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"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
God, Man and Nietzsche: A Startling Dialogue between Judaism and Modern Philosophers by Zev Golan
Rabbi Gil Student writes: In a recent book, God, Man and Nietzsche, Zev Golan sets out to examine some of the specific approaches of Existentialists and both compare and contrast them with traditional Jewish texts. In chapters with titles such … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Judaism
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Judaism & Cosmetic Surgery
Dr. Daniel Eisenberg writes on Aish.com: The first successful face transplant was recently performed in France. A woman had lost her nose, lips, and chin after being mauled by her dog. The injuries left her grotesquely deformed, making it virtually … Continue reading
If it does not serve a legitimate medical purpose, cosmetic surgery is frowned upon by the Jewish legal tradition
Mark Washovsky writes: Referring to the "debate" over cosmetic surgery in Jewish law, the author cites the relevant value-concepts from the Jewish legal tradition. As a Reform rabbi, he expresses his opposition to the practice as dissuasion–rather than as an … Continue reading
Conversion To Judaism For Marriage
Rabbi Gil Student writes: R. Gedalia Dov Schwartz recently reached the milestone of serving as the Av Beth Din of Chicago for 20 years. The Chicago Rabbinical Council published a book in honor of this event titled Sha’arei Gedula (link, … Continue reading
Posted in Conversion, Dating, Judaism
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Judaism’s Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality
Dennis Prager writes: When Judaism demanded that all sexual activity be channeled into marriage, it changed the world. The Torah’s prohibition of non-marital sex quite simply made the creation of Western civilization possible. Societies that did not place boundaries around … Continue reading
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Chief Rabbi On Torah And Science
Rabbi Gil Student blogs: Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks spoke at yesterday’s conference on medical ethics and the indefatiguable Chana was there taking her copious notes (link). He opened by discussing this blog’s endlessly recurring topic, the Torah-science controversy (these are … Continue reading
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Reflections On Rosh Hashanah From A Black Guy
From the Macho Response: I just spent some time working for a jewish synagogue, during their "High Holy Days" celebrations, and here are some random thoughts: It was intoxicating to be around so many beautiful women, and not one of … Continue reading
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Forbidden Sex
Rabbi Gil Student writes: The afternoon Torah reading on Yom Kippur is from Leviticus 18, the passage of forbidden relations. Included in this list is adultery, incest and homosexual relations. Why do we read it on Yom Kippur? Rashi (Megillah … Continue reading
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Adas Torah – Up And Coming Orthodox Shul On Beverly Dr
It’s largely composed of the black-hatted offspring of such Modern Orthodox shuls as Beth Jacob and Young Israel of Century City. Adas Torah is starting a kollel (where married men will study Torah full-time). Not sure how much of a … Continue reading
Shabbos!
Towards the end of the Shabbat’s third meal, two of my friends decided to leave shul and walk home. I wanted to say "Shabbos!" to them and start crying but feared I would not have the same power over them … Continue reading
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