It seems like the "left" is getting all bent out of shape over Donald Trump's pick for Israeli Ambassador.
It also seems like the editors of the Algemeiner have attempted to duplicate SoMeHoW Frum's headlines.
Read and enjoy.
The advertising blitz unleashed this past month by Zman Magazine for their new endeavor, a Chanukah play, is showing great dividends.
The Yeshiva World has made great strides in recent years with regard to kosher entertainment, but the upcoming Zusman, a Nazi drama, based on a true story and produced by the greatest talents in the Jewish world shows tremendous promise.
With four different shows over the Chanukah break, this guarantees to evoke memories that will last a lifetime.
Visit their website here.
Whomever said that there is no Toeles in blogging, didn't read the comments on the previous post.
One noble "reader" informed me that the unofficial Augdah website has all the issues of the Jewish Observer, 1963-2010 available online.
It is a pity that this is not publicized more, as some of those articles are relevant even today.
Many of the same issues that the jblogosphere has been debating for the past 10 years have been debated already on these pages.
Kudos to the Lefkowitz family and all those involved in this project.
Just go to http://ourlli.org and follow the "news" link.
The recent controversy between the Jewish Weeklies whether to print pictures of women certainly should take their cues from the Agudath Israel magazine of record - The Jewish Observer Alav Hashalom.
The JO was published between 1963 and 2010, and was THE source for American Orthodox Hashkofo. Not only did the JO print pictures of women, and even on the front cover, but R Chaim Kanievsky recently wondered aloud why the book published on his Rebbitzen had so few pictures of her and so many of him.
Click photos to enlarge:
Dear Hillary,
Please don't blame this on James Comey. Blame it on your email server which was created to hide the shenanigans of the Clinton Foundation, selling American Policy for cash. It didn't help either that you paid for Chelsea's wedding with this money; nor did it help that you compromised American security by leaving your server open to foreign hackers.
Sincerely,
The Silent Majority
Back in the day, I had a friend from Chicago who said that Moshiach would not come until the Chicago Cubs win the World Series.
Who would have thought that a Tzitzis sporting Orthodox Jew would be throwing out the first pitch of a Game 7?
With the unprecedented rise of Donald Trump, it is becoming more obvious than ever that someone up there is pulling strings.
We live in amazing times, get ready for the Geula.
I am usually very critical of biographies. Rare is the book that captures my interest and encourages a second reading. But the recent offering by Yaakov Hamburger thrilled me and fascinated me enough to come out of semi-retirement and update my blog.
The reason that most stories of Gedolim do not resonate is because the reader gets the feeling that the subject was born into greatness, possessing a brilliant mind and never looking back. What sets Rabbi Miller apart is that he was a self-made man. He worked on himself his entire life, reaching higher and greater achievements even into old age.
Rabbi Miller was born in Baltimore, MD in 1908. Growing up during those years was a tremendous pressure to be "Americanized". The melting pot required one to shake off the vestiges of foreignism and become college educated and pursue the American Dream.
Yet RAM had a great desire to learn Torah, and when he realized that the great bastions of Torah lay overseas, he left the comfort of America and joined the Slabodka Yeshiva. The Slabodka Yeshiva had a tremendous effect on him, and his entire life now became a challenge to pursue greatness - Gadlus HaAdom - as his Slabodka mentors referred to pursuing perfection and making something of one's self.
When winds of war started blowing in Europe, Rabbi Miller returned with his new bride and took a job as rabbi in Chelsea, MA. He opened a day school and began teaching the local populace, but as his children grew, it became apparent that he would need to find schools for all his children with higher standards. When Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner from Yeshiva Chaim Berlin called and offered him the job of Mashgiach, he immediately jumped at the opportunity.
For 20 years, RAM served as Mashgiach with a mixture of wit, humor and toughness. After Chaim Berlin moved and the travel became too taxing, he resigned and moved on to the next phase of his life - teaching.
He began giving lectures in many schools/yeshivos and was simultaneously serving as rabbi in the Young Israel of Rugby. Slowly but surely he took his congregants on a journey to finish Shas. While most American Shuls at the time had lectures in Parsha or Mishnayos, RAM had a dream that he would teach his Baale Batim Gemara. He began slowly, but eventually his Shul finished Shas. When the East Flatbush neighborhood soured, he moved as a whole, together with his Kehilla to Flatbush. He insisted that the Shul relocate only to a place where there are Yeshivos, and settled a block away from the Mirrer Yeshiva. He renamed his Shul - Bais Yisroel Torah Center, and began to give Shiurim there almost non-stop for the next quarter of a century.
