Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Blinded

In Parshas Eikev, Moshe Rabbeinu continues his admonishing of the Jewish people for their waywardness. He warns them not to delude themselves as to...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Invitation To Intermarriage

One can't help but feel sad for Noah Feldman. In spite of his considerable professional accomplishments - a law professorship at Harvard, three books,...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Nachamu Nachamu

The Yalkut Shimoni writes that when Yeshayahu Hanovi spoke the immortal words of this week's haftorah, "Nachamu nachamu ami, "the Jewish people wanted to...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Returns Welcome

Married mere days, Dovid found himself seated at the head of a table with his new wife, in-laws and a host of strangers, including...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Kibbutz Conversation

Tisha B'Av always brings back the personal memory of a conversation between two teen-aged cousins more than thirty years ago. It took place on...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Lernen, Lernen, Lernen

Recently, I wrote in the Yated of a tale making the rounds in Eretz Yisroel. The story was printed in many of the religious...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Conversion Confusion

Israel’s Orthodox Rabbinate has been under siege of late, over the issue – once again – of conversion.  And once again as well, the...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Summer And The Three Weeks

As the Three Weeks come upon us, we wonder how to make them meaningful. We observe the mourning-related customs conscientiously, not cutting or trimming...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Pride And Puissance

In the end, despite pleas to spare Judaism’s holiest city the shame of the spectacle, a parade celebrating the rejection of the Torah’s moral...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Pinchos Is Eliyohu

At the conclusion of Parshas Balak, we learn that following the episode with Balak and Bilaam, the Bnei Yisroel began to sin with the...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Bad News Parade

A parade of bad news has been emanating from the Mideast over the past week, and no one knows what to do about it.   Hamas...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Name Abuse

There is tragically much chilul Hashem in our world.  Whether murder and mayhem in the name of religion or misbehavior on the part of...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Dear Graduates

Back in the day – the day when I was in grade school, that is – we were taught the “3 R’s” – Reading,...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Blinding Ego

One of the most difficult aspects to understand in Parshas Korach is how Korach and his followers could have so deluded themselves to believe...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: American Idols

I already have a title: “Ferry Tales.”  Now all I need is the time to write the book in my head about the interesting...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Help!

Several years ago, I wrote an article about a man I had met who had fallen on hard times. Thanks to our wonderful, generous...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Sheep

Some things infuriate me. One of them is the way secular Jewish leaders continue to speak of Israel and its army in the face...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Man or Beast

It is hardly surprising that one of the most outspoken evangelists of atheism would have less-than-kind words about a man who empowered religion in...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Angelic People

Shavuos is the day on which the Torah was plucked from its Heavenly abode and transmitted to mortals. We mark the sixth and seventh...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Reclaiming Aleinu

Whether to precarious geopolitical situations or challenges posed by personal adversity, the authentic Jewish response is to seek spiritual merits. Such virtues might come...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Chosen

In the April issue of Commentary, a scholar dared to raise one of the few remaining issues still considered impolite these days for public...

YW Editor: A dead dog, or a dead person?!

Yesterday, I read an article on many news websites which churned my stomach. There was a 62 year-old man who was driving his motorcycle...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: The face of the dog

The Gemorah tells that when Rabi Akiva noticed that his talmidim were becoming sleepy, he would intersperse some fantastic and startling statements in his...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Let my scientists go!

Back on April 13, in the spirit, perhaps, of the Pesach then just past, The New York Times editorialized about the need to “free”...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: Omein to Ahavas Yisrael

In a Jerusalem Post opinion piece, Dr. Jonathan Schorsch calls me a “clever fellow” whose “handwringing” over the hatred I’ve encountered aimed at Orthodox...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: A Holy Nation

This week we read and study Parshas Kedoshim. Any time some one asks you what’s wrong with doing this or that, where does it...

Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz: Be all we can be

I usually don’t get a chance to go shopping much, but before Yom Tov I put in my time. Waiting on line in so...

Jewish Influence – by Rabbi Avi Shafran

It isn’t likely that very many people exhaled at long last with relief at the news that three entertainment industry executives had compiled their...

Rabbi Avi Shafran: A Call to arms

The thesis that is the Jewish Nation has an antithesis: Amalek.  And just as Klal Yisroel is defined by the Torah, so is its...

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