â–Ş Loving the Law (a Catholic thinker reads Halakhic Man)
â–Ş Jews weren’t all pedlars and criminals, Mr Dickens
â–Ş The Safran Dreidel Collection
â–Ş Israeli officials escalate war of words with N.Y. Times
â–Ş Season For Miracles and Learning
â–Ş Happy Hanukkah, Marines!
â–Ş Mumbai synagogue celebrates 150th year
â–Ş Leaving The December Dilemma Behind
â–Ş High-Tech Education and High Quality?
â–Ş At Reform biennial, handwringing over the next generation
â–Ş R. Avraham Yosef: Segregated Buses Idiotic
â–Ş SALT Thursday
â–Ş Yiddish making a comeback at colleges
â–Ş Rabbi, Matisyahu shaved off his beard! Should I shave off mine?
â–Ş N.Y. lawmaker Carl Kruger quits over bribery charges (what’s up with the lead paragraph?)
â–Ş Holland: New rules on animal slaughter
â–Ş Haredi solution: ‘Kosher’ bus company
▪ The Meaning of the Name “Maccabee”
▪ Translating the Bible From Hebrew — To Hebrew
â–Ş Day School Enrollment Trending Downward
â–Ş Constitutional Crisis At Young Israel
▪ Questions Aren’t Fatal
â–Ş SALT Wednesday
â–Ş Guide for the traveler on Chanukah
â–Ş Can Reform Jews be politically conservative?
â–Ş Shas Sets Up Shop in U.S.
â–Ş Leader Asks Jews To Return to Tunisia
â–Ş In Search of the Moderate Voice
â–Ş Haredim protest dense burial campaign
â–Ş Christopher Hitchens’ lessons on writing a derashah
â–Ş A Review of Responses to the Beacon article
â–Ş R. Shlomo Amar: A woman rabbi is an uprooting of the Torah
â–Ş The Origins of the Non-Jewish Custom Of ‘Schlissel Challah’
â–Ş SALT Tuesday
â–Ş YUTorah Online – Chanuka To Go
â–Ş Jon D. Levenson: The Meaning of Hanukkah
â–Ş Orthosexuality
â–Ş Satmar Rebbe Condemns Jews Who Bash Obama
â–Ş ‘Kosher electricity law’ pulled
▪ New Yorkers producing film on Israel’s Six-Day War victory
â–Ş The Political Orthodoxy of Hebrew Union College
â–Ş At Orthodox Toy Store in Brooklyn, Batman Is Not Kosher
â–Ş Yes, An Orthodox Rabbi Can ‘Do’ a Commitment Ceremony
â–Ş Brooklyn D.A. Refuses To Name Child Sex Abusers
â–Ş SALT Monday
â–Ş Last week’s news & links
Rules: link
“Do you think that if Barak felt that Obama were bad for Israel he would state that?”
Obama has been very good for Israel in precisely the areas that Barak is responsible for. And everyone in the know, including a lot of the Obamahaters, know that to be true. Had Obama not been so supportive, Barak could not say something like that without being completely trashed by his political opponents. That hasn’t happened.
Diplomatic politician, Charlie.
R’ Lamm is quite clear that Centrist and MO mean the same thing. I think Dr. Schick has an ulterior motive in separating them. (He himself runs a system that includes both kinds of schools.)
“Money quote: “the Obama administration is backing the security of Israel for which I’m responsible in our government in a way that could hardly be compared to any previous administration. “”
Do you think that if Barak felt that Obama were bad for Israel he would state that?”
Sure, if Barak felt that Obama was bad for Israel, that is exactly the right kind of comment to make.
That quote can either be a praise or an insult. It is completely non committal. The type of quote that no matter what side of the argument you are on, you can’t debate it.
Ha! Avi, I didn’t notice that. Clever, clever Barak.
“Rabbi Greenberg has violated neither Torah law nor civil law. He has used his rabbinate to help right a wrong. In officiating at a same-sex commitment ceremony between two men, Rabbi Greenberg may not have acted in a way that fits Rabbi Spolter’s belief structure, but he also did not violated any laws. The “to’eva” (abomination) in Leviticus speaks to a sexual act. Nowhere does it discuss a life-cycle ceremony drawing upon the language of our sacred tradition to bless a relationship between two souls”
Was Rabbi Greenberg blessing a relationship where sexual acts were not contemplated or done?
“R’ Lamm is quite clear that Centrist and MO mean the same thing.”
Nachum expressed the bottom line better than I did.
“In a statement, Goldberg pointed out that the National Council’s constitution “requires elections to be held every two years, but none have taken place in almost five years. Mostofsky’s move to appoint successors circumvents the organization’s governing rules and is yet another example of the board’s disregard for fundamental governance requirements.”
