Menachem Mendel

Rabbi Adam Mintz’s article from the latest issue of Ḥakirah, A Chapter in American Orthodoxy: The Eruvin in Brooklyn, is available online. HT: Prof. Lawrence Schiffman on Twitter.

Posted on November 27th, 2012 under American Judaism, Jewish History, Jewish Law, Shabbat. Comments Off

The Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History will be running an exhibit through June 30, 2013, “It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond.” Details can be found here. HT: Prof. Lawrence Schiffman’s Twitter feed.

Posted on November 4th, 2012 under American Judaism, Jewish Law, Shabbat. Comments Off

This past Shabbat my wife asked “Since when have Jews called the bread that we eat on Shabbat ḥallah (חלה)?” I had no idea what was the answer, so during the past few days I did a little searching and this is what I came up with. Many people associate Shabbat ḥallah with the ḥallah [...]

Posted on July 18th, 2012 under Customs, Hebrew, Shabbat. Comments: 5

One can spend much of his free time trying to learn the laws of warming up food on Shabbat, and I have no doubt that some people have done this. The company Kli Sheini has introduced a grill-like cover that they claim will remove many of the halakhic problems associated with heated up food on [...]

Posted on July 15th, 2012 under Jewish Law, Shabbat. Comments: 4

The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement met this week. Most people are speaking about the responsum on same-sex marriage, but there were a number of other ones that were voted upon. I will update the links as they become available. “Rituals and Documents of Marriage and Divorce for Same-Sex Couples,” [...]

Posted on June 1st, 2012 under Conservative Judaism, Jewish Law, Responsa, Shabbat. Comments: 1

I just finished reading Mark Mazower‘s book Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews 1430-1950 and recommend it for anyone who is interested in reading about the history of the Jewish community of Salonica or the rise and fall of multi-ethnic communities. The following is from a section describing anti-Jewish attacks that occurred in [...]

Posted on May 29th, 2012 under Jewish-Gentile Relations, Sephardic Jewry, Shabbat. Comments Off

From Ben-Gurion University: Although many think the primary realm of political religious debate can be found in the Knesset, two BGU researchers contend in a new article that a deadlocked political system has caused the conflict to shift to the consumer realm. Strife between secular and religious in Israel has been a factor since before [...]

Posted on April 18th, 2012 under Israel, Religion in Israel, Shabbat. Comments: 1

A colleague of mine brought to my attention the Kosherswitch. This isn’t a gramma-based light switch (i.e. a light switch that is based on indirect causation). The website has all of the info about how it works, which rabbis approve of it, where to buy it, etc. It is not currently available for purchase by [...]

Posted on September 15th, 2011 under Jewish Law, Shabbat. Comments: 3

The weekday edition of Makor Rishon has been available online for some time, and I just saw that part of their Musaf Shabbat is now also online here. If you’re looking for quality writing about Israeli and Jewish culture, this is the place to look.

Posted on February 15th, 2011 under Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Law, Jewish Thought, Religion, Religious Zionism, Shabbat, Zionism. Comments Off