I apologize greatly for the total lack of new content here at The Four Questions recently. Life has been full to overflowing, and my sporadic blogging has become even more so. We took a trip to see family last week and I hope to be able to post some info and pictures of that soon. I also plan to do some much needed picture organizing here and actually put up some new pics of the kids.

Now, on to the subject of today's post. My good friend Israel and I have decided to begin studying the Talmud with thousands of other students around the world. There is a cycle called Daf Yomi that involves reading one page of the Talmud (front and back) every day. Due to the sheer size of the Talmud, these reading cycles last 7 1/2 years. We are getting in on the current cycle about half-way through, but that's okay, since we plan to continue after the next cycle starts.

I found a few very good web pages that talk about the Talmud and how to study it, and I thought I would pass them along. First, a website called For Every Jew has a great introduction to the Talmud, with some historical information and other background info. Second, My Jewish Learning has a good description of how the Talmud has been studied for centuries. Last, I'll leave you with some thoughts from OHR Somayach on the Talmudic method, a glimpse of what the study of Talmud involves and the type of questioning I hope to become much better at.

Confronted with a statement on any subject, the Talmudic student will proceed to raise a series of questions before he satisfies himself of having understood its full meaning. If the statement is not clear enough, he will ask, 'What does the author intend to say here?' If it is too obvious, he will again ask, 'It is too plain, why then expressly say it?' If it is a statement of fact or of a concrete instance, he will then ask, 'What underlying principle does it involve?' If it is broad generalization, he will want to know exactly how much it is to include; and if it is an exception to a general rule, he will want to know how much it is to exclude. He will furthermore want to know all the circumstances under which a certain statement is true, and what qualifications are permissible.

By the way, if you live in Austin and would like to join us in our study, just let me know. Having more people is always great. Also, feel free to just drop in and join us periodically if you like.

Labels: Judaism, Personal

I have been meaning to pass along two very good audio teachings that I think you will all enjoy. The first is one that Gil Student at Hirhurim blogged about last November. I think this one has been in an open tab in my Firefox window since then. It is a short teaching from Rabbi Hershel Schachter at Yeshiva University on "Being Normal". If I get a chance some time I will transcribe it.

The second teaching is from OU Radio; it's called Mission Not Impossible: The Kosher Jew in a Non-Kosher Milieu. It explores keeping kosher in the everyday world.

Enjoy!

Labels: Judaism, Kashrut

Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is an anti-Semite. I do not say that lightly, and I am not ashamed to make such a declaration.

I heard Arun speak a few years ago and went away from that talk sickened by the one-sided, ignorant approach he has on the Arab-Israeli conflict. He had recently visited Israel and "Palestine," where he told the Arabs who blow up school buses and shoot rockets at innocent civilians that their actions "could be construed as terrorism." What else could they possibly be? Then he chided Israel's leaders, saying that if the Jewish state had spent as much money providing for the social needs of its Arab neighbors as it has on its army then it would not be in this situation now. No, if Israel had done that it would no longer exist.

Skip forward to last week. Arun posted a short article at the Washington Post and Newsweek about Jews and Israel. Just so you can see what I mean, here is the article in its entirety:

Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the holocaust experience -- a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends. The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful. But, it seems to me the Jews today not only want the Germans to feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on the regret turns into anger.

The Jewish identity in the future appears bleak. Any nation that remains anchored to the past is unable to move ahead and, especially a nation that believes its survival can only be ensured by weapons and bombs. In Tel Aviv in 2004 I had the opportunity to speak to some Members of Parliament and Peace activists all of whom argued that the wall and the military build-up was necessary to protect the nation and the people. In other words, I asked, you believe that you can create a snake pit -- with many deadly snakes in it -- and expect to live in the pit secure and alive? What do you mean? they countered. Well, with your superior weapons and armaments and your attitude towards your neighbors would it not be right to say that you are creating a snake pit? How can anyone live peacefully in such an atmosphere? Would it not be better to befriend those who hate you? Can you not reach out and share your technological advancement with your neighbors and build a relationship?

