Monthly Archives: December 2011

The Rabbinate is divided into two parts: a service provider (kashrut, burial, marriage) and a legal system of enforcement (conversion, divorce) composed of courts, or batei din. These batei din are the target for much criticism in the religious and … Continue reading →

A Never-Ending Debate I’ve mentioned before that the gemara is not structured like an ordered, logical text. Rather, it is more like an informal protocol of hundreds if not thousands of separate discussions, debates and comments on every aspect of … Continue reading →

1) Collective agreements, a personal experience: A few years ago, I worked as a desk jockey for a graduate department in Bar-Ilan for minimum wage. After a few months, I had done a good enough job that two of my superiors … Continue reading →

[There's been quite a discussion going on in the lookjed forum on sex ed and the problems of Nidda. Below is the two cents I offered on the topic. Time will tell if it's authorized and if it makes a … Continue reading →

I. What is a Chief Rabbi? A Chief Rabbi is a government-appointed official – nothing more, nothing less. There are chief Rabbis of the country, of cities and of regional councils, in much the same way that there are mayors … Continue reading →

“Continuous self re-examination – even after having arrived at what appear to be immutable conclusions etched in stone – is the conditio sine qua non of wisdom, humanity, meaningfulness, relationships, progress, success and pretty much everything else worthwhile in life” … Continue reading →

Logic, Logic Everywhere There are quite a few methods to learn a gemara text. Pilpul. Pshat. Brisk. Telz. These methods all serve as effective if partial tools for deciphering the maze that is gemara. What all these methods have in … Continue reading →

“I refuse to join a club that would have me as a member” (Groucho Marx) Allow me to introduce myself. I am an American-Israeli mostly observant Jew. I retain Republican ideologies amongst which one can find my belief that government … Continue reading →