the first Parliament member … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Israel, Judaism, New York Times, Orthodoxy, Torah, Yisroel Pensack
Tagged amalek, benefits, full-time Torah study, Isabel Kershner, R. Chaim Amsellem, shas party, ultra-Orthodox men, ultra-religious, welfare subsidies
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Yisroel Pensack: 40 Die in Chanukah Forest Fire in Israel in Country’s ‘Biggest and Deadliest’ Blaze
The New York Times reports: JERUSALEM — A fire raging in a northern Israel forest on Thursday has left at least 40 people dead, caused the evacuation of thousands of people, burned some kibbutz houses to the ground and prompted … Continue reading
Posted in Aish HaTorah, Circumcision, Greece, Israel, Judaism, New York Times, R. Ari Kahn, Sabbath, Torah, Yisroel Pensack
Tagged chanukah, fatal, forest fire, Givat Ze'ev, hebrew calendar, holy land, Jerusalem, Kislev, Nadav and Abihu, Rafi Alkaly, rosh chodesh, sons of Aaron, Syrian-Greek empire, Tevet
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Yisroel Pensack: 2 Years after Mumbai Massacre, Chabad and Slain Rabbi’s Parents Battle in Court
The Chabad-Lubavitch movement thrives on favorable publicity, but this story on The New York Times homepage doesn’t qualify as that: MUMBAI, India — Days ahead of the second anniversary of a deadly terrorist attack on this bustling city, a Jewish center … Continue reading
Posted in Brooklyn, Chabad, Hasidim, Israel, Judaism, New York Times, Terror, Yisroel Pensack
Tagged battle in court, denomination, Eliran Russo, holtzberg, india, jewish center, legal dispute, lubavitch, massacre, Mumbai, Nariman House, renovation of building, slain rabbi's parents
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Luke Talks To Goyim About God
I’ll cover these questions from Casey on Monday night’s Torah Talk: Hey Luke–thanks for indulging my curiosity. Here’s my ten questions: 1. What is the purpose of Judaism? (…and if your answer is, “to follow the Torah,” then I want … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged 613 mitzvot, burning bush, catholic guilt, jewish prophets, shiksa, smoking pot
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Jewish Law Vs Islamic Law Vs Christian Law
On his radio show today, Dennis Prager says: Sharia is Islamic religious law. Jews have an analogue — halakha. Christianity does not have an all-embracing law that governs everything you do. There was a time in Jewish history when Jews … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Judaism
Tagged body of law, Dennis Prager, el al airlines, islamic religious law, religious body, religious jews
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Should I Try Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin?
I notice a lot of people wearing this extra pair of tefillin in the mornings. I know that these are reserved for the pious but I’m thinking that if I put them on, I might become pious. Or I could … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Personal
Tagged Chabad, minhag, pre marital sex, rabbs, spiritual dilemmas
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Freedom In Christ!
My favorite goy, Greg Leake, emails: “I thank G-d that my mother was not Jewish, and also for Jesus bin Joseph. Otherwise I probably would have fallen heir to all of these obligations and responsibilities and would have been a … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Judaism, Personal
Tagged christian freedom, christian modesty, freedom in christ, french ticklers, judaism and christianity, sleep at night
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Is G-d Satisfied With You?
Dennis Prager blows away his Christian friends when he tells them that he believes that all in all G-d is very satisfied with him. Many perhaps most of Prager’s Christian friends walk around with a deep sense of unworthiness. In … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, Dennis Prager, Judaism
Tagged christian friends, christian salvation, deep sense, Dennis Prager, eternal salvation, worthiness
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