THE WRITER RAV Give him what you write and he’ll make it RIGHT! Do you struggle to express yourself clearly, elegantly or persuasively in writing? Organized, stylish and effective writing gives you the competitive edge in school, business and your personal life. Read More »

  Modern Orthodoxy – Neither Modern, Nor Orthodox Modern Orthodoxy enjoys widespread popularity in America today. It lends a friendlier, more progressive and cosmopolitan face to a denomination that is generally perceived as elitist and provincial. Read More »

Three questions about the confessions of sin we recite on Yom Kippur – included in all five of the prayers of the day – had been bothering me for years until a conversation with my wife Elana last year opened my mind up to a totally new perspective that sheds light on the whole concept of Yom Kippur itself. Read More »

The Open Orthodox movement is taking leave of any semblance of halakhic legitimacy at an alarming pace. Read More »

I would like to apologize to the readership, and to Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, for the harsh tone of the posts in which I criticized Open Orthodoxy in general and his articles in particular. Read More »

In a post earlier this week , I took issue with an author on the “Morethodoxy” website, Open Orthodox Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky. Read More »

Cross-Currents has agreed to edit the post that gratuitously linked me to Open Orthodox ideology and practices.Many thanks to the authors of Cross-Currents for making what I believe to be the right decision in this matter. Read More »

The popular website known as Cross-Currents has published, and refuses to edit, an article that slanders me by implication.The same post, which also appeared on Matzav. Read More »

Recently, a blog post published by a purportedly Orthodox Rabbi concluded that we should no longer recite the blessing שלא עשני אשה   and that, in fact, to do so constitutes a חילול השם . The author adduces several questionable sources to support his proposal and which can be debated and addressed by more competent scholars elsewhere. Read More »

The Rambam, following the Talmud, describes five tragedies that occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz: “Five events occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz: The tablets containing the “Ten Commandments” were shattered; the daily sacrifice in the First Read More »

Please take a moment to visit my new blog, “Sephardic Bet Midrash”: http: //sephardicbetmidrash.blogspot.comI will be presenting summaries of the in-depth classes in Halakha that we conduct here at Magen David Sephardic Congregation every Thursday night. Currently, we are studying the laws of Milk and Meat in the Shulhan Arukh. Read More »

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I Can Say Goodbye I can say goodbye to you today Like a flower says goodbye To the soil that fills its veins with life, And wrapped gingerly in a blanket of tears is laid On chilly graveyard’s impenetrable ground Or is left by fluttering hearts to wait and wilt On unrequited love’s cruel threshold. Read More »

The process of bidding farewell to my Congregation in Maryland has been immensely painful. Although I believe that I am making the right decision for my family, facing the prospect of leaving behind so many beloved friends has broken my heart. The Prophet , by Khalil Gibran, has always touched me. Read More »

This week’s Parasha begins with the words “Vayaqhel Moshe”, and Moshe gathered the Jewish people together. Read More »

The neglect I have shown my blogs over the past couple of years is the result of multiple causes – less time at my disposal being a primary one – and returning to the blogosphere feels awkward and seems like it demands a “reason”. Read More »