A giant has fallen and, like all of the great founders of the Baal Teshuva movement, he will never, can never, be replaced. Rabbi Meir Schuster was produced by his era, but he also shaped it. For over three decades, it was he who single-handedly filled many of the Baal Teshuva yeshivot. How does one sum up this man through whom hundreds began their
We are living in an era when the boundaries of Orthodoxy are being tested at the edges, particularly regarding the old distinctions between male and female. Our broader society tells us that male-female distinctions are discriminatory and we, the Orthodox, have become increasingly uncomfortable with the positions and traditions of our own religion. Many of us have come to believe that what we received as a Mesorah on these issues represents
When we think about the Mishkan (tabernacle) and the priestly vestments, descriptors such as artistry, exquisiteness, skill and dedication come readily to mind. Without question, the young Jewish new nation put their utmost into supplying and crafting materials to beautify Hashem’s structure. While each descriptor represents a primary quality of our first national house of service,
By now we have been inundated by the story of Chris Christie and the George Washington Bridge. The basic facts are well known. Mr. Christie’s staff decided to inflict political revenge on the Mayor of Fort Lee for his recalcitrance in supporting the re-election of the incumbent Governor Christie. The manner Christie’s underlings chose to take revenge was by ordering a four day partial closure of the busiest bridge in the entire
The gun control argument is debated everywhere and goes nowhere. This is because the wrong issue is being debated. There is something missing from the argument when we get into poring over correlations between reduced gun ownership and fatalities. America has always been about an idea,
Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz's recent blog, entitled 5 Reasons Being an Orthodox Rabbi Compelled Me to Support Gay Marriage[1] is a masterful compilation of misrepresentations and false logic woven into a compelling tapestry that sounds like a brave liberal position, but is actually a mighty act of manipulative cowardice. "I believe the essence of religious conviction is that we must do what is right"
Every right that I have creates a corresponding duty in my fellowman to honor that right. My right to my property creates an obligation in my neighbor not to trespass. Rights create duties and duties create rights. The question is our starting point. Do we start out with rights or duties? There is a huge difference as
Moshe is introduced to us as an infant, floating down the Nile River in a reed basket. His mother had placed him in the water under the watchful eye of his elder sister Miriam, in a desperate attempt to preserve his life. Despite this tumultuous beginning, Moshe experienced a relatively tranquil, privileged upbringing. While bathing in the Nile, Pharaoh’s daughter found the Hebrew
