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.)Friday
Friday, April 30, 2010
Weekly Links
6:44 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.)Friday
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Audio Roundup XCI
10:40 PM
Gil Student
by Joel RichQuestion
Do you believe that every person (feel free to differentiate between sub-categories) is born with the same potential to provide HKB"H with nachas ruach (satisfaction) [i.e. we are all born with the same probability distribution function of satisfying HKB"H]?
Women and Torah Reading
10:29 PM
Gil Student
The recent publication of Women and Men in Communal Prayer: Halakhic Perspectives, a collection of articles by Dr. Tamar Ross, R. Daniel Sperber, R. Mendel Shapiro, Prof. Eliav Shochetman and R. Shlomo Riskin about women being called to the Torah, gives us the opportunity to reflect on the general trend of arguments in this discussion. All of the articles have been previously published except for Dr. Ross' long introduction, but R. Sperber's is a highly reworked translation of his Hebrew book Darkah Shel Halakhah.
Dr. Chaim Trachtman, the editor of this volume, makes an important point in his preface. Why does the book's title refer to prayer while the contents discuss only the Torah reading?
Dr. Chaim Trachtman, the editor of this volume, makes an important point in his preface. Why does the book's title refer to prayer while the contents discuss only the Torah reading?
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Parashah Roundup: Emor 5770
9:23 PM
Gil Student
Internet Commerce on Shabbos
8:29 PM
Gil Student
In an article in the journal Techumin (link), R. Shlomo Dichovsky addressed the permissibility of keeping open on Shabbos a website that sells items. He discusses four possible halakhic issues before reaching a conclusion:
Posts on Women's Ordination
12:08 PM
Gil Student
Here are links to previous posts about the substance of women's ordination:Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Ice in a Mikveh
9:26 PM
Gil Student
R. Gedalia Dov Schwartz, Shaarei Gedulah, pp. 198-201The method of delivery of the water is of paramount importance in the construction and design of the mikveh. The water is the soul of the mikveh and must be introduced through natural flow.
RCA Resolutions
9:12 PM
Gil Student
Important Policy Decisions from the RCA Convention
1:16 PM
Gil Student
From the RCA (link):
Resolution on Women's Communal Roles in Orthodox Jewish Life Adopted Without Dissent by the 51st Convention of The Rabbinical Council of America
Lag Ba'omer - Bows & Arrows
2:55 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari EnkinThere is a well known Lag Ba'omer custom for children (and adults!) to play with bows and arrows. It is said that the Scriptural source for this custom is alluded to in the verse: "And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, shooters of bows and had many sons, and sons' sons."[1] Based on this verse, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that playing with bows and arrows is a segula for having children.[2]
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Next Frontier
8:23 PM
Gil Student
While everyone is still debating the current issue of women in rabbinic positions, essentially arguing with facts that are already on the ground, I'd like to offer a prediction about what the next issue will be: halakhic egalitarianism. I believe that the next area where the envelope will be pushed in the self-defined Orthodox community is women fulfilling mitzvos on behalf of the entire community which includes men.Friday, April 23, 2010
Weekly Links
8:47 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.)Friday
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Announcements #150: The Economics of Edutainment
9:29 PM
Gil Student
The Economics of EdutainmentDiscussion Evening on Professionalism and Pedagogy in 'One-Year' Israel Programs
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Hosted by the Israel Center, 22 Keren HaYesod St., Jerusalem
Stories about Torah and Science
9:27 PM
Gil Student
Herman Wouk's goal in his recently published The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion is not to conclusively resolve the knotty contradictions between science and Torah. Readers wanting a book that lists the problems and then responds point-by-point with direct answers should look elsewhere. Wouk, rather, provides a narrative that explains how he, an educated, cosmopolitan, thinking man (not that he calls himself that), sees little contradiction.Audio Roundup XC
9:14 PM
Gil Student
by Joel RichNo Question:
No questions here today (Yom Hazikaron), since the questions I would have written are only allowed (AIUI from R’YBS) on Tisha B’av. Perhaps I’ll better understand the answers tomorrow (Yom Haatzmaut).
In any event, to the friends of my youth cut down in their youth, Eli and Chuck, and to the brothers and sisters I never knew, you have my eternal hakarat hatov for your ultimate sacrifices for the nation that dwells in Zion and more so for those of us not yet there (physically and/or spiritually).
