- 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: Ethics
Cheating The Goyim
In my limited experience, most right-wing Orthodox rabbis permit cheating on taxes and other cheating of the goyim. Most Modern Orthodox rabbis I know forbid this behavior. A friend of mine recently wanted to pay cash to have his car … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Marc B. Shapiro, Orthodoxy
Tagged goyim, Marc B. Shapiro, Modern Orthodox, orthodox jew, orthodox rabbi, wine industry
Comments Off on Cheating The Goyim
Which Pico-Robertson Business Are Sporting That Coveted Rabbinic Ethics Certification?
"Peulat Sachir." Pico-Robertson’s Modern Orthodox rabbis launched this initiative a few months ago. It got a lot of publicity from the obeisant Jewish press. Does it make any difference in the way anyone does business today? I’ve not heard anyone … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Modern Orthodox, Pico/Robertson, Rabbis
Tagged business ethics, business today, jewish press, orthodox rabbis, public relations ploy
Comments Off on Which Pico-Robertson Business Are Sporting That Coveted Rabbinic Ethics Certification?
Will The Spinka Hasidim Scandal Slow Down The Money Laundering Rampant In Orthodox Yeshivas?
You would think the Spinka downfall would have put it to a stop. I’ve heard that even though only a few people have been named so far in that case, there is a long list of major donors in the … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Spinka, Yeshiva
Tagged federal grand jury, financial fraud, hebrew academy, jewish institution, orthodox jews, plea deals
Comments Off on Will The Spinka Hasidim Scandal Slow Down The Money Laundering Rampant In Orthodox Yeshivas?
Seeking Absolution For My Sins
Though I try to hold myself back in my interviews, when I feel like they are going well enough, I set my demons loose among the hens. For example, see this interview with Robert Cait and these two reports from … Continue reading
Posted in Disability, Ethics, Personal
Tagged absolution, cait, cool crowd, disabled kids, friend wayne, self denial
Comments Off on Seeking Absolution For My Sins
The Rabbis Plan To Raise Ethical Awareness At Work
I’ve yet to hear of the rabbis ever asking any worker if there was a need for their ethics initiative. It sounds to me like this is an entirely top-down initiative. Rabbi Daniel Korobkin writes in the Jewish Journal: Peulat … Continue reading
Posted in Daniel Korobkin, Ethics, Modern Orthodox, Orthodoxy, Pico/Robertson, Rabbis
Tagged covenant agreement, ethics initiative, overtime wages, public affirmation, rabbi daniel, sachir
Comments Off on The Rabbis Plan To Raise Ethical Awareness At Work
Does God Belong At Work?
Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky writes: To fully appreciate how high the stakes were, it’s necessary to realize that the scoffers were not merely challenging Moshe’s particular abilities as a spiritual architect. They were challenging the very premise of the entire religious … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging, Ethics, Pico/Robertson, R. Yosef Kanefsky
Tagged benefit of the doubt, creative endeavors, first prayer, human belief, rabbi yosef, value integrity
Comments Off on Does God Belong At Work?
Rabbis Ethics Initiative Hits Pico-Robertson
The Jewish Journal reports: But Peulat Sachir organizers are preparing for a wave of criticism nonetheless. Much of the debate over the initiative revolves around one question: Is labor ethics a Jewish issue? Fine, the owner of Pat’s Restaurant and … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Modern Orthodox
Tagged correct business, ethics initiative, jewish issue, light unto the nations, observant jew, pico boulevard
Comments Off on Rabbis Ethics Initiative Hits Pico-Robertson
David Suissa Skeptical Of New Rabbinical Certification For Business Ethics
Here are my thoughts. I am stunned that David Suissa would air his reservations about this new program in the Jewish Journal. It is not often that he comes across as a skeptic. I am sure the rabbis are shocked … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Pico/Robertson, Rabbis
Tagged jewish households, jewish merchant, legal communities, legal compliance, pico boulevard, rsquo
Comments Off on David Suissa Skeptical Of New Rabbinical Certification For Business Ethics
The Jewish Obsession With Law
So here’s a copy of the new letter Pico-Robertson’s Modern Orthodox rabbis are sending to local businesses owned by Jews. Will this high profile campaign do any good or will it only make rabbis feel good for grandstanding on a … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Modern Orthodox
Tagged capitalist perspective, communal awareness, hostile work environment, labor law compliance, orthodox rabbis, sachir, torah law
Comments Off on The Jewish Obsession With Law
LA’s Modern Orthodox Rabbis Launch Ethical Business Certification
Here’s the press release: March 1, 2009 will mark the launching of Peulat Sachir: The Ethical Labor Initiative. (Peulat Sachir is Hebrew for “the worker’s wage”.) Founded by several L.A. Orthodox rabbis in conjunction with leaders in the business and … Continue reading
Posted in Ethics, Modern Orthodox, Pico/Robertson
Tagged beth jacob congregation, judea congregation, nai david, orthodox rabbis, rabbi elazar, rabbi yosef
Comments Off on LA’s Modern Orthodox Rabbis Launch Ethical Business Certification