9:28 PM
Gil Student
Does a rabbi have the right to refuse to answer someone seeking his guidance? If someone asks him an halakhic question, may a rabbi choose not to answer? Or is he, like a doctor, duty-bound by his special skills to serve the public that needs his services?
12:10 PM
Gil Student
9:39 PM
Gil Student
by Joel Rich
9:36 PM
Gil Student
I. What is History?
8:34 AM
Gil Student
Rules: link
9:57 PM
Gil Student
After the death of a famous Christian missionary to Jews, a blogger for the Chicago Tribune asks why there is so little debate from Jews about the divinity of the founder of Christianity (link). I don't know what he is talking about. There are many books on the subject. Here are some of them. I found the first two in particular to be useful:
9:33 PM
Gil Student
by Steve Brizel
9:31 PM
Gil Student
The theory of an eruv is that it is the joining of homes and property together into a communal area. There is a problem, however, when the community includes non-observant Jews or those who do not wish to be a part of the eruv.
9:31 PM
Gil Student
I may be mistaken but my impression is that the official policy of Agudath Israel of America is not to have any web presence. This is, I believe, in order to avoid the appearance of legitimating usage of the internet or looking hypocritical by telling others not to go on the internet but still maintaining a presence there. This is a principled stand that demonstrates how strong they consider the well-known dangers of the internet.
5:28 PM
Gil Student
First Things invites you to attend a lecture by
2:36 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin
2:17 PM
Gil Student
We are starting to plan a Hirhurim get-together in the first week of July, to mark the occasion of the hundredth audio roundup. Initial plans are to hold it in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Food will be served; admission will be free; and a few interesting activities are in the works. More information to follow in the coming weeks.
10:11 AM
Gil Student
Where can you have the opportunity to choose from 60 Tanakh and Mahshavah shiurim in less than 48 hours?
12:23 AM
Gil Student
The story of modernity is the struggle for greater individual autonomy. But a religion with obligations, such as Judaism, is about the individual submitting to an outside authority. Balancing these directly competing priorities is the complex task of the modern Jew.
8:33 AM
Gil Student
10:29 PM
Gil Student
by Joel Rich
10:14 PM
Gil Student
I don't always have the chance to review each book, so I'll list the books that I receive. Some of them will be quoted or reviewed in future posts. Here are the books I've received recently:
10:11 PM
Gil Student
The scene is late night on the threshing floor. Rus and Boaz are all alone. They spend the night together, with the scene ending "And she lay at his feet until morning" (Rus 3:14). Does this mean that they slept together? Is this a euphemism for marital relations?
2:29 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin
11:15 PM
Gil Student
9:28 PM
Gil Student
On Shavuos 1831, a man in Brody, Galicia lay deathly ill. R. Eliezer Landau, grandson of the famous Noda Bi-Yehudah and author of the Yad Ha-Melekh commentary on the Rambam, had an idea that would save this childless man's impoverished soon-to-be widow from being unable to remarry unless she made the improbable journey to Rome in order to perform chalitzah with her soon-to-be deceased husband's only brother. R. Landau advocated writing a get on the second day of Shavuos, which would free the wife from an inevitable life of solitude.
8:24 AM
Gil Student
by Joel Rich
8:21 AM
Gil Student
9:38 PM
Gil Student
In this post (link), we discussed R. Norman Lamm's theory that doubt is not considered disbelief, even if it obviously is not ideal. I was informed that a similar approach can be found in R. Avraham Weidenfeld, Lev Avraham (1:142:4), who also quotes the Chazon Ish (Emunah U-Vitachon, ch. 2) who says that those "of little faith" are still considered to have faith. I also found that R. Yehuda Amital adopts this approach.
9:23 PM
Gil Student
I. Walking with God
9:27 PM
Gil Student
Sometimes, it's brief and simple statements that best capture man’s deepest aspirations. What Neil Armstrong’s memorable words after landing on the moon said about human progress, Col. Motta Gur’s three words on army communications on 28 Iyar 5727, “Har HaBayit b'yadeinu – The Temple Mount is ours,” said about spiritual achievement. They declared the fulfillment of nearly 2,000 years of prayer and the vindication of an even older biblical worldview.
9:24 PM
Gil Student
by Steve Brizel
2:32 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin
9:29 PM
Gil Student
Guest post by R. Kenneth Brander (light editing and translation of key terms by me - GS)
8:39 AM
Gil Student
Rules: link (Note that this post will move every day until the end of the week. 3 most recent links show on the home page.)
9:49 PM
Gil Student
GET AN ENTERTAINING KOSHER EDUCATION in the convenience of your home, synagogue or school with these six invaluable DVD's:
9:36 PM
Gil Student
There are many theological approaches to the religious idea of God having chosen the Jews. These range from mystical concepts of inherent holiness to historical explanations of Jews having bonded with God (see these posts: I, II, III, IV, V). Yet I have never seen in this discussion a suggestion that the result of this chosenness is greater intelligence. Having a covenant with God does not mean being smarter than gentiles.
9:30 PM
Gil Student
by Joel Rich
9:34 PM
Gil Student
My speech at my son's bar mitzvah this past Shabbos.
9:30 PM
Gil Student
9:24 PM
Gil Student
9:19 PM
Gil Student
Further to the discussion of the next step for women in halakhah (link), I found the following discussing by Prof. Tamar Ross in a recent article -- "The Feminist Contribution to Halakhic Discourse: Kol Be-Isha Erva as a Test Case" in Emor no. 1 (January 2010), pp. 56-57, quoting R. Yoel Bin-Nun (more on this article and its connection to Hilkhos Teshuvah 3:8 coming soon). Of particular interest is footnote 45, in which Prof. Ross, to the credit of her awareness, makes an explicit connection to the Conservative approach.
9:18 PM
Gil Student
9:26 AM
Gil Student
Casting for Feature Film
2:33 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin
9:25 PM
Gil Student
I don't always have the chance to review each book, so I'll list the books that I receive. Some of them will be quoted or reviewed in future posts. Here are the books I've received recently:
11:31 AM
Gil Student
Rabbi Saul Lieberman z''l Memorial Lecture
9:25 PM
Gil Student
This past Shabbos we had a small celebration to mark the bar mitzvah of my son (name intentionally omitted to preserve Google-privacy), the first of his generation in the global Student family to reach that milestone. Below is a lightly edited version of his speech, in which he explains a talmudic insight from R. Yehudah Leib Graubart which he published while he was the rabbi of Makov, hometown of the Student family in Poland (link).
