by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on July 14, 2016
Dearest David, Menashe, Josh, Sam, Marc, Jason, Darren, Jack, Yossi, Saul, and Uri – you now stand on the threshold of receiving smikha, as the S. Daniel Abrahams Class of 2005. But in a way, you are also very much the class of September 11, 2001, the tragic events of that day occurring only days after you began your tenure at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.…
by Rabbi Dov Linzer Posted on July 5, 2016
Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakai (RYBZ), leader of the Jewish people during the period immediately following the destruction of the temple, established a number of edicts (takanot) during his tenure. The Talmud places the total number at nine, six of which are explicitly stated in the Mishnah, and three more are attributed to him by the Talmud.…
by Michelle Friedman, MD Posted on July 5, 2016
Each time another sordid story of sexual molestation of children comes to light, an inevitable series of questions arise. “Why don’t the girls protest? Why didn’t they tell their parents, a teacher, a trusted friend? Why didn’t they say ‘no!’ to the abuser, and fight back?”… This article was originally published in the JOFA journal.…
by Michelle Friedman, MD Posted on July 5, 2016
People come to mental health treatment because they are in pain. The presentations of their pain vary–they come because they suffer from symptoms that restrict or threaten their lives, because they struggle with inner conflicts that undermine and torment their integrity, or because if they don’t come, they will lose their job, their spouse, or their children.…
by Michelle Friedman, MD Posted on July 5, 2016
My eldest daughter was assigned to read a long novel of her choice over spring vacation and came to me for help in making her selection… To read the full article, click here.…
by Michelle Friedman, MD Posted on July 5, 2016
Marisa Greenberg (not her real name) did not attend her last high school reunion. Though she is an accomplished editor and mother of three, she felt ashamed of her weight and the “unstylish” way she dresses. “I didn’t feel good enough about myself,” she says.…
by Michelle Friedman, MD Posted on July 5, 2016
This article was originally published in Deot. To read this Hebrew article, click here.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss Posted on July 5, 2016
Recently, the Chronicle ran a curious and disturbing picture of a Chassidic Jew embracing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a conference of Holocaust deniers. The picture has outraged Jews all over the world. That embrace represents a betrayal of Jewish sensitivities and a disgrace to the victims of the Holocaust.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss Posted on July 5, 2016
God has blessed Toby and me with three wonderful children: Dena, Elana and Dov. We were also blessed with a fourth child born between Elana and Dov. His name was Yitzchak Rafael. It will be 40 years ago this coming December that Yitzchak Rafael came into this world. …
by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot Posted on July 5, 2016
The fall of 1996 was an exciting time in my life: I had just started a new job coordinating the Judaic studies curriculum for Maayanot, a fledgling new high school for young women in Teaneck, New Jersey; I was teaching a few classes at Torah Academy of Bergen County, a local boys’ yeshivah high school and I was continuing to lecture at Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. …
by Rabbi Avi Weiss Posted on July 5, 2016
The purpose of this paper is to bring a particular approach to spirituality. There are other models. Still, it is an understanding that I have found to be of meaning, and one steeped in Jewish sources. We will analyze spirituality by first defining the term; second, offering a pathway to achieve spirituality; third, suggesting ways to bring spirituality into the synagogue; finally, outlining what rabbis need to do to bring spirituality into their communities.…
by Rabbi Avi Weiss Posted on July 5, 2016
As a Modern Orthodox Rabbi, I profess an unequivocal commitment to the truth, validity, and eternal applicability of the Halakhic system. No less than my brethren on the Orthodox Right, I believe in Torah Mi-Sinai, the law given by God at Sinai, to which the Jewish people committed itself. …