In light of that, Goldberg called upon all approximately 120 Young Israel congregations to place their annual membership dues in escrow until there are “fair and open elections … the required financial audit is completed” and delegates are again able to vote by telephone at national meetings.
A leader of the organization who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals said he was surprised when the press release referred to Dworetsky’s selection as being in accordance with the group’s constitution.
“You can’t cherry pick when you are going to follow the constitution,” he said. “Once you decide not to hold elections, you throw the whole constitution in the air; you can’t trot it out when it suits your purpose.””
Sadly how many Jewish organizations follow the same model. How many have transparency?
Sadly how many Jewish organizations follow the same model. How many have transparency?
http://www.rabbis.org/news/article.cfm?id=105445
“[...] let it be resolved that all Jewish communal institutions strive to attain levels of transparency regarding financial affairs, regarding the mechanism of leadership succession, and regarding the planning and execution of general business.”
Are the (Charedi) leaders of the (MO) Young Israel RCA members?
“R’ Lamm is quite clear that Centrist and MO mean the same thing.”
Nachum expressed the bottom line better than I did.
Sure, in the same way that LWMO and RWMO mean the same thing. See again the R. Wurzburger’s words:
Mixing the segmentation to get to the bottom line: does RWMO accept Ramaz as “Centrist” or “Modern”? e.g.
RE ” Leaving The December Dilemma Behind”
I have to say, I grew up with option 4… and it still wasn’t enough. Option 1 is the only one that worked for me. And thank god organizations exist today to make it financially, socially, and mentally possible!
Re “Loving the Law (a Catholic thinker reads Halakhic Man)”
It’s behind a pay wall….
Ok, it’s behind a pay wall and a completely christian website/magazine… Umm something you want to tell us?
It’s a great article. I’m sure plenty of Hirhurim readers subscribe to First Things. Keep in mind that Catholics differ from Protestants in, among other things, observance of canon law. He uses Halakhic Man to defend that attitude and even sides with R. Soloveitchik’s legalism against Pope John Paul II’s appeal to faith and reason.
There is something deeply ironic about frum Jews looking up to traditionalist Catholic thinkers. Our history should surely bias us toward the reformers such as Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.
“In addition, South Florida — home to five Hebrew charter schools, two of which just opened this fall — has seen especially large day school declines,”
Of course, the area served by Tri-Rail (Palm Beach, Broward, Dade) has been hit hard by the recent “economic troubles”
IH-ask anyone who you know who teaches Limudei Kodesh at Ramaz-they can probably tell you what % of the student population is Shomer Shabbos, etc.
Steve — so you are confirming you do think there is a difference between “Centrist Orthodox” and “Modern Orthodox” as per my point (and in line with R. Wurzburger’s take on R. Lamm’s terminology).
Oh, the only book of the Tanach not found among the DSS is Megilat Esther, although “Cave 4 yielded remains of a writing akin to Esther, a kind of proto-Esther (4Q550), published by J.T. Milik, we may infer that the Book of Esther was not deliberately excluded from the Qumran canon.” (ref: Geza Vermes, The Story of the Scrolls, p. 102)
wrong thread. sorry.
IH-I would certainly agree with your take on the differences between R Wurzburger ZL’s POV and that of Yivadleinu LChaim R D N Lamm. For more on this , read a collection of R Wurzburger ZL’s writings and compare the same with RD N Lamm’s Torah UMadah.
IH-again-ask anyone who teaches Limudei Kodesh at Ramaz-they can easily tell you who is Shomer Shabbos, etc, and who is not a Shomer Torah Umitzvos.
from the rca resolution IH refers to: “Vehicles for attaining transparency include annual open meetings, featuring complete reports of their activities and financial condition, as well as periodic newsletters detailing current news and goals.”
as i recall, the rca annual meeting is not exactly open. neither are their finances published by the rca (though the tax returns are now available on the net. it seems money is fungible between several related org’s. nothimg necessarily sinister about that.)
2. mycroft 8:14am quotes from the article “Nowhere does it discuss a life-cycle ceremony drawing upon the language of our sacred tradition to bless a relationship between two souls”
a life-cycle ceremony (where’d you get that from? ovbiously an american innovation. did not exist in the old country.) is by definition a religious ceremony, celebrating certain implications of events. thus, its improper to honor improper implications of events.
also, the actual implications mycroft refers to.
