Joseph Ber Soloveitchik (1903–1993) was an American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a descendant of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic dynasty. Read More »

Last night we began the mitzvah of lighting the menorah as we ushered in the yom tov of Chanukah. As always we start by lighting one single light. Not many lights, not glaring lights strewn across our front lawn or wound around a tree, but one solitary light which can drive away the darkness. Read More »

Tired of those Matisyahu Shaved his beard blog posts? Well, here’s something completely different…….. A friend a work gave me a Starbucks gift card enclosed in a Hallmark card with the below text. Typically I don’t use the words “Hallmark” and “ LOL humor” in the same sentence, but in this case I had to make an exception. Read More »

There are times as an Orthodox Jew that you have to sit something out as it falls on Shabbos; A concert, a reunion, or even a convention. Even though you love, appreciate and even thank Hashem for Shabbos, Missing out on things sometimes can be a bit of a “bummer”. Then there is the flip side. Read More »

I guess you can call this another installment of Gruven Reuven’s look at Jews in Comics. This time I’ve come across Marvel’s Moon Knight #1, which hit your local comic book stores the week of 4-May-2011. Read More »

I had to chuckle reading The Amazing Spider-man #661 (On sale at your Local Comic Shop 18-May-2011). As suspected in a previous blog post of mine , Ben Grimm (Aka The Thing) is in fact Jewish. Reading the below panel, it is sad to see that The Thing got kicked out of Hebrew School. Read More »

“What If “ is the title of a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that explore “the road not traveled” by its various Marvel characters. Events in the “What If” series are considered separate from mainstream continuity in the Marvel Universe. Read More »

For me, Shabbos candle lighting at 7: 00pm is my sweet spot. Not too early, not eating too late… Just like Goldilocks… it’s just right. Mincha at 7: 00, Kabbalat Shabbat to follow, Home and ready to make Kiddush by 8: 30. If you take Shabbos in on time during the summer months, many times you are looking at having your Shabbos meal at 10pm. Read More »

Purim is like a large wave in the ocean. We see it coming, we anticipate its arrival, but then it crashes to the shore and is no more. Part of me laments that Purim is a one day holiday. Another part of me is grateful. I don’t know if I can handle two days of intense fun. Read More »

This morning after the Chazan finished the Shemoneh Esrei repetition, our Rabbi announced “No Tachanun, we have a Bris Later!”. You could just see the smiles and feel the elation that we got to skip Tachanun unexpectedly. I think that reaction is typical in most shuls that I’ve been to. Read More »

A guten chodesh Tov! With the chilly temps this morning, it’s hard to believe that in less then two weeks it will be Purim! I love Rosh Chodesh Davening. 4-Aliyah Torah reading, , Hallel!, Barchi Nafshi, the Rashi/Rebbenu Tam tefillin swap and the Yaaleh Ve’yavoh insertion into the Shemoneh Esrei. Read More »

A Contract with G-d by Will Eisner, click to enlarge Today marks the Birthday of Will Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005). Will was born in Brooklyn New York, the son of Jewish immigrants (His mother was from Romania, his father from Austria) Will became an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. Read More »

Click Image to enlarge A big Todah Rabah to Mike Gallagher (Artist and member of the Comic Geek Speak Podcast ) who sketched the attached picture of me. He turned me into SuperMench, who he described as, a “Kind Super Hero”. Nice, A Chessed-Hero! I look forward to meeting Mike at the CGS Super show May 1st in Reading Pennsylvania. Read More »

All the media is a flutter with the news of Apple’s iPad2. Here’s all you need to know in converting your iPad into a j-Pad! Be the envy of your Yeshiva, Beis Medrish or Kollel. Read More »

Tekhelet, is a blue dye mentioned 48 times in the Tanach. Its uses include the clothing of the High Priest, the tapestries in the Mishkan, and the tassels (known as Tzitzit) to be affixed to the corners of one’s garments. Following the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, the sole use of the blue dyed strings was in the tzitzit. Read More »

No, I’m not trying to turn this blog into a “Jews in Comics blog”, but while I’m on a roll…. Sunday, I finally got around to reading “Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes” by Neil Gaiman. The Book has been recommend to me many times by pretty much everyone I know that reads comics/Graphic Novels. I picked the book up cheap from Instocktrades. Read More »

Referring to yesterday’s blog post, It’s A Jewish Thing , a friend of mine on twitter asked “when do we get a gay Jewish super hero?”. Ah, my friend… Marvel is already one step ahead of you! In the “Avengers: The Children’s Crusade”, Billy Kaplan (Aka Wiccan) states he is gay and Jewish. Read More »

In Fantastic Four issue #588, the Marvel comic universe is still reeling over the death of Fantastic Four team member Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch). Johnny’s untimely death in the “negative zone” can be read in Issue #587. Read More »

“I believe in god, It’s been a real Problem for me” -Shalom Auslander I am certain Shalom Auslander was absent from his Talmud class the day his Rebbe taught over the sugya in Avoda Zora (17a) of Rabbi Elazar ben Dordaya. Read More »

My 12 year old is getting a class on “Computers” this year in middle school. Of course he is very excited about it. At dinner last night, he asked me “what were computer classes like when I was his age. “ So after choking on my Falafel ball, I told him we didn’t have personal computers when I was his age. Read More »