Bad Reviews
12:15 PM
Gil Student
This is my favorite example of how not to write a review, courtesy of Bloom County (click on the image to expand it).
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Parashah Roundup: Acharei Mos-Kedoshim 5770
11:08 PM
Gil Student
by Steve BrizelParshas Acharei Mos
Relying on God
9:32 PM
Gil Student
Does having bitachon, relying on God, mean that you believe that everything will work out in your favor? R. Lichtenstein (By His Light, chapter 7) contrasts two Medieval views of bitachon.Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Devotion and Sensibility
9:21 PM
Gil Student
My article in the May 2010 issue of First Things (link):The gateway to a man’s soul is his eyes—not in the sense of what one sees in his eyes, but in the sense of what he sees out of them.
Announcements #149: New OU Kosher DVD: What’s Wrong With This Chicken?
6:03 PM
Gil Student
New OU Kosher DVD Explains: "What’s Wrong With This Chicken?"Ham? Non-kosher. Shrimp? Non-kosher. Chicken? Kosher. Chicken with a dislocated femur…non-kosher???
An aspect of home kashrut not so well-known is the avoidance of traifos. Despite its colloquial usage to mean “non-kosher,” a traifa is actually a bird or quadruped with a certain type of bodily defect that renders it non-kosher even when slaughtered correctly!
Yom Ha'atzmaut - Haircuts and Shaving
2:39 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari EnkinThere is an interesting phenomenon among many individuals who observe Yom Ha'atzmaut. Even among those who celebrate and otherwise participate in Yom Ha'atzmaut festivities in every way, including attending live musical performances and dancing, many decline the opportunity to cut their hair or to even shave in honor of the day.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Books Received XXIII
9:20 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:The Religious Zionism Debate
9:09 AM
Gil Student
In honor of Israel's sixty-second Independence Day, here are links to two e-books from this blog: "The Religious Zionism Debate" and "Do Not Ascend Like A Wall".Sunday, April 18, 2010
What is Kares?
9:34 PM
Gil Student
At the end of his commentary to the first of this week's double-portion, the Ramban has a long discussion of what the punishment of kares, generally translated as excision, means. "For whoever does any of these abominations, even the souls who do them will be cut off from among their people" (Lev. 18:29).
Friday, April 16, 2010
Weekly Links
8:51 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.)Friday
Taking Bribes
8:41 AM
Gil Student
In the wake of recent allegations of accepting bribes against prominent Israeli politicians, including in particular a representative of the Ultra-Orthodox community, I've seen anonymous commenters across the web justify this alleged behavior as acceptable. Let us set aside the people involved and, for our purposes, make no assumption of guilt and discuss the issue itself. Is it acceptable for a public official to accept bribes?Thursday, April 15, 2010
Audio Roundup LXXXIX
9:30 PM
Gil Student
by Joel RichQuestion: Why did Chazal have both positive and negative spins on Nadav V’avihu?
Hypothetical Question: You are a member of the Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah of Essex County. A community member comes to you with a check for $1 million and stipulates the funds should go to “Year in Israel” and kids.says distribute it however you think will make HKB”H the most happy.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Rambam on Miracles
9:40 PM
Gil Student
I. Like Father...I saw something interesting in R. Avraham ben Ha-Rambam's Ha-Maspkik Le-Ovdei Hashem that I think works well with a theory about his father's position on miracles. Some scholars have suggested that the Rambam's view on miracles evolved over time.
Parashah Roundup: Tazria-Metzora 5770
9:36 PM
Gil Student
by Steve Brizel (adapted from last year's, due to continuing computer problems)Mothers and Childbirth
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Announcements #148: Summer Beit Midrash Fellows
9:42 PM
Gil Student
Summer Beit Midrash Fellows, The Center for Modern Torah LeadershipThere is still room for a few outstanding fellows for this year's Summer Beit Midrash, July 6 through August 11, 2010. The Summer Beit Midrash, led by Rabbi Aryeh Klapper, is an intense and exhilarating learning program that allows advanced students to pursue compelling questions with intellectual rigor and ethical integrity in the framework of a warm and challenging Orthodox community, and to experience themselves as active contributors to the halakhic conversation.