Apparently, in the modern world, so determined to live by the bomb, this is an alien concept. You don't befriend anyone, you dominate them. We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity.

Not only does he accuse Jews as a group of overplaying the systematic murder of more than 6 million Jews in the Holocaust, he then goes on to proclaim Israel as a nation and Jews as a people "the biggest players" in the "culture of violence."

Thankfully, enough decent people have stood up and decried these horrific comments that Arun has tendered his resignation as the president of the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence at the University of Rochester in New York. I only hope that the university actually accepts the invitation and does not try to smooth things over with a nice press conference. From where I sit, Arun Gandhi's words were not a slip of the pen, an unintentional oversight. They indicate his view of Jews as a people group—views that led to the Holocaust and to the myriad other attacks on Jews over the millennia.

Labels: Anti-Semitism, Judaism

How odd
Of God
To choose
The Jews.

William Norman Ewer

But not so odd
As those who choose
A Jewish God,
But spurn the Jews.

Cecil Browne, replying to William Ewer

Labels: Books, Judaism

May your holiday be filled with light!

I have decided to post pictures from each day here instead of in different blog posts. Click here for more info on Chanukkah.

Labels: Holidays, Judaism

We stopped by Half Price Books yesterday, and, as I always do, I went to the Religion section and perused the shelves. I am always on the prowl for Hebrew books and for PD books we can use at work. As I was looking through the shelves I saw a copy of the Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh (all Hebrew) sitting on the Bibles bookshelf. Someone probably thought it was a Tanakh; I suspect there are very few people at the store who are interested in Jewish books or knowledgeable enough about Hebrew to know what they are looking at. That became more clear a few minutes later. I went ahead and moved it to the proper place next to some other books in the Judaica section and kept perusing.

Then I stepped over to the Collectibles shelves and saw that they have a shelf devoted to old non-English books. Sitting there, in all their glory were these two beautiful hardcover volumes of the Midrash Rabbah—Bereshit (Genesis) and Shemot (Exodus). I looked in them expecting to see a $30 price tag and almost dropped them when I saw the price on each was $5. Five dollars. These people had no idea what they had!

So, of course, I slipped the books under my arm and casually strolled to the checkout counter. When the guy punched in the price I expected him to say that the price was listed wrong, but he made no such claim. I walked out of there feeling like I had just stolen the crown jewels. I have been wanting a full set of these for a while, but a full set will usually run about $150. Starting off my collection for only $10.83 works for me!

Labels: Books, Judaism

Yeshiva World News is reporting that a federal court ruled against a Messianic Jew in Cleveland who filed a civil rights suit against the U.S. Postal Service.

A Jewish postal worker made to work on Sabbath because of staff cutbacks lost an appeal claiming his work schedule violated his civil rights.

Mail carrier Martin Tepper joined the post office in Chagrin Falls, about 20 miles southeast of Cleveland, in 1980 and became a Messianic Jew a few years later.

For ten years he was excused from working Saturdays, but the letter carriers’ union voted to rescind that accommodation amid pressure from fellow postal workers upset at having to work more weekend shifts because of staff reductions.

Tepper sued the U.S. Postal Service in federal court in Cleveland. He lost and a subsequent appeal to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was denied, with the appeals court ruling Tepper could not prove he was discriminated against or that the post office failed to accommodate his beliefs.

“The removal of the accommodation did not result in a change of title, job status, pay or job responsibilities and conditions,” a three-judge panel ruled. “While Tepper now has to work on Saturdays, this is simply a requirement of the job for which he was hired; it is not an adverse change in employment.”

The appeals court also rejected Tepper’s claim to a civil rights violation, saying he hadn’t proven he was treated differently in his workplace because of his beliefs.

Tepper could ask the appeals court to reconsider or appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.

More info at Cleveland.com.

This case has serious implications for all of us who observe Shabbat. The definition of "reasonable accommodation" seems to be less narrow than I thought. A "reasonable accommodation," according to this suit, now includes the option of taking unpaid days off.

