Most Recent Posts
My Kids Will Go to School
Last week’s Jewish Link included very strongly worded commentaries by Jeffrey Rubin (“Regarding School Closing This Fall,” July 23, 2020) and Rabbi Wallace Greene (“The Ethics of Opening Schools,” July 23, 2020) arguing that no child should go back to school in the fall. While one can understand the sentiment that no risk to human life should be taken whatsoever, I don’t think my... more»Forgotten Children of the Pandemic
Guest Post by Heather Feigin, LCSW. Populations all over the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all well aware of the toll that it has taken on essential workers, the newly unemployed, teachers and families. The population that has been suffering in silence, however, are our children. As a parent of six children ages 6 to 16, and a therapist serving Passaic and... more»Movie Review: 1952 – Singing in the Rain
I am hardly the feminist by modern standards – my daughter and I startede watching old movies through the decades. We went with Singing in the Rain because it’s the best rated musical movie of all time – 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 on IMDB – wow. What was wrong with you 1952? The movie has even less of a plot than the Greatest Showman – it’s all about... more»Movie Review: 1946 – A Wonderful Life
I finally watched another classic an frequently referenced movies, my daughter and I are up to the 1940s. First, why is it that so many movies of this era have some sort of cop chase scene where they shoot wildly into the air, often towards public streets full of people? It’s like how I grew up playing ‘cops and robbers’. Somehow, in an era without gun violence, movies sure... more»Movie Review: 1941 – Citizen Kane
Continuing the old movie ‘research’ with my daughter, we just completed Citizen Kane – it’s a movie about Donald Trump only more accurate to real life where having affairs and feeding the media with false information derails a campaign for president. References to this movie abound in places I don’t even remember – excepting for the theme song to... more»Movie Review: 1936 – Modern Times, Charley Chaplain
Having read some history about Charlie Chaplain though only seeing a Charlie Chaplain movie for the first time now, the theme of this movie seems quite related to his life – growing up dirt poor, his mother checked them into a “work house” rather than literally continue to live under stairs. Poor people didn’t get rent payments and food stamps in England is those days-... more»Jewish Belief
Mountain Family by Tzirel Berger & When Christians Convert to Judaism
I realize I have a diverse reading audience – this article is really intended for a Jewish... more»Rationalist Friend Brings Depth to the “Folly of Reason”
Introduction In the article, Folly of Faith, Folly of Reason, one of the things I argued based on... more»Slifkin v. Meiselman – Making Sense of the Controversy
This is part 2 in a series on Rav Meiselman’s latest book. For the full book review, see... more»Unbroken Chain – Direct Link from Sinai through Genealogy
The Claim of the Unbroken Chain One of the claims to the authenticity of the Torah is that there is... more»Mikveh, Relationships, and Using Man’s Desires to Serve the Creator
Articles that begin with discussions about mikveh’s (ritual baths) are usually written from a... more»Agunah – Why Require a Man to Give a Get for a Jewish Divorce?
Okay, short answer: Because our Maker said so. Shorter answer: I don’t know. We can... more»Folly of Faith, Folly of Reason – Isaac Asimov & Judaism
In this article, I attempt to make a few points: a) Point of view on topics beyond the dimensions... more»Six Days of Creation – Broad Philosophical Answer
This is a continuation in the series on Rav Meiselman’s book on Torah and Science and the... more»Trophy Wives: Men Never Change – Flood to PR China, It’s All the Same
New Rich Matchmaking in China The New York Times provides more fodder for discussion in... more»Six Days of Creation – A Modern Reconciliation with Science
This is the last in a thread of posts which began with a review of R’Meiselman’s book... more»Unchosen: Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels – From the Re-chosen
Maybe one day I will get to reading books as they come out – while I was about 60 years too... more»Why I Choose to Be an Orthodox Jew – The Alternatives [Part 2/3]
In a first post, I wrote I chose to be an Orthodox Jew, focusing mainly on belief in a Creator.... more»Women in Judaism, Part I: Woman = Man (so I was taught)
“Feminist beginnings”, or “Orthodox Judaism’s Oppression” I grew up... more»Book Review: The Great Partnership, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks; Part I – Philosophy
Relationships are Meaning One summer day in my childhood I returned from swimming with my... more»Hamas Supporter Conversations with this Jew
In issues of political contention, I often have hard times making decisions. There’s... more»Considering the Existence of a Creator – Part I: Gerbils