Judging the Judges
9:36 PM
Gil Student
As I was preparing for Shavuos by reading Dr. Meir Levin's recently published study of Rus (and Yonah), in his The Dawn of Redemption: What the Books of Ruth and Yona Teach about Alienation, Despair, and Return, I was struck by his discussion of the first verse.One of the troubling aspects of the media -- newspapers, magazines, radio and blogs -- is the pitfall of continually focusing on the negative.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Kosher Garbage Cans
9:34 PM
Gil Student
Is there a need for separate meat and dairy garbage cans? It's not as crazy as you might think. Yom Hashoah, Nissan, & Sirens
2:22 AM
Rabbi Ari Enkin
By: Rabbi Ari Enkin
Ever since its legislation in 1951, the 27th of Nissan is the day designated for the annual commemoration of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Among the many ceremonies and assemblies held throughout the twenty-four hours of Yom Hashoah, the most nationally unifying observance of Yom Hashoah is undoubtedly the two minute siren which is sounded at 10:00 am.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
New Periodical: RJJ Journal no. LIX
8:39 PM
Gil Student
The Pesach 5770/Spring 2010 issue of The Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society has been published:- Celiac: A Guide to Mitzvah Observance by R. Dovid Cohen -- Great article that goes through the annual cycle, laws of blessings and other areas, discussing the relevant halakhic problems and solutions for sufferers of celiac disease.
Friday, April 09, 2010
In Teaneck on Sunday
2:02 PM
Gil Student
I will be in Teaneck on Sunday at Judaica House from 1-3pm, celebrating the publication of R. Shmuel Goldin's new book Unlocking the Torah Text on Vayikra (published by Gefen and OU Press). More information about the event and the book here: link.
Books Received XXII
1:54 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:- The Shnayim Mikra Companion by R. Jack Abramowitz
- Crash Course in Jewish History: The Miracle and Meaning of Jewish History, from Abraham to Modern Israel by Ken Spiro
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Audio Roundup LXXXVIII
9:34 PM
Gil Student
by Joel RichQuestion:
Do you know of any shuls where they switch the shliach tzibbur within the same weekday shacharit even if there is no chiyuv (e.g. “share the wealth”)? Isn’t the switch less than appropriate based on why the talmud suggests removing one?
The River, the Kettle and the Angry Book
9:31 PM
Gil Student
Rabbi Aharon Feldman inspired me twice. His books The Juggler and the King and The River, the Kettle and the Bird educated me on Torah subjects and gave me entry into the world of elegant philosophical commentary of the Talmud and its relevance to contemporary life. Not only is his pen full of profound talmudic and psychological insights, he conveys them in an eloquent but simple English. Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Parashah Roundup: Shemini 5770
10:09 PM
Gil Student
by Steve Brizel (reposted from last year due to Steve's computer troubles)The Dedication of the Mishkan
Ruling on Beliefs
9:53 PM
Gil Student
Rabbi Akiva, in Pirkei Avos (3:19), teaches that "All is foreseen and permission is granted." According to the Rambam's interpretation, this statement presents the classic contradiction between God's foreknowledge and man's free will. If God knows the future, do we really have free choice?Weekly Links
9:33 AM
Gil Student
Weekly Links will resume, God-willing, next week when I recover from the exhaustion and carb overload.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Language of Distinction
9:55 PM
Gil Student
I. Double LanguageR. Yaakov Kamenetsky (Emes Le-Ya'akov on Lev. 10:10) points out that distinctions in the Torah use the word "bein" (between) twice, as in "u-le-havdil bein ha-tamei u-vein ha-tahor -- and to disntiguish between the impure and between the pure." This is, he claims, a function of Biblical Hebrew.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Audio Roundup LXXXVII
9:46 PM
Gil Student
by Joel RichQuestion: A (too often?) heard response to a call for “volunteers” for community activities is “it can be done by others” so I shouldn’t give up my learning time.
1. Does a ben yeshiva or a (nebech) baal habayit who takes learning seriously and understands that “spare time” is learning time (to the extent possible) have a permanent pass from these activities as long as there are others who don’t have the same view?
Keeping the Sabbath
9:39 PM
Gil Student
The past few decades have seen remarkable change in the daily activity of an average citizen due to technological advances. The ways in which we communicate, perform our jobs and enjoy our leisure time are very different than when our parents were our age. The full effects of the creep of technology into so many aspects of our lives are just beginning to become evident but one thing is clear -- we need breaks from constant contact with distant people in order to connect with the people around us. 