If I were Tepper, I would sue the labor union for not allowing him to defend his civil rights in their forum. That is probably not possible, though. At the very least, I hope he takes the case to the Supreme Court and wins it there. The possible effects of this are pretty broad.

On another note, the comments on the article on Yeshiva World News are very interesting. It is frustrating that people still associate real Messianic Judaism with J4J. The level of misinformation about us in the rest of the Jewish community is pretty big. For instance, the idea that Messianic Judaism is an offshoot of Mormonism... The answer? Keep following Torah as active and sincere members of the community, and work hard to show that we are not just a bunch of missionaries in sheep’s clothing.

Labels: Judaism, Messianic Judaism, Shabbat

Stephen Colbert made a great little statement in his recent column in the New York Times:

“After Jesus was born, the Old Testament basically became a way for Bible publishers to keep their word count up.”

Labels: Humor, Judaism, Politics

Two years ago I designed and built our sukkah—a wooden frame connected with metal brackets and bolts, 8 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 7 feet tall. The sukkah was designed with the intention of adding to it in stages, allowing each year to bring with it some new elements. Last year the addition was a wooden floor. This year, with a growing family and a memory of slight claustrophobia from last year, I decided to spend some time and resources to expand it.

The beauty of this idea is that the sukkah lends itself easily to expansion. It is almost modular in design, so adding another section was not hard to plan or to implement. I expanded the size to 14 feet by 8 feet, basically by shifting out the back wall and adding another section of boards to the center. The biggest issue I had was figuring out what to do for the new central poles in the structure. After playing around with some ideas and finding out what brackets are available, I decided the best approach was to use 2x4s instead of the 2x2s I have used for the rest of the sukkah.

I also decided this year to add some real walls to the sukkah instead of using reed fencing. My plan originally was to add some canvas walls, and I have to say, they look pretty good. We bought canvas painter’s drop cloths at Home Depot and grommets from Wal-Mart and made walls that let in light and are not hard to store. My friend Israel took apart the reed fencing so that we could use the reeds for the roof to help support the tree limbs. With a piece of carpet acquired from Freecycle and my hardwood floor from last year, the sukkah was complete!

I am thinking about putting together a How To guide for the sukkah design. If I did, would anyone be interested in using it?

Labels: Holidays, Judaism, Sukkot

Gil Student posted a nice little article on the halakhah related to how men do tevillah (ritual immersion) in a mikva. I highly suggest it as we prepare for Yom Kippur.

Labels: Holidays, Judaism

I love it when people unwittingly support Torah, especially in the most mundane ways. Here is a great example. A cooking blog, SteamyKitchen.com, with instructions on how to make the most amazingly tender steaks—high-grade “prime” quality from low-cost “choice” beef. How does she do it? By salting the steaks. Using a process that she is completely unaware has been used by Jews for millennia. I love Torah.

Labels: Cooking, Judaism, Kashrut

Josh Waxman at parshablog linked to this great little video on YouTube that purports to prove that Moshe Rabbenu was a Satmar.

I have to disagree with the Yeshiva Bochur in one respect. I think it is more likely that Moshe was Breslov, not Satmar. Why? Because if he is mamash a Hasid, then it makes more sense for him to be Breslov since Rebbe Nachman was the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, the actual founder of modern Hasidism.

Of course, I could be biased since my rabbi's background is Breslov....

Labels: Fun, Judaism

I know we are past Tisha b'Av (we have actually just started the month of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), but I was asked to put up a list of the major events that have occurred on the 9th of Av. Please take a minute to look at the list and see why that day is significant in Judaism.

Labels: Judaism

I am subscribed to the Orthodox Union's Kashrut podcasts, and in the last few weeks they have released two very good teachings that I think everyone should listen to:

• “What Could Be Wrong?” - A Guide for the Informed Kosher Consumer - Part I and Part II
• An Overview of an Underwater Mitzvah

In “What Could Be Wrong?”, Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator of OU Kashruth, explains some of the many problems that may be encountered in the production of food and why, as a result of those problems, a reliable certification is important for foods within specific categories. In “An Overview of an Underwater Mitzvah”, Rabbi Moshe Zywica, Senior Rabbinic Coordinator of OU Kashruth, explains the process of immersing dishes, with great explainations for the uninitiated.

