Category Archives: Marc B. Shapiro

Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History by Marc B. Shapiro

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book for years. Surely it is the most anticipated Jewish book of 2015. When I checked last week, it was the top-selling Judaism book on Amazon.com. Changing the Immutable does not disappoint. It is chock-filled … Continue reading

Posted in Haredi, Jews, Marc B. Shapiro, Orthodoxy | Comments Off on Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History by Marc B. Shapiro

God, Torah & The Commandments

Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: R. Kook argued that there is good reason to observe mitzvot even if one does not have a traditional view of the Torah’s authorship. On the one hand, there is nothing surprising in this. After … Continue reading

Posted in Marc B. Shapiro, R. Kook, Torah | Comments Off on God, Torah & The Commandments

The Torah’s Position On Voyeurism

Marc B. Shapiro writes: “I am aware of only two times that a woman (other than one’s wife) can be seen without her clothes. One is the sotah, when her top is removed.[18] R. Judah states that if her breasts … Continue reading

Posted in Marc B. Shapiro, Sex, Torah | Comments Off on The Torah’s Position On Voyeurism

Rabbinic Perspective On Dealing With Terrorism

Marc B. Shapiro writes: While I have enormous admiration for R. Bleich’s erudition, not all of his conclusions are widely shared. For example, in a 9/11-type scenario R. Bleich argues that it is forbidden to shoot down an airplane which … Continue reading

Posted in Marc B. Shapiro, Terror | Comments Off on Rabbinic Perspective On Dealing With Terrorism

What’s The Torah’s Position On Intentionally Injecting Somebody With HIV?

Marc B. Shapiro writes: Finally, I want to discuss a recent article by Rabbi Shalom C. Spira and Dr. Mark A. Wainberg that appeared in Hakirah entitled “Criminalization of HIV Transmission.”[30] They begin by quoting R. Zvi Spitz who argues … Continue reading

Posted in AIDS, Marc B. Shapiro | Comments Off on What’s The Torah’s Position On Intentionally Injecting Somebody With HIV?