Summer is a terrific time to explore the great outdoors. Home gardens, roadside farm stands and farmers’ markets are overflowing with a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits that are ripe for the picking. Simple suggestions to make mealtime preparations a breeze: • Serve foods that can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature […]
By Dovid Bashevkin No one is quite sure when this crisis began. Some point to the four symposiums on the future of Modern Orthodoxy that appeared in various Jewish publications within a six-month period; others suggest the growing trend to service “teens at risk of becoming at risk.” A third school of thought, albeit a […]
In the competitive world of professional comedy, it pays to have a hook—some distinctive feature of biography or appearance that sets one performer apart from another. Among Orthodox comics, Yisrael Campbell has the I-was-a-Catholic/My-aunt-was-a-nun angle all to himself. And he’s the only one who had a series of brit milahs on the way to becoming […]
Since his recent petirah, much has been said and written about Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, one of the greatest posekim of the post-World War II era. Nevertheless, despite his very public profile—as awe-inspiring as it is—Rav Elyashiv was a very private person. Although Rav Elyashiv was surrounded by many people—even great talmidei chachamim—they convey […]
The crowds at comedy clubs around New York City aren’t sure, at first, what to make of the Orthodox woman on stage with a sheitel (wig) and long flowing dress. Is she really a comedian? They quickly get their answer: Yes. In her routine about life as an Orthodox homemaker, as wife and mother and […]
A small-but-growing number of people involved in the highest levels of professional comedy are observant Jews
Is there a special room within our philosophical house for the comedic arts?
Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich’s tenacious struggle to keep Torah in Communist Russia is documented in his book Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story of Faith, Courage and Survival (Jerusalem, 2012). But in a recent interview with OU
On the night of June 20th, 2010, a horrific car accident left Rabbi Yehuda Simes paralyzed from the neck down. Crushed by the ceiling of his minivan,
Many parents think that you can build a child’s self-esteem simply by showering him with constant compliments.
Since his recent petirah, much has been said and written about Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, one of the greatest posekim of the post-World War II era. Nevertheless, despite his very public profile—as awe-inspiring as it is—Rav Elyashiv was a very private person. Although Rav Elyashiv was surrounded by many people—even great talmidei chachamim—they convey […]
A Tribute to Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv on His First Yahrtzeit
Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks is perhaps the leading contemporary spokesman for a sophisticated Orthodox Judaism.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, famed defender of the Jewish people, was visiting a town. Approaching the community’s synagogue for worship services,
Some philanthropists do wonderful things by writing large checks to worthy causes. Harry Fischel did much more than that, and with his efforts, permanently changed the Jewish world.
Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein’s Journeys in Talmud addresses a void which has not been filled—despite the explosion of Anglo-Jewish publications of the past decade directed largely, if not exclusively, at a traditionally observant Jewish readership.
In 1970, a group of Jewish activists, desperate to escape Soviet Russia, devised a plan. They would fill up a small plane to a local city under the pretense of attending a wedding, and then hijack the plane to Sweden. Once there, they planned to announce their intention to immigrate to Israel. The plane never […]
As a law professor for almost three decades, I am familiar with the fine Understanding series of books (Understanding Contracts, Understanding Torts, et cetera).
The crowds at comedy clubs around New York City aren’t sure, at first, what to make of the Orthodox woman on stage with a sheitel (wig) and long flowing dress. Is she really a comedian? They quickly get their answer: Yes. In her routine about life as an Orthodox homemaker, as wife and mother and […]
Leadership has always been a buzzword among the self-help gurus. Books, seminars and training sessions abound, aimed at helping people hone their leadership skills and effectively learn how to take control of their professional and personal lives. And while it is always helpful to learn from the CEOs, psychologists and motivational speakers who have dominated […]
Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel (Abravanel) lived at the end of the time of the Spanish Rishonim and his books reflect his end-of-an-era status. He dutifully surveys the opinions of his predecessors before
Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, the supreme halachic authority in our generation, rendered halachic decisions on the use of some of the latest medical technologies as well as on other medical matters. I was privileged to raise vario
From the 70s to the 90s, the standard of living for the Jewish middle-to upper-middle class rose significantly.
Two facts stand out in every obituary written about Rav Elyashiv. One, of course, is the advanced age at which he died
Rav Elyashiv’s rulings continue to affect millions of OU Kosher consumers around the world. Got a kashrut question? You call the OU. But where do the OU Kosher experts take their questions? Whenever the OU rabbinic coordinators in the national office or mashgichim at various […]
Leadership in the Wilderness: Biblical Authority in Times of Uncertainty By Erica Brown OU Press, Maggid Books Books that present leadership lessons derived from the Bible are all the rage these days. A whole industry has arisen in recent years to create books, aimed at CEOs and other business leaders, […]
In the following piece, tour guide Peter Abelow describes several tourist sites that are ideal to visit to commemorate Israel’s Independence Day including Independence Hall. The aspirations of our people to return home and re-establish Jewish independence in the Land of Israel, preserved tenaciously through 2,000 years of galut, came to a dramatic climax […]
In the competitive world of professional comedy, it pays to have a hook—some distinctive feature of biography or appearance that sets one performer apart from another. Among Orthodox comics, Yisrael Campbell has the I-was-a-Catholic/My-aunt-was-a-nun angle all to himself. And he’s the only one who had a series of brit milahs on the way to becoming […]
No one is quite sure when this crisis began. Some point to the four symposiums on the future of Modern Orthodoxy that appeared in various Jewish publications within a six-month period;