Both of these teachings are very well-done. There is a basic level of Hebrew vocabulary, but if you cannot figure out what is being said, please feel free to drop me a line. I may even need to add another word to my Glossary.

Labels: Judaism, Kashrut

As we head into Pesach, we wish all of you a kosher and joyful holiday!

Labels: Judaism, Pesach

David Bogner over at Treppenwitz posted a great story about a past Thanksgiving that I think everyone should read. Being observant of the laws of kashrut is not always the default in Jewish communities, or even in extended families, but this family goes to a huge effort to make sure that there are no hindrances in the way of everyone joining in. While Lindsey and I have been blessed in the past by some family members and close friends making efforts to ensure that we can eat the food that they are serving, the vast majority of our friends and family members do not know or even care about the restrictions in our diet.

I really wish that the Messianic community would learn from this example. Just because you don't follow the laws of kashrut or don't observe them as strictly as someone else, does not mean that you can't accommodate those that do, especially in synagogue-related activities. Defaulting to the highest observance level is not about condoning that observance. It is about making the event accessible to everyone, just as much as putting in a wheelchair ramp or having Spanish translations of the service.

Labels: Judaism, Messianic Judaism, Personal

Judaism teaches that when the Torah tells us to take "an eye for an eye," etc. it is setting up a system of reimbursement—that someone must pay the monetary value of an eye if they cause someone else to lose an eye. Gil at Hihurim has an interesting post from September on this topic with a quote from Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Can the passage in the Torah also be interpreted as taking a literal eye for an eye?

Labels: Judaism

ADDeRabbi brings out an important lesson about Rosh Hashanah and the judgment of G-d during this time:

As my last few posts have reflected, the judgment of Rosh Hashana stems from a comparison of what we ARE to what we OUGHT TO BE. We look at ourselves, as it were, from G-d’s perspective, and as part of a total picture. Part of that is a re-evaluation of priorities in life....

One may neglect all other concerns and pursue livelihood at the expense of all else. Sure, it’ll get him more money, but the price will be paid elsewhere – not that ch”v he’ll have extra medical bills or something, but in one of the other important areas of life, be it family, ethics, or personal growth. Unfortunately, the old adage that ‘cheaters never prosper’ is simply untrue. Cheaters prosper. But is that prosperity worth the price?

Along the same vein, Rabbi Twerski talks about the place of physical delight in our lives, relating a story from the Baal Shem Tov:

The Baal Shem Tov was asked, inasmuch as Shabbos and Yom Tov should be days of spiritual rather than physical delight, why do we have so many delicious foods? Would it not be more appropriate to eat simple foods and dedicate the entire day to spiritual pursuits? The Baal Shem Tov answered with a parable.

A prince once committed an offense for which he was banished from the royal palace and exiled to a distant village in the kingdom, where he lived a very austere life. After a lengthy period of time, he received a message from his father that he was pardoned and could return home. This news made him so happy that he could not contain him self from singing and dancing. However, if he were suddenly to sing and dance, the townsfolk would think he had gone mad. He, therefore, gathered some of the townsfolk together for a party, and gave them lavish food and drink. Well satiated with food and drink, they arose to sing and dance, and the prince joined them. The townsfolk were dancing because they were merry with food and drink, whereas the prince danced because he was returning to the royal palace.

“A person,” the Baal Shem Tov said, “is a composite being, comprised of a physical body and a spiritual neshama. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, the neshama wishes to engage in prayer and Torah study to bring it in closer contact with G-d. However, the body does not appreciate this, and is a barrier to spirituality. We, therefore, provide the body with things it can enjoy, so that it, too, will be happy, and will not stand in the way of the neshama’s quest for and celebration of spiritual delight.”

