Category Archives: Marc B. Shapiro

Rabbis Looking To Get On In Life

In his second lecture on R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: In 1906, Rav Meir Simcha was asked by the leaders of Jerusalem to assist Rav Shmuel Salant as rav of … Continue reading

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Gay Torah Scholars

Are there or have there been great Torah scholars who are gay or bi or never married? Marc B. Shapiro says: “There must have been great Torah scholars who were gay or bisexual, but this is not the sort of … Continue reading

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The Ignorant Spend Their Time Online Instead Of Learning Torah

In his second lecture on R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: There’s a whole school of thought that says aliyah (moving to Israel) is not important until the Messianic era. I … Continue reading

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The Great Controversies Of The Chofetz Chaim

The Chofetz Chaim was a European Orthodox rabbi who lived at the turn of the last century. According to Wikipedia: “Yisrael Meir (Kagan) Poupko (Dziatłava, 1838 – Radun’, 1933), known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Lithuanian Jewish … Continue reading

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Marc Shapiro: Hershel Schachter’s Books Are Interesting

In his first lecture on R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: Hershel Schachter’s books are very interesting. The halachic stuff is great. Unfortunately, so much of the history is garbled. Rav … Continue reading

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How Do You Run A Modern State According To Jewish Law?

In his sixth lecture on R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinksi for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: According to Rav Nissim of Girona (aka The RaN) says that in our Jewish system, there are two types of governance … Continue reading

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How Much Loyalty Should Jews Have To A Gentile State?

In his sixth lecture on R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinksi for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: For us today, if, say, the United States instituted some anti-Semitic decrees, we would all assume immediately that we no longer … Continue reading

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Get Ready For Female Modern Orthodox Rabbis

Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: Leaving aside the issue of serving as a dayan, it is obvious to me that women rabbis are coming to Modern Orthodoxy, even if the powers that be are standing firmly against it. Yet they … Continue reading

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Was Isadore Twersky A Rationalist Or A Mystic?

Marc B. Shapiro was Harvard professor Isadore Twersky‘s last major student. In his fifth lecture on R. Chaim Ozer Grodzinksi for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: If you went to Rabbi Isadore Twersky’s shul on Shabbos … Continue reading

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A Photo Of A Teenage Rebbe Swimming Topless

In his second lecture on R. Meir Simcha of Dvinsk for Torah in Motion, history professor Marc B. Shapiro says: “I am in possession of a lengthy autobiography of an important rosh yeshiva who is no longer alive. This autobiography … Continue reading

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