Rabbi Miller also began to write books in English, so as to resonate with the youth. He wrote books on Hashkofo and history and eventually on the Siddur and Chumash. These books became best-sellers, as there was a dearth of reading material in the vernacular in those days. RAM also began the very popular Thursday night lecture, wherein he spoke on almost any topic and his recordings were quickly spread around the globe. Many of those recordings have been produced recently in book form.
Rabbi Miller was a staunch supporter of Morality, and spearheaded a group of his congregants to create the Jews for Morality committee.
He lived to the ripe old age of 93, in good health, as he was very health conscience before it was fashionable. His wit and wisdom were famous, as when he was accosted by a nemesis who urged him to "drop dead" RAM replied "God willing, that will be the last thing I ever do!"
It is somewhat ironic, that RAM penned a few lines in the famous book "All for the Boss" about one of his early mentors, R' Yaakov Yosef Herman ZTL. He wrote "The biography of this servant of Hashem is long overdue". I can't think of any one else of recent generations who would so aptly be called a servant of Hashem other than Rabbi Avigdor Miller ZTL.
Dialogue I
Dialogue II
Dialogue III
Dialogue IV
Dialogue V
It's been 2 long years since the last issue of Dialogue.
Well, the wait was well worth it.
Rav Aharon Feldman is back with Judaism - The Ultimate Counterculture.
I. The Rabbinate Today
A Framework for Rabbinic Leadership - Rabbi Warren Goldstein
The American Orthodox Rabbinate: Past, Present and Future by Rabbi Yaakov Feitman
Boondocks or Boon? A perspective on Small-Town Rabbonus - Rabbi Yisroel Miller
Learning From Each Other: An experience with Diversity - Rabbi Menachem Zupnick
II. Jewish Thought
Avrohom Avinu and the Akeyda - Rabbi Aharon Feldman
Eliyahu haNavi - Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene
III. Jewish Practice and Belief
Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law - Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky
The Shofet of That Age: Dynamics of Halachic Authority - Rabbi Ze'ev Kraines
Use of Tzedakah Funds for Health Care - Rabbi Shimon Silver
The Beys Din System of Today - Rabbi Ari Marburger
- Addendum by Rabbi Shlomo Miller
IV. Jewish History
Moral Resistance in the Concentration Camps - David Adler
V. Book Review
Review Article: Torah, Chazal and Science - Rabbi Yaakov Menken
VI. Comments and Rejoinders
The Birth of a Schismatic Movement - Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer
Letters to the Editor
Available here
Lekavod Purim:
I was told that Rabbi Reisman received an assortment platter of cookies for Mishloach Manos.
One of his visitors asked him if it is "Reisman's"?
Rabbi Reisman replied: "Now it is."
We live in a generation where we'd rather witness an event than experience it ourselves. Shame.
There was a time in recent memory when the Frum publications published pictures of women. The Artscroll biographies included many such pictures.
Recently, however, there has been a push to disallow pictures of women and girls, to the extent that publications blot out the faces of little
girls in their Purim costume advertisements.
Now I have no issue if a publication wants to cater to its readership. If you don't want to print pictures of women, that is fine. But then why print a picture of Rebbitzen Pam?
And finally, it is geneivas daas in my opinion to print pictures that are altered to make people think that there were no women in the picture.
Of course in this case it is entirely possible that the women were asked to step aside during a male only picture.
The Black Broncos performed DURING the Superbowl.
The Black Panthers performed during halftime.
Is it no wonder then who won?
Baruch Dayan HaEmes.
Rabbi Genack mentioned at the Levaya today, that had it not been for Rabbi Belsky, none of us would be eating fish.
Not to mention drinking milk, drinking water and wearing Sheitels.
Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald passed away suddenly. He was a maverick who championed the cause of his downtrodden brethren.
Yehi Zichro Baruch.
Alan 'Shlomo' Veingrad, the only Shomer Shabbos NFL star, has signed up with Bike4Chai. Wish I could do the same, but with cold weather here on the East Coast, it is hard to even think about bicycle riding.
One of my first posts, all those years ago focused on attending a "Carlebach" style Minyan once in a while. The idea was, that although his unique style might not be worthy of changing the singing nusach of Kabbolas Shabbos, nevertheless, it is worthwhile to try to elevate one's self occasionally via prayer coupled with song.
Many congregations meld this idea by engaging in Carlebach Style minyanim once a month, on Shabbos Mevarchim.
This past Shabbos I decided to try one such minyan, and enjoyed the experience. Yet I came away with a realization that I hadn't contemplated originally - that more than the familiar melodies - I appreciated the communal singing for another reason altogether - that when the congregation joins together in song...there is no talking with each other!