3. charlie h — barak is a politician first, a defense minister second. and he is basically allied with the ‘bama forces (as long as he gets to keep his volvo ( = stay in office.) )
perhaps ben gurion weas right — he arrogated the defense ministry to himself, saying the prime ministership and the defense ministership are inherently identical. except in barak’s case.
steve / IH — using avi chai’s definitions, not that many SS ( = shomer shabat) in “MO” day schools. yes, their definitions are flawed, but they are presented to advance a certain agenda (not necessarily bad.) how did m schick get involved in this?
http://forward.com/articles/147997/ cute.
emma – why do you find that article cute?
Jews were never all criminals -so whats the chiddush.
i dont know. maybe it’s that someone found something i have always taken for granted newsworthy, i also think the women profiled come off as cute (esp in the video), for better or worse. overall i found it more interesting and entertaining than the toy store article, say.
sometimes gil just posts human interest stories abt the orthodox, and this is one, though i guess he usually posts ones from the nonjewish press.
I remember when there were tons of weddings for Yoilis, boys named after the Satmar rebbe. This is a very common phenomenon. And cousins with the same name? That happens all the time, just naming after grandparents. The whole story is a non-story.
I don’t disagree that it is a nonstory. In the sense that it is obviously not news. It’s a human-interest feature story, which would possibly be informative to some people and was still fun to read (and watch) for me even with little new information. that’s all. maybe that’s what i meant by “cute” – “makes me smile,” nothing more earth-shattering than that. Anyway, enough meta-analysis.
“Yeshiva University’s student newspapers are student-run activities. The administration’s hands-off approach to such activities was maintained in this case, as evidenced by the fact that the article in question appeared online. Once the essay was published, it was the president of the Stern College Student Council who led the effort—at the overwhelming behest of her constituents, many of whom were deeply offended—to have the essay removed from The Beacon’s website.
University administrators played the role of mediator in this matter, seeking an amicable solution to a difference between two groups of students—the student journalists of The Beacon and the Student Council of Stern College. In the end, the editors of The Beacon made the decision to forego the funding that had been provided by the Student Council and to become an independent entity.
Yeshiva University is proud of our students, the diversity of thought and opinion present on our campuses, and students’ commitment to embracing life through the prism of Torah values”
When wouldn’t the administration keep a hands off approach?
Note one day an article about beginning of decrease in day school attendance-next day an article about Reforms problems.
One can not pass by any link to anything about sex wo mentioning the classic 66 exchange between RYG and RAL in YU Commentator-it probably was a watershed in the separation of RYG from standard MO to what he is today.
Chaya Mushka was also the name of a daughter of the the 4th Lubavitcher Rebbe (Maharash). Both she and the Rebbetzin of MMS were named after the wife of the 3rd Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Incidentally, there is an amazing photograph of Chaya Moussia in her wedding dress that was published in Heilman & Friedman’s book: http://soc.qc.cuny.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Rebbetzin-01.jpg
What is gained by Israel escallating war of words with NYTimes?
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/israel-s-real-rosa-parks-takes-to-the-buses-1.403135
“Now Horowitz turned around and said loudly and clearly: “What do you mean by ‘men’s area’? A geographical area?” she wondered. “What is mehadrin? Are you talking about an etrog, a lulav?” she queried, referring to two of the principal symbols used during the festival of Sukkot. “Nowhere in rabbinical law does it say that it is forbidden to sit behind a woman, not in the Shulchan Arukh and not in the Yoreh De’ah [two classical compilations of Jewish law]. What is written in the Torah and in rabbinical law is that it is forbidden to humiliate sons and daughters of Israel.”
Like a deflated balloon, the man became quiet, and maintained his silence for the rest of the bus ride.”
While I am entirely against the “women in the back of the bus” approach, it does say in the Gemara that a man should not walk behind a woman. That can be plausibly applied to sitting (and plausibly not).
It was a draw into the article which I think will be interesting to Hirhurim readers because this is a Charedi woman as the “Rosa Parks”. She wasn’t taught Gemara, of course :-)
By the way, anyone who quotes the gemara in question should read it in context: B’rachot 61A.
>> While I am entirely against the “women in the back of the bus” approach, it does say in the Gemara that a man should not walk behind a woman. That can be plausibly applied to sitting (and plausibly not).
Gil, they didn’t have buses in the time of the gemara, but they did have seats, and even conveyances with seats. I venture to say that sitting was a common occurance in the time of the gemara. If they felt that it was assur to sit behind a woman, they could have said it. So, no, I don’t think that the halacha about walking behind a woman can be plausibly extended to sitting.
“R’ Lamm is quite clear that Centrist and MO mean the same thing”
I’ve heard him say that.
“R’ Lamm is quite clear that Centrist and MO mean the same thing”
I’ve heard him say that.
I haven’t doubted R. Lamm’s position. But, often labels take on different meanings that originally intended. The quotation form R. Wurzburger adds context as to why he said (says) that.
