News and Essays In and Out of Orthodoxy – Parshas Pinchas 5776

Rav Shmuel Yerachmiel Kaufman zt”l, Legendary Mechanech of Detroit

Rabbi Avrohom Powers z”l

Freezer Survivor Known from Arizal’s Mikvah Passes Away

An Italian doctor explains “Syndrome K,” the fake disease he invented to save Jews from the Nazis

This Lithuanian concentration camp is now a wedding venue

U.S. Army Officer Who Rescued Jews During Holocaust Dies At 99

Dutch businessman initiated probe into his family’s Nazi-era history

Parshas Balak – Unreal Realities

Not politically correct (This is written rhetorically.)

An Open Letter To Ramaz Students

After playing anti-Semitism card against Trump, Wasserman Schultz sunk by aides’ anti-Bernie emails and How Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s DNC Tried To Weaponize Bernie Sanders’ Jewishness

Was The DNC’s Bernie Email Right After All?

Michael Bloomberg set to endorse Clinton

Clinton VP choice Tim Kaine a Democratic leader on Mideast issues

Senator Kaine Elicits Mixed Reviews From Jewish Voices

Tim Kaine, accepting VP slot, cites Holocaust survivor who died in shooting massacre

Nothing radical about GOP’s shift on Palestinian statehood

Rabbi Joshua Spinner Discusses the State of Germany’s Jews After Attacks

The Incredible Salvation of One Act of Chesed

Photos: Rabbi Ilan Feldman Shows Support for Atlanta Police – What an important gesture and Kiddush Hashem. Many rabbis are engaging in similar programs over the course of these weeks.

The Early Years of Yeshiva University

Disappointed in the Appointed: Grasping How Orthodox Leaders Can Lead Unorthodox Lives

On the rise: support for Rabbi Levinstein reaches 500

Forged: Orthodox wedding blessing sanctifies ‘Groom & Groom’

Innovative Rabbinics – Interview with an Open Orthodox leader on a variety of issues. Snippets: “Would Rabbi Lichtenstein and Rabbi Soloveitchik have agreed with what you’re doing?  No, I don’t think so, and I think about that a lot…  Some people would say that that’s (studying other religions) studying heresy. …You’re going to tell me what I’m forbidden to believe? The question is what you believe in; what’s worth believing in. People are afraid to ask that question, because the moment you ask it, perhaps that means that you don’t believe in the Torah. But that’s the real heresy – the fear of asking yourself what you really believe. Not what you’re supposed to believe – forget about what you’re supposed to believe – but what do you believe?”  (Please read the whole interview to get a full grasp of its messages.)

Curriculum of Above Rabbi’s Semicha Program

Also, Unleashing a Storm

Last week’s installment of Weekly Digest – News and Essay In and Out of Orthodoxy can be viewed here.

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10 Responses

  1. Reading says:

    Re “Senator Kaine Elicits Mixed Review From Jewish Voices” – a significant portion of the part praising Kaine is based on a Hasidic PR guy that is also a lobbyist, who is intimately connected to the Democrat party, which makes him have a vested interest in promoting that liberal political machine. His personal and business interests should not be confused with those of the Jewish community, however. Kaine is evidently a very skilled and clever politician. But some nice words uttered at a feel-good event alone, without proportional corresponding acts, don’t get a politician immediate acceptance into the hall of fame in our faith.

    Just to bring some much needed balance into the picture, we should also be aware that the same Senator Kaine, with Ezra Friedlander, just honored, in the US Senate in DC, five times married serial philanderer and walking chillul Hashem ‘Rabbi’ Marc Schneier, someone who was, not long ago, in a very rare action, expelled by the Rabbinical Council of America, for egregious, immoral, and vile behavior. Yet, in this video, from just about two months ago, he is lavishly praised and honored by Senator Kaine together with Mr. Friedlander. That should make you realize how much credence to give to such PR rhetoric.

  2. Eli Blum says:

    I had never heard the “syndrome K” story, thank you for sharing.

  3. dr. bill says:

    It is refreshing to hear the honesty of rabbi Hefter, who is forthright in saying he doesn’t think the the Rav ztl and RAL ztl would agree with him. (it is worth noting that one of the 3 current RY serving in RAL and rav Amital ztl’s position attended the semicha ceremony.)  Compare that to Rabbi Meiselman trying to present his views in the Rav’s aura.  More importantly, he correctly noted the independence both the Rav and RAL promoted in their students even in quasi-halakhic matters.  Gedolai Olam of previous generations held similar views.

    • mycroft says:

      Dr Bill

      i have similar views-I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with the RAv even good students from his shiur. Just be open that you disagree with his viewpoints. If the RAv acted in a way contrary to your desire don’t say he had a different way or the old saying from decades ago from a leading RAv from Bennett Ave about SRH -his ideas were a horas shah. There is no indication anywhere about that. Of course, similar ideas have spread about the RAv indicating Boston was a special case-no evidence of that, or the RAv didn’t believe what he did.

      even more a different Rabbi not living in Manhattan states that there were only 6 shower Shabbos Jews in Boston when the RAv came to Boston-laughable on its face.

      • mycroft says:

        The issue of changing what we did or what we did is not valid is one that once you open up the door on either side becomes to I believe roughly quote Joel Rich who has the power to decide. Thus, it is then no longer a questin f following menorah ish mini ish but following who one believes is appropriate some may choose to follow RY X or Y or Rabbi Z-but it then becomes ones choice.if it is OK to change on the right it is OK to changs on the left. Then it becomes who one trusts based on integrity, based on logic and based even on ability to remember viewpoints

      • joel rich says:

        yup and the final psak of history will be based on a number of factors not the least of which is what a substantial subgroup will accept.   Interesting is R’ AL’s position concerning the humility and introspection needed in major psak decisions (as well as the specifics on this issue)  See “Seeking His Presence” on this

        She-nir’eh et nehamat Yerushalayim u-binyanah bi-mherah ve-yamenu,

    • Steve brizel says:

      Obviously the curriculum makes YCTs look strenuous and can be fairly described as “about Judaism” and some courses that are heavy on hashkafa and almost nonexistent on Gemara and Halacha.

    • Steve brizel says:

      Perhaps the educated reader who is a yodea sefer could decide whether the three volumes of Harei Kedem or R Hefter is more or a less a talmid of the Torah of RYBS. The faculty at the school described contains at least one member whose views RAL viewed as highly problematical on issues of gender based on her gender based views of Chazal

       

  4. Weaver says:

    “Some people would say that that’s (studying other religions) studying heresy.”

    It would seem to depend on what parts of the religions you’re studying. There are plenty of concepts and ideas from other religions that are not heresy. (The Abarbanel even incorporated explanations from Christian thinkers into his peirush on Chumash.)

    I would agree that there are definite risks in exploring other religions, though.

  5. david z says:

    I don’t understand why you’re promoting the fallacy that the dnc emails were anti Jewish. They were pro Jewish. They were anti atheist. Which I thought was beautiful. He’s saying even his southern Baptist west Virginians and kentuckians would be absolutely give with a God fearing Jew. But not with an atheist. He was calling into question Sanders responding he’s ethically Jewish to the question of religion. Just as it might be nonsensical for someone to respond hey I’m Irish when they ask if he believes in God.

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