Earthly goods enjoyed in this way give primacy to the spirit. Indulging in pleasure, even permissible and “kosher” pleasure as an end in itself, is a corruption of Yiddishkeit.

As my rabbi and rebbitzin have said many times, our human appetities are very strong. They push us to overindulge, to focus on one important area of life and not on the others, or even to focus on areas that are not important at all. These two teachings are important lessons that I really need to be reminded of. May we all have the spiritual fortitude and the wisdom to watch out lives carefully for imbalance and to adjust that imbalance at the moment that we see it.

Labels: Judaism

After a talk with my rebbetzin, and after hearing a great drash on the topic on Shabbat, I have decided to remove some of my earlier writings from this blog and work on shmirat haloshon (guarding the tongue), both in my written and in my spoken word. The Chofetz Chaim (Rabbi Israel Meir HaCohen Kagan, 1838-1933) was the preeminent teacher on shmirat haloshon, and his teachings have been condensed into a daily lesson book called Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson A Day, which I have just purchased. Interestingly, the Chofetz Chaim got his nickname from Tehillim 34:13, which states, "Who is the man that desires life (hechafetz chaim), who loves days to see good? Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking guile...." The Chofetz Chaim also wrote the Mishnah Berurah, a widely accepted halachic work that provides current remarks and practices from the Rishonim based on the teachings in the Shulchan Aruch.

Labels: Judaism

Rabbi Gil Student mentions the release of Gray Matter, Volume 2 by Chaim Jachter. Rav Jachter is a dayan (judge) on the Beth Din of Elizabeth New Jersey and is a teacher at the Torah Academy of Bergen County, New Jersey, a four-year Modern Orthodox yeshiva high school.

In this book, Rabbi Jachter covers practical issues in modern halachah, including issues with work on Shabbat, tevilah, the workings of a modern beit din (religious court), kashering dishwashers for Pesach, using electric Chanukah menorahs, and building and maintaing a mikvah.

I am very impressed by the breadth of the subject matter of this book, and I have added it to my never-decreasing reading list (along with volume 1, chich covers an equally impressive list of subjects). I also hope that all of our Messianic leaders read it, at least to better understand some of the practical measures taken in a modern beit din. We may not agree with everything Rabbi Jachter says, but he certainly can talk about some important issues that will help our movement grow.

Labels: Judaism

Gil Student at Hirhurim mentions that the OU has some audio teachings about kashrut on their website. Apparently, they have a whole website devoted to audio teachings, www.OUradio.com. Check it out, if that's your thing.

Labels: Judaism

Rabbi Brody also posted a great discussion on praying for the Messianic redemption in the Amidah. He shows that at least 10 of the 19 prayers in the Amidah are asking G-d in some way for redemption (the Geulah). As he notes in his post, the Talmud says that one of the questions the hevenly court will ask on our arrival there will be "Did you wait in hope for the Messianic salvation?". As you probably know, that is one of the Four Questions this site is based on. Find out more on my About page and in my Moshiach section.

Labels: Judaism

Rabbi Lazer Brody posted on his blog back in December about the rate of assimilation in modern Judaism: "Will your grandchildren be Jewish?". The fact of the matter is that we are losing future generations of Jews because Judaism has been allowed to become irrelevant to them (for a plethora of reasons).

During the Austin Jewish Film Festival a few weeks ago, Lindsey and I saw a movie called "Mixed Blessings". It is a documentary about intermarriage between Jews and Christians and the struggles those couples face raising their children. Most often the families choose to go with one religion over the other or to make religion irrelevant to their daily lives. The result is children who are utterly confused about their heritage and their religion, and parents who are unable to share one of the most important aspects of life together. I think it is telling that both in the movie and in the question and answer time afterwards with the local Conservative rabbi and a local Baptist minister the idea of a syntehsis of the religions never came up. Messianic Judaism has a lot to offer the wider Jewish world, and one of the best things we can offer is a place for intermarried families to feel at home. If nothing else, we can offer a place for such families to find some dialogue about the problems they face.