However, the fact that the Day School Enrollment census has made a distinction since its inception in 1998 illustrates there is a sociological segmentation between Modern and Centrist. And R. Brill’s explanation in his 2005 article adds further texture.
“While I am entirely against the “women in the back of the bus” approach, it does say in the Gemara that a man should not walk behind a woman. That can be plausibly applied to sitting (and plausibly not).”
This article from Web Yeshiva tackles that point directly.
http://blog.webyeshiva.org/halacha/applying-old-halachot-to-new-conditions
“from the rca resolution IH refers to: “Vehicles for attaining transparency include annual open meetings, featuring complete reports of their activities and financial condition, as well as periodic newsletters detailing current news and goals.”
as i recall, the rca annual meeting is not exactly open. neither are their finances published by the rca (though the tax returns are now available on the net. it seems money is fungible between several related org’s. nothimg necessarily sinister about that.)”
Due to your comment I went to guidestar and read the most recent 990-which was 2009-at least the RCA files a 990-so one can see in general terms -revenue and expenses. Note program service revenue which is largely Tradition and conversion registry.
Certainly much more transparency than the OU.
“(JTA) — A New York lawmaker quit after pleading guilty to charges that he funneled bribes through his gay lover.
State Sen. Carl Kruger, a conservative Democrat who has held his Brooklyn seat since 1994, resigned Tuesday just before pleading guilty to laundering up to $1 million from lobbyists through Michael Turano, a real estate agent described by prosecutors as Kruger’s “intimate associate” and housemate.
“I accept responsibility for my actions and am truly sorry for my conduct,” Kruger was quoted by the New York Daily News as telling the court.
Kruger, who is Jewish, earned plaudits from the Orthodox community in 2009 for voting against a gay marriage bill, telling the Orthodox Hamodia newspaper at the time, “When it becomes an emotional, gut-wrenching issue, when it cuts through the fabric of traditions and values, then I have my community as the cornerstone of my decision.”
Earlier this year, after Kruger’s arrest on federal charges — and his long-term relationship with his Turano became public knowledge as a consequence — the state senator switched his stance on same-sex marriage. Kruger ended up providing one of the votes to legalize same-sex marriage in New York”
The lead paragraph is relevant since Kruger had as recently as 2009 accordingto the penultimate paragraph not only voted against gay marriage but also told Hamodia about traditions and values.
The paragraph was changed. It used to say: “AÂ New York lawmaker who had strong Orthodox Jewish backing because he rejected a gay rights initiative quit after pleading guilty to charges that he funneled bribes through his gay lover.”
Three decades ago I was a Democratic Party precinct (election district) captain in Arlington VA. Good precinct captains know who resides in their districts. Among the VIPs were a former CIA director and several members of Congress, one a Gay Republican. I happened to mention that particular Republican to a Gay friend and he returned a look of horror; he feared that I would “out” the Congressman publicly. I had no reason to do so and eventually was outed by one of his fellow Republicans.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-archaeologists-uncover-first-artifact-confirming-written-record-of-temple-worship-1.403505
“The team believes the tiny seal was put on objects designated to be used in the temple, and thus had to be ceremonially pure.
In this vein, and in the spirit of Hanukkah, Jerusalem District archaeologist of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said: “It is written in the Talmud that the only cruse of oil that was discovered in the Temple after the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks, “lay with the seal of the High Priest” – that is: the seal indicated that the oil is pure and can be used in the Temple. Remember, this cruse of oil was the basis for the miracle of Hanukkah that managed to keep the menorah lit for eight days”. “
“When Bill Kristol’s son was graduated from Harvard two years ago, many of his classmates went on to law school or hedge funds. Lt. Joseph Kristol deployed to Afghanistan, where he led Marines in the fabled 3/5 (3rd Battalion, 5th Marines) during combat in Helmand province. Another Ivy Leaguer who also exchanged Harvard Crimson for Marine Crimson is Lt. Matthew Blumenthal, son of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.).”
Exceptions-I have friends whose child served in the Marines and later went to an Ivy League School but those are exceptions.
“Hirhurim on December 24, 2011 at 10:43 pm
The paragraph was changed. It used to say: “A New York lawmaker who had strong Orthodox Jewish backing because he rejected a gay rights initiative quit after pleading guilty to charges that he funneled bribes through his gay lover.””
Thanks-your comment is much more understandable with the original paragraph.
New Milin Havivin is out. I don’t think there is anything controversial in it (unless you think that all of the Zohar was written by the tanaim)
http://www.vosizneias.com/97552/2011/12/25/jerusalem-kosher-psychology-offers-hope-to-afflicted-haredim-says-orthodox-dr
pour a little holy water over the 12 steps so we can claim it as our own “torah based” approach?
KT