Introduction Many people today have everything they need, but yet, are depressed because . . .... more»Parental Controls – My “Hashkafa” and What Works for Our Family
Introduction I grew up in the age of BBSes … bulletin board systems. Back in my day, it... more»Women of the Wall: Part II – Jews for Kant
Historian View of Judaism as Fossil In the past, I wrote about why Torah observant Jews give no... more»Belief – Jewish Basics – Know What to Answer Yourself CD Series
The following audio lectures are available from Ani Maamin, run by Rabbi Dovid Sapirman. These... more»Shabbat.com – Find a Place for Shabbos
What is Shabbos (Shabbat)? Torah observant Jews spend 1/7 of their lives disconnected from active... more»Iyov (Job): Why is the world the way it is? – Complete Outline
The outline is below, but it’s easier to read if you pop it out into full screen view –... more»Shavuous Learning, Keeping Customs & Love of Mitzvos
My Shavuous Experiences Shavuous is one of the three regalim, three pilgrimage festivals, along... more»Women in Judaism, Part II: Woman ≠ Man (so I learned)
This post is a continuation of “Women in Judaism, PART I: Woman = Man (so I was... more»Approach of Torah Jews to the Modern State of Israel & Army Service
Synopsis I write this article after a gathering of 300,000 – 600,000 Jews in one place to... more»Meaning of Words – My Conversation with an Athiest Scoffer
Character Traits of the Arguing Athiest Recently, I stumbled upon a message group filed with mostly... more»When I considered the Existence of a Creator – Part II: Salesmen
This post is a continuation of Considering the Existence of a Creator: Part I – Gerbils. Who... more»Religion & The Paradox of Choice – What is Holy (Kadosh)? – Part I
The Paradox of Choice To be “holy,” in the langauge of the Torah is... more»Unbroken Chain Slides – Passover Seder & Jewish Claim to Truth
Jewish Timeline I wrote an earlier article showing the unbroken chain from the Exodus in Egypt... more»Free Will to Believe in G_d
The Question To Atheists Atheists fascinate me. In my most secular days, I was an agnostic because... more»Children? Marriage? Why? A Positive Recitation
Why We Should Marry and Why Marriage is Only for Man and Woman Together What’s the purpose of... more»Women of the Wall – “But I want”
As readers have pointed out various nitpicks with the article, italics and crossouts represent... more»How to Become Rich – It’s Easy . . . and why are there poor people, anyway?
It is often hard to get caught up in the physicality that surrounds us. People tend to think that... more»Why I Choose to Be an Orthodox Jew – Positive and It Fits [Part 3/3]
In part 1 I discussed living for meaning and how that brings one to go towards an infinite purpose... more»Why I Choose to Be an Orthodox Jew – What to Live For [Part 1/3]
In article 1 (below) I discuss living for meaning and how that brings one to go towards an infinite... more»Where Did Earth’s Water Come From? Talmud & Science
The Question: Earth’s Water Came From Where? MinuteEarth / MinutePhysics are great YouTube... more»Peace in Israel – Quick Thoughts
A few days before writing of this article, the United Nations renewed and strengthened it’s... more»Why Don’t Bad Things Happen to Bad People?
Introduction Really, the title should be “Why don’t Bad Things Always Happen to Bad... more»Siyum HaShas: Media Covers 90,000 Jews at Giant’s Stadium
(Click on the Pictures for Larger Images) What is a “Siyum HaShas” (Completion of... more»Introduction & Why This Blog
Intro Rav Zev Leff came to speak in my town, and during a portion of his talk, I was daydreaming... more»Seeing the Physical World or Seeing Past the Physical
Rabbi Elozar Ben Pedas’s Complaint and Reward Rabbi Elozar ben Pedas was extremely poor. On... more»Insular vs. Involved in Secular Society
Looking From the Outside, In From the outside world, Orthodox Jews tend to look sort of . . .... more»Discomfort: Jewish Holidays in a Nutshell
Judaism is about discomfort. What do I mean by that? I mean we want to avoid it’s opposite... more»Free Will to Believe in G_d – Atheists Revenge
After asking to a group of atheists, “Assuming with live in a world with free will, what... more»Torah Thoughts
Reading Torah in Context & Problematic Verses
Introduction Every now and then, an email or meme mocks words from the Torah, preying on the... more»Why did Purim and the Holocaust end so differently?
The following is adapted largely based on the words of Rabbi Moshe Grylak in Mishpacha magazine,... more»Charity and the Business of Giving Tzedekah
Introduction to Tzedekah The Torah commands us to give Tzedekah. It’s translated as... more»Mastering a Discipline; Orthodox Surge – New York Times Article
The New York Times has an extremely positive article about Torah observant Jews, starting off with... more»What are we, that the Creator Should Care About Us?
