Shabbat: A Time for Community It’s interesting to consider the ways in which our zemirot, traditional songs, reflect profound insights into the significance of Shabbat and our holidays. One particularly intriguing example is closely connected to Parshat Bo. In the song “Kol Mekadesh Shevi’i” we declare that “kol adat yisrael ya’asu oto
Moshe Wasn't Perfect - And That's OK The story of the Exodus is gathering momentum. God appears to Moshe, promising that the time has come to redeem His people. Moshe is commanded to confront the most powerful man on earth and demand his nation's release from bondage. But just as things are becoming interesting, the
Spotlight: Earning the Trust of Our Community My wife and I try and see at least one movie each year. Earlier this week we "heretically" chose to forego the new Star Wars movie and see Spotlight instead. As it turns out, we did not regret our choice. Indeed, as both a rabbi and a concerned
Asarah Be-Tevet: Seizing the Moment It is common practice for discussions of Asarah Be-Tevet to refer to R. David Abudarham (14th-century Seville), who rules that were the tenth of Tevet to fall out on Shabbat we would fast on that day as opposed to pushing the fast to Sunday. As a prooftext, Abudarham invokes the
Neo-Chasidut and the Future of Modern Orthodoxy This past Sunday the following cryptic message appeared on my Twitter feed: Breaking News: #UofPWest Chanukah Chabura TONIGHT! #zoschanukah #nesgadol #hegiyahhazman What is the meaning of the cryptic message, and why does it matter? Let’s begin with #UofPWest. U of P refers not to the University of Pennsylvania but
The Eyes of the Menorah The connection between this week’s haftarah and Chanukah is at once immediately obvious and completely obscure. Addressing the small remnant of impoverished Jews who had returned to Jerusalem and were struggling to rebuild the Temple, the prophet Zechariah relays a series of optimistic visions. Amongst these he predicts that
Al Hanissim and Halakhic Innovation At first glance, the notion that we can raise an optional mitzvah to the level of obligation is anathema, even heretical. We are familiar with the prohibition of bal tosif, which dictates that an individual may not add a mitzvah beyond the 613 legislated by the Torah. Yet, with regard
What's in the Name Mincha? According to one classic view in the Gemara (Berachot 26b), the obligation of daily prayer is derived from a verse in Parshat Chayei Sarah, “Vayetze Yitzchak la-su’ach ba-sadeh lifnot arev,” “Yitzchak went to meditate in the field toward evening” (Bereishit 24:63). Chazal’s association, however, raises an immediate
The Art of Civil Disagreement About six months back, an article [http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/firstthoughts/2015/05/in-praise-of-the-dying-art-of-civil-disagreement] entitled “In Praise of the Dying Art of Civil Disagreement” appeared in the journal First Things. The author recalls an incident in which he and a colleague engaged in a spirited but respectful dispute concerning
Organ Sales and the Value of Life: A Halakhic Framework Last week [https://www.tzvisinensky.com/2015/10/29/organ-sales-and-jewish-medical-ethics-framing-the-issue/] we reviewed the background concerning the case for legalizing the sale of organs, and we inquired as to how Jewish law would respond to the question. We noted that at first glance halakha would favor essentially any measure that results
Organ Sales and the Value of Life: Framing the Issues There is increasing consensus that the organ donation status quo is intolerable. According to a U.S. government website [http://www.organdonor.gov/index.html], there are presently 122,613 patients in the U.S. in need of an organ transplant. It is estimated that 22 people die each day
Interrupting Between Pesukei Dezimra and Birchot Keriat Shema For Educational Purposes: A Psak It is not uncommon for educators to pause for a few moments in between Pesukei de-Zimra and Birchot Keriat Shema to facilitate a reflective tefilla exercise designed to enhance students' kavana. This practice, however, raises a halakhic question concerning interruptions in the middle of davening. In this article I&
Israel and the Olive Tree Commentators’ attention has long been drawn to the symbolism of the olive leaf returned by the Noah’s dove. Classically, the olive tree has been considered a sign of peace. This symbolism, reflected in Greek and Roman mythology, has been famously adopted by the State of Israel and the Israel
To 120! It is customary, upon wishing someone a happy birthday, to declare ad me’ah ve’esrim, to 120. This is based on the popular notion that according to traditional Jewish thought, one cannot live beyond that age. Indeed, it is customary among rabbinic writers, when addressing their correspondents by name,
Sukkah: Symbol of God's Love We often speak of the Jew’s obligation to love God. Less often stressed in halakhic discourse, however, is the inverse – that God loves us. In this article, I’d like to argue that the exemption of the ill and their caretakers from the mitzvah of Sukkah demonstrates that the
Can There Be a Prohibition Against Asking for Forgiveness? The obligation to apologize to my friend at this time of year (Yoma 85a; see Shulchan Arukh 606:1) raises a common but knotty conundrum: Imagine that I have said something harmful about another person, but that individual does not know that I did so. Does piyyus, the obligation to
The Gift of Rosh Hashanah The historical significance of Rosh Hashanah seems simple enough: we are judged each year on Rosh Hashanah in connection with the anniversary of the day on which God created Adam and Eve in Gan Eden. Just as they sinned by eating from the fruit of the tree, were banished, and
Tevila All Year Round and During the Yamim Noraim: A Brief Review of the Issues It is customary for many to go to the mikvah on Erev Rosh Hashanah and Erev Yom Kippur to purify themselves in advance of these sacred days. Many Chasidic males have the custom to go to the mikvah not only twice a year but every morning or at least every
Praying to Angels - Part 2 Last week we surveyed a variety of views concerning the general issue of praying to angels and particularly the tefilla of Machnisei Rachamim. This week we'll explore a parallel debate concerning one of the stanzas in the piyyut Shalom Aleichem as well as the impact of an increasingly
Praying To Angels - Part I With the recitation of selichot upon us, I'd like to explore the fascinating debate concerning those piyyutim, religious poems, which we seem to direct toward angels. Specifically, in the beautiful song "Machnisei Rachamim," we entreat the angels to beseech God on our behalves and carry our
The Amish and Us Why do we love the Amish so much? I found myself pondering this question last week, when we enjoyed the pleasure of renting a home from an Amish family for our Lancaster County, Pennsylvania vacation. In addition to the great day trips which, despite the heat, were perfect for our
Let's Be Intolerant of Intolerance It was a wrenching weekend. Shira Banki, a victim of Thursday’s Jerusalem gay pride parade stabbing, died yesterday from wounds inflicted by a Haredi man, Yishai Schlissel. Separately, early Friday morning an 18-month-old Muslim baby, Ali Saad Dawabsheh, was burned to death in an arson apparently carried out by
Rav Amital and Natural Morality As has been noted by many of his students, this evening concludes the fifth yahrtzeit of Rav Yehuda Amital ZT"L, founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, Israeli Minister, Holocaust survivor, and teacher of tens of thousands. One of Rav Amital's favorite topics was that of
Exercises in Integration - Essays From our "Tikvah" Class As many of you might know, one of the outstanding opportunities available to Kohelet students is our junior year AP Integrated Course in Jewish Thought, Philosophy, and the Humanities, which I am privileged to co-teach with my colleague, Dr. Eileen Watts. The course is built on a philosophy of Torah
Where the Holidays Went: Shemitah and the Shalosh Regalim This was published in the most recent edition of Kohelet's student Torah publication, Hakol Nishma. You can find all the articles here [http://koheletyeshiva.org/hakolnishma/]. Chag sameach! Is it possible to imagine a Jewish calendar year without the shalosh regalim – Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot? According to the
