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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
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- 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)
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- 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
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- * 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)
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Category Archives: Judaism
The Cross & The Jew
Chumi Friedman blogs: The following question was submitted to the about.com forum on Judaism: "Dear Rabbi, We are not religious but our son was raised as a Jew and had both a (reformed) rabbi and priest perform his wedding ceremony. … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged blogs, chumi, consequences, first thought, friedman, girlfriend, good person, grandchildren, jew, Judaism, quot, rabbi, wedding ceremony
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Does God Love Us Unconditionally?
The other day I was in the house of God worshiping the Almighty according to the strictest strictures of his Immutable Moral Law — written and oral — when I stumbled over the unlikeliest of creatures — a friend. He … Continue reading
Every Time I Enter A Rabbi’s Office, I Leave It With Less Freedom To Pursue Truth
I’m not complaining. I think it’s cool. It means I have to make fewer decisions. I have fewer options. I’m a drop in the rain, just a number not a name. And you don’t see it. You don’t believe it. … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism, Personal
Tagged census, cozy community, fog of war, freedom, friend fred, god doesn, god of judaism, instrumental value, Israel, jew, jewish friend, many things, Passover, pentateuch, phds, point truth, public affairs, quot, rabbi, Rabbis, rational inquiry, sofer, theory and practice, Torah, whole slew, wikipedia
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Why Are There No Female Saints In Judaism?
Professor Marc B. Shapiro writes: Since I mentioned some stories from Halakhic Man that show that the Rav did not have a Modern Orthodox ethos, I will also say something about the following story, which some have wondered about. Once … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged adherent, Christianity, elitism, female saints, hasidism, Marc B. Shapiro, notion, nots, prayers, professor marc, psalm book, rav, renown, rsquo, seforim, Synagogue, talmud, torah study, traditional judaism, younger generation
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Man’s Search For Meaning
Dana Jennings writes for the NYT: As my 40s lengthened, I inexplicably became ravenous for wisdom and meaning. I devoured theological tomes — the works of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the Catholic writer Thomas Merton come to mind — … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
Tagged 12th century, abraham joshua heschel, ancient sages, becoming a jew, catholic writer, celestial highway, cuts of steak, drone, flesh and blood, Hillel, little voice, new testament, nyt, protestantism, sacred texts, saints and martyrs, solace, starbucks, thomas merton, transcendence
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God Is In The Details
David Suissa writes: Any religion where the main book can read like a Home Depot instruction manual must have something amazing going for it. The spirituality is so hidden, the morality so subtle, the inspiration so obscure, that a few-thousand … Continue reading
Posted in David Suissa, Judaism
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Film shows Down syndrome no obstacle to prayer – it’s the non-retarded who have the problems
The JTA’s Rebecca Wolfson is all giddy that retarded kids can pray. Yeah, well, it’s those with their rational faculties most intact who have the biggest problem with prayer. What’s the point? To change G-d’s mind? To change us? If … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
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The Jewish Bed
Rabbi Ari Enkin writes: According to halacha it is forbidden to position one’s bed in a way that it stretches from east to west but rather it must run north-south.[2] This halacha originates from the Gemara[3] which teaches that it … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
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Religious Search
Rabbi Gil Student writes: The question sometimes arises whether a Jew, in his honest search for truth, must examine every religion to see which one is true. Should a Jew simply pursue his own religion or must he also examine … Continue reading
Closing Your Website For The Sabbath
Ilan emails: Dear Jewish website owner, Keeping the Shabbat on your website is now possible. By using the "Shomer Shabes" system you can block access to parts of your website on Shabbat and Haggim, for example pages including donation links, … Continue reading
Posted in Judaism
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