We had a good discussion on the topic of intermarriage at shul on Shabbat. We came to a concensus that Messianic Judaism needs a valid conversion process for intermarried families, but there are apparently two views in the congregation about the idea of Jews and Gentiles marrying. Some believe that intermarriage is about marrying outside of the same faith, while others (myself included) believe that we should keep the distinctions between Jews and Gentiles in regards to marriage. I believe this in part because of the statistics Rabbi Brody provides in his post. Just like children whose parents are only nominally Jewish are very likely to step away from Judaism, children who have one Jewish parent and one non-Jewish parent are much more likely to have identity issues than children whose parents are both one or the other. I do not advocate "higher" or "lower" positions within the community or within wider Israel. I am just aware of the fact that children need structure and stability. They need to know what their parents are and what they are.

One of the other members in the congregation also brought up an important point in the Messianic discussion of intermarriage. Kohanim are requred by Torah law to only marry Jews. We cannot allow the kohanim in our movement to break this command, and that requires us to keep a tight reign on intermarriage. There are other reasons, of course, but I see this as one of the most compelling reasons for discouraging intermarriage and for providing a viable conversion process.

Labels: Judaism

So, I have been gone for just over 2 weeks to Israel. The trip was great, and I will have my pictures up sometime in the next few weeks. Thanks to everyone who has voted for me in the Israelly Cool/Jerusalem Post Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards so far. If you have not voted yet, you only have a few more days to bring me up from 3% of the vote!

Labels: Israel, Judaism

Lindsey and I went to see Uhspizin with the rabbi and rebbetzin today, after eating out at the kosher Indian restaurant here in town (no Chinese food available). I was impressed with the movie's quality and its approach to a sensitive topic. Hasidim are an enigima to many people, even to other Jews. I thought that Uspizin did a wonderful job of explaining what hasidic life is like, with the passion of Beslov hasidism bringing a unique flavor to the film. It is important, in my mind, that the main actor and writer, Shuli Rand, was once an Israeli movie actor and became a baal teshuvah, so he is able to really engage his part. I give this movie a hearty thumbs up!

Labels: Judaism

Here are my results in the Orthodoxy Test created by lamedzayin.

Left Wing Modern Orthodox: 44%
Right Wing Modern Orthodox: 79%
Left Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 60%
Right Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi: 16%

What does it mean?

You're shteiging away in the YU beis medrash and really enjoying that Kant class in the afternoon. You've achieved shiurvanna - the perfect synthesis of frumkeit and the outside world. Everyone to the left is way too modern and everyone to the right is too rigid and machmir. Sometimes you feel guilty about not wearing a hat.

I guess this is fairly accurate. I am more right-wing than left, for sure. The thing about the hat is not me, though, since I wear one all the time, thus not fitting the mold. Of course, that is one of the things I do quite well—not fitting the mold... I do find it interesting that I'm not too far from the Left Wing Yeshivish/Chareidi side. I guess my rabbi has been having an impact on me after all.

Labels: Judaism

Since I am catching up on my blogging, I should tell you about a great post on one of my now-favorite blogs, Hihurim. Gil talks about the issue of tucking in tzitzit, something that I have gone back and forth on a few times since I became observant. Suffice it to say that I appreciate Gil's take on this issue and I am glad to have some rabbinic resources to point to when discussing this with others instead of just having to rely on my own limited knowledge of the subject. This is a must-read for anyone who does wear or has considered wearing tzitzit, as is the great series of posts about tekhelet I have already linked to on Maven Yavin.

Labels: Judaism

My blog has been nominated for the "Best Designed Blog" in Israellycool's 2005 JIB (Jewish and Israeli Blogs) Awards! AbbaGav, who I linked to in yesterday's post, nominated me. (You can see his thoughts in the comments on that post.)

Nominations are over on Sunday, and I assume that the voting will begin soon afterwards. I'll let you know so that you can vote for the Four Questions.