Guest Post, by Boruch Katina of Passaic, NJ When contemplating the size of the universe and how... more»When I considered the Existence of a Creator – Part II: Salesmen
This post is a continuation of Considering the Existence of a Creator: Part I – Gerbils. Who... more»Why Aren’t There 100,000 Jews in the Dominican Republic?
My interest in Jews of the Dominican Republic piqued (or peaked, or maybe peeked) after my visit to... more»Always Listen to Your Rebbe
The role of the Rebbe This is one of those anecdotal stories which intersects between Judaism and... more»Men in Marraige and Child Raising – A video explanation
Intro Okay, so this blog already includes articles on mikveh and men and woman in relationships,... more»Why Do Christians ‘Pick and Choose’ From the Bible? Homosexuality bad, shellfish good?
The Attack on Christians & A Defense The news as of late about the United States granting legal... more»Who will Die? Forced Ethical Dilemmas in Jewish Law
Forced Ethical Dilemma (Updated Trolley Car Problem) Imagine this scenario: You buy a self driving... more»Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings … and Torah?
Les Miserables Last year, the Maccabeats, best known for the most popular mainstream Chanukah... more»How to Become Rich – It’s Easy . . . and why are there poor people, anyway?
It is often hard to get caught up in the physicality that surrounds us. People tend to think that... more»Compassion for the Sinner – A Personal Story
Typically I post when I feel I have an answer. On a high level, I’ve written about things... more»Dvar Torah for My Son on His Bar MItzvah
The following is adapted from the speech I gave at my son’s Bar Mitzvah. G_d relates to Moshe... more»Science
Rationalist Friend Brings Depth to the “Folly of Reason”
Introduction In the article, Folly of Faith, Folly of Reason, one of the things I argued based on... more»Six Days of Creation – A Modern Reconciliation with Science
This is the last in a thread of posts which began with a review of R’Meiselman’s book... more»Life at 40: Musings on Turning 40
To celebrate my 40th birthday, I went down a belt buckle and joined a gym for the first time... more»Free Will to Believe in G_d
The Question To Atheists Atheists fascinate me. In my most secular days, I was an agnostic because... more»Meiselman – Torah Chazal Science Book Review
The Summary “Torah from Sinai is not only truth, but tells us the whole of truth. Modern... more»Thinking About Creation – Torah + Modern Physics
Book Review: Thinking About Creation – Eternal Torah and Modern Physics; by Dr. Andrew... more»Moore’s Law and Creation of Life
Moore’s Law Alexei Sharov at the National Institute on Ageing in Baltimore and his mate... more»Considering the Existence of a Creator – Part I: Gerbils
Introduction Many people today have everything they need, but yet, are depressed because . . .... more»What are we, that the Creator Should Care About Us?
Guest Post, by Boruch Katina of Passaic, NJ When contemplating the size of the universe and how... more»When I considered the Existence of a Creator – Part II: Salesmen
This post is a continuation of Considering the Existence of a Creator: Part I – Gerbils. Who... more»Slifkin v. Meiselman – Making Sense of the Controversy
This is part 2 in a series on Rav Meiselman’s latest book. For the full book review, see... more»Iyov (Job): Why is the world the way it is? – Complete Outline
The outline is below, but it’s easier to read if you pop it out into full screen view –... more»Popular Science 1872, 1936 – Nothing New Under the Sun!
Google Books has a plethora of old photographs, books, and magazines available for free viewing.... more»Free Will to Believe in G_d – Atheists Revenge
After asking to a group of atheists, “Assuming with live in a world with free will, what... more»Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings … and Torah?
Les Miserables Last year, the Maccabeats, best known for the most popular mainstream Chanukah... more»Folly of Faith, Folly of Reason – Isaac Asimov & Judaism
In this article, I attempt to make a few points: a) Point of view on topics beyond the dimensions... more»Imagining the 10th Dimension
Imagining the 10th Dimension as a Tool to Approach Infinity Imagining the 10th Dimension is... more»Where Did Earth’s Water Come From? Talmud & Science
The Question: Earth’s Water Came From Where? MinuteEarth / MinutePhysics are great YouTube... more»Six Days of Creation – Broad Philosophical Answer
This is a continuation in the series on Rav Meiselman’s book on Torah and Science and the... more»
Patently Jewish
Torah Observant Jew + Patent Attorney
