The Torah itself establishes Judaism as a deeply role-based faith. There is a role for a Cohein, a role for a Levi, roles for men and roles for … Read More >>
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Upon consultation with its rabbinic leadership, Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement today: Hamodia reports that Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, First Vice-President of the Rabbinical Council of America, has clarified that the RCA “in no way endorses the title ‘maharat’ or the ‘maharat’ program under the direction of Rabbi Avi Weiss.” Rabbi Goldin further quotes RCA President Rabbi Moshe Kletenik as having stated that ordination of women “is a breach of our Mesorah and is unacceptable practice in Orthodoxy,” and that “it is also unacceptable for an Orthodox synagogue to have a woman on its rabbinical staff.” Agudath Israel warmly welcomes the clarification and commends the RCA leaders for their forthright and principled words. May we all continue to stand guard to protect the integrity of our Mesorah. Upon consultation with its rabbinic leadership, Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement today: The leadership of the Rabbinical Council of America and Rabbi Avi Weiss have apparently reached agreement that Rabbi Weiss would no longer confer the title of “Rabba” upon graduates of his women’s seminary, but rather the title “Maharat.” This superficial move does not in any way change the position of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah that placing women in traditional rabbinic positions departs from the Jewish mesorah, and that any congregation with a woman in such a position cannot call itself Orthodox. That the leadership of a respected rabbinical organization seems to have capitulated to Rabbi Weiss’ enterprise is deeply dismaying. We trust that this capitulation does not represent the perspective of the principled majority of the organization’s member rabbis. “Yesterday,” he said, “someone came from Parabek, and told us ‘Simcha umar,’ that Simcha had died. And so I volunteered to bury … Read More >> Is ending a life of pure contemplation less objectionable that ending one that includes physical activity? … Read More >> Agudath Israel of America Statement on the Passing of Rabbi Menachem Porush Rabbi Menachem Porush was a giant within the world of Agudath Israel and beyond. The contributions Rabbi Porush made to the growth of the Torah community in Eretz Yisroel over many decades of remarkable service, both from within the Israeli government and without, are incalculable. He was blessed with considerable talents — a brilliant mind, magnetic personality, keen insight into human nature, unparalleled communication skills — and used them all to promote the interests of Klal Yisroel. His closeness with Gedolei Yisroel from all backgrounds made him one of the world’s most prominent spokesmen for daas Torah, which for him was no mere slogan but a way of life. Rabbi Porush’s petirah leaves a gaping hole that will not easily be filled. It is incumbent on all of us now to study his incredible life story, and to learn and grow from it. To a believing Jew, every other Jew, no matter how ignorant or personally unobservant, is a relative – a member of Klal Yisrael, the Jewish … Read More >> A Philadelphia law enforcement official soberly informed television viewers how the “devices” worn by Mr. Leibowitz were called … Read More >> Our smiles are not for us but for others. My wife had apparently intuited that, and took advantage of the rare gem of a second … Read More >> I had been planning to write a follow-up message about my posting “The Earth Trembles” even before Illana B.’s comment (# 20) appeared. But her request – taking me back to my family’s wonderful years in Providence – convinced me to put aside some other pressing things and get down to addressing concerns that have been raised about what I wrote. I have to confess that I don’t usually read the Cross-Current comments posted to my essays. To be honest, I have found that posters often seemed to not have really read the essay on which they chose to comment; and that the tone of some postings seemed unnecessarily abrasive. I receive much feedback from individual subscribers to Am Echad Resources and so I get ample thoughtful responses and constructive criticism from that source. Having been apprised, though, of comments on various blogs that mischaracterized my words as “blaming” the Haitian disaster on “a cartoon,” I looked at the comments C-C readers had offered and, at the moderator’s suggestion, cleared those I felt deserved to be posted, and deleted those about which I felt otherwise. The latter category included repetitious comments and those that included name-calling, were crass … Read More >> Objective observers of the Middle East, though, should think long and hard about what happened in the wake of the mosque burning, and in the wake of Rabbi Chai’s … Read More >> The Kotel is a holy place, and should not be made a battlefield by advocates for social or religious change. … Read More >> The shortage of organs for transplantation – is pushing some physicians to call a life a life, even if it hasn’t yet been fully … Read More >> It is thus much more than a comparison; it is an identification. Jacob is the Jewish people; and that is why he is deathless. … Read More >> Neither Christianity nor Islam, after all, even existed when the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem functioned for centuries as the focal point of the Jewish … Read More >> a society that denies the soul-idea is, in the word’s deepest sense, … Read More >> acting dishonestly in order to “supplement” our income denies G-d’s ability to provide us our … Read More >> I’ve never experienced a pogrom or been pursued by an angry mob, thank G-d. And yet my genes seem to hold some residue – bequeathed in some Lamarckian way by less fortunate forebears – that discomforts me when a large crowd of people loudly expresses itself. Like the one outside our offices on a recent Friday. Agudath Israel’s national headquarters are located on lower Broadway in Manhattan, on the “Canyon of Heroes” where the adulated New York Yankees are paraded when they win a World Series. Personally, I reserve the word “hero” for people in other pursuits than professional sports; but the estimated two million New Yorkers who turned out for the recent parade in the Yankees’ honor clearly disagree. It was the powerful, swelling din of their joy when the floats drove slowly by, 13 floors below, that sent a shiver of nervousness, not excitement, down my spine. I was well aware that the clamor was celebratory, not predatory; but I couldn’t help but imagine what it must be like to see such a mob waving not flags and signs but clubs and knives. I’m not afraid of heights or claustrophobic. I appreciate a good roller coaster … Read More >> |
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