So far the competition in that category is not too exciting. Most of the blogs are run-of-the-mill template designs, with little or no extra work. Some, like Jewlicious and OceanGuy, will offer some good competion. I have to ask though, were those blogs hand-coded in XHTML Strict (validates, too!) with all-original images and artwork, and a cool theme that permeates the entire website? I also have a whole range of cool features on my site, not the least of which is my Glossary page, which offers definitions to various Hebrew terms and shows off my cool glossary tooltip pop-ups. Shameless advertising, you say? Maybe, but this is war... :D

Labels: Judaism

I have been keeping up with my blog reading over the last few weeks—it's one of the few relaxing items on my schedule—and I wanted to pass along to you some great Jewish blog links.

• Hirhurim [Musings]: I can't remember where I first heard about this blog, but it has been a great find. The author is Modern Orthodox, and his writings all have to do with halakhic issues and topics. Very enlightening and interesting.
• Maven Yavin: This is a new blog that was created a month or so ago. A few Modern Orthodox writers (rabbis and others) post about halakhic issues. I should specifically point out the Tekhelet series (I, II, III, IV, V, and VI — with more on its way), which covers the issue well and answers common questions, even about actual observance.
• The 37th Tzaddik: This is another MO blog, by the author of the Tekhelet series.
• AbbaGav: This MO Israeli father has a great sense of humor and cutting insights into current issues.
• Lazer Beams: Rabbi Lazer Brody is a Breslov rabbi in Israel, also known as "Rabbi Rambo" because of his background in the IDF special forces. His teachings are great.
• Netivat Sofrut: The diary/blog of the only soferet (female scribe) on the planet. Jim Davila linked to this site earlier today.

I have added those sites to my blogroll, and I have added my blogroll to the right collumn of this blog.

Labels: Judaism

Jim at PaleoJudaica posted a reference to an article (in The Forward, no less) on the use of the term "phylacteries" and the dating of tefillin. Very good stuff. The author's conclusion is very encouraging:

By all means, let Jews use the word "tefillin" rather than "phylacteries," and let them encourage non-Jews to do so, too — but let them not take offense when "phylacteries" is encountered. It is not in itself a disparaging word. Matthew, after all, was not attacking the wearing of tefillin per se (how could he when he knew Jesus wore them?), but rather what he took to be the wearing of ostentatiously large ones for the purpose of making an impression. We needn't be scared off by him.

Labels: Judaism

Josh Waxman, writer of parshablog, has developed a very cool extension for Firefox called Tanach Linkify. It turns references to Tanach passages into links to the interlinear Hebrew Bible on Mechon-Mamre and turns references to the Talmud into links to that page on E-Daf.

I am very impressed with Josh's work, and I can't wait to see where he goes with it. I am also planning to do some extensive testing of the extension so that I can pass on an helpful info that I find.

On a related note, it sad to me that E-Daf does not display properly in Firefox (nothing major, just the navigation links are bunched together). I will have to check on Monday at work, but I suspect that it will also have issues displaying in Safari. I think I might take a little time and work on that. I am sure that they would like the input.

Labels: Biblioblogging, Judaism, Technology

There is a very interesting article in the New York Times today that talks about the 350 Jewish prisoners of war who were taken to a secret work camp and tortured, beyond the bounds of the Geneva Convention. What a sad time that was for humanity.

Labels: Judaism

What is interesting is that I just saw a film called "Moving Heaven and Earth" at the Austin Jewish Film Festival this past Monday, which was about a group in Africa called the Abayudaya. These people are the product of one man's study of the Scriptures 70 years ago, by which he decided that Judaism was the proper religion to follow. The community was able to get some Conservative Rabbis to visit them and perform official conversions for everyone (in the hundreds). The Abayudaya are now having difficulty being accepted by other portions of the Jewish community (specifically the orthodox portion) because of the common differences in opinion over Torah observance, etc.

These stories bring up some interesting issues as we move toward the Messianic Era. The questions of "Who is a Jew?" and "What is valid Judaism?" are taking on more significance in our little world.

Labels: Judaism