Book Serialization Part 1: Six People You Meet in Synagogue

For 2013. We present our book in serial format on our blog - God's Favorite Prayers...Invitation I  invite you into the heart of Jewish spirituality, to learn about its idiom and imagery, its emotions and its great sweeping dramas. I invite you to meet six ideal personalities of Jewish prayer. And I invite you to get to know some of their respective prayers.My thesis in this book is simple. Jews pray every day in holy synagogues and in...

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Is Menstruation Kosher?

Well that silly question got your attention... Kosher means fit or proper.Yes, you will know that menstruation is kosher, if you are an educated person. There is nothing unfit about it. It is a normal part of human health and life.But according to an op-ed report in the Times, "The Taboo of Menstruation," religious and cultural taboos concerning menstruation are widespread in India, to the degree that, "The taboo of menstruation in India causes real...

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New Yorker: Guns in Israel and Gefilte Fish in Brooklyn

New Yorker sometimes is our favorite Jewish magazine. The editors unintentionally juxtapose two articles of interest in the 2012 holiday issue: A JEWISH GEFILTE CHRISTMAS Posted by Anna Altman ...This year, I appended the Jewish holiday rites with a visit to the kitchen of the Gefilteria, a recently launched food company specializing in old-world Jewish foods. Started by three twenty-somethings living in Brooklyn, the Gefilteria sells gefilte fish...

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The Times v. the Orthodox Male Control Over the Non-Sacred Space at the Western Wall

The Times is helping to stir up anti-Orthodox political sentiment in Israel by focusing in a report on the denial of rights to women at the Western Wall.Talmudic AnalysisIn fact the area of prayer at the Wall is not a holy site in formal Judaism. It is outside the location of the ancient Temple, hence it is an ordinary space with no special religious sanctity.We are not sure why in this day and age Jews find it meaningful to pray there. It is a reminder...

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Is Brian Schatz Jewish?

Yes, Brian Schatz, the new US senator from Hawaii, is a Jew.JTA reports:Hawaii's governor named his Jewish lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz, to replace the late Daniel Inouye in the U.S. Senate. Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, on Wednesday named Schatz, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party, to replace Inouye, who died last week.Schatz, 40, lists his religion as Jewish on his Facebook page....Inouye, who was a pro-Israel leader in...

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Is New Year's Eve Jewish?

Is the celebration of New Year's Eve allowed in accord with the Jewish religion?No, not in Haifa, Israel, according to the rabbinate there. They say that a New Year's Eve party is an act of "Idol worship," as JTA reports:Haifa rabbinate forbids New Year’s Eve partiesJERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Haifa rabbinate has warned local hotels and event halls that they could lose their kashrut supervision if they hold New Year's Eve parties on their premises."No...

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Yeshiva University Sex Scandal Widens

Sadly the child sex abuse scandal at Yeshiva University that has been in the news has widened with new abuse allegations and with a call for an independent investigation.Rabbis' touch of 'evil': 11 more claim sexual abuse at Yeshiva University's high ...New York Daily News‎More victims of two creepy rabbis at Yeshiva University's high school have come forward with claims that the shocking sexual misconduct spanned more than two decades and affected...

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God Season Serious at the NY Times and Funny at the New Yorker

It is God Season at the NY Times and New Yorker. Here are some of the better articles.From The New York Times Sunday Review a long OPINION: One Nation Under God? The Christian consensus that long governed our public square is disintegrating. http://nyti.ms/ZrxOse OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR: The Moral Animal. How Darwin explains religion. http://nyti.ms/12JkM7l OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR: The Hell of Online Shopping. Ordering Christmas presents online has obliterated the idea that there should be some grace to a present, and that the receiver should experience it....

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Is Pink Jewish?

Yes, Pink is a Jew. The star performer dazzled everyone at the Grammy's with her singing, acrobatics and revealing performance in 2010. Her mother is Jewish.A 2006 interview with Pink says about her plans for tattoos, Her Jewish mom will be honoured on her right arm, “with Hebrew writing and a cat ’cause she’s a snob and she’s a nurse and all that stuff,” she says cryptically. “And my dad is this country boy and he’s a wolf, or a tiger – I’m not sure which animal yet. And my mom grew up in Atlantic City so I’m gonna have all sort of casinos. And...

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Is Santa Claus Jewish? A New Yorker Cartoon on the Holiday Spirit

Is Santa Claus Jewish? A New Yorker Cartoon on the Holiday Spirit!"I don't care who's naughty or nice anymore -- I only keep track of who's crossed me." Indeed![Reposted]...

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NYTimes: A Dissident Egyptian Blogger's Visit to Israel

Inspiring courage. From The New York Times: THE LEDE BLOG: A Dissident Egyptian Blogger's Visit to Israel Maikel Nabil, an Egyptian blogger who was jailed for eight months last year by Egypt's military for expressing his views on politics and religion, began a tour of Israel... http://nyti.ms/VV7...

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Was Sherlock Holmes Jewish?

No, Sherlock Holmes was not a Jew. He was and is a fictional character created by Conan-Doyle and hence has no actual religion. And that character is not depicted in the fiction as anything near a Jew. And on a related matter...MARIA KONNIKOVA author of “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes" and a doctoral candidate in psychology at Columbia wrote "The Power of Concentration" for the NYTimes. In the article she equates the concentration...

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Update on the Insults: A Battle Over a Book: Haym Soloveitchik v. Talya Fishman

Our once-upon-a-time teacher at Yeshiva University has panned a new book about rabbinic cultural development.It's a veritable battle over a book, Haym Soloveitchik v. Talya Fishman.The book is Becoming the People of the Talmud: Oral Torah as Written Tradition in Medieval Jewish Cultures (Jewish Culture and Contexts).The review by Haym is locked away to subscribers only at the Jewish Review of Books. We infer from hearsay and from the rejoinder that...

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Reports of "Reprehensible" Sexual Abuse at Yeshiva University

We found it sad to read reports in the Jewish Week and New York Times about sexual abuse of boys at Yeshiva University by a teacher and a principal in the 1980s.During the eleven years that we studied at the all male campus of the school in Washington Heights when we were in High School, college and rabbinical school, we did not hear reports or rumors about such behavior.44 Talmudic Books for Kindle The Amazing 36 Volume Kindle Talmud in EnglishWhence...

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Do people study the Talmud on the Subway?

A New York blog (The Underground New York Public Library - a visual library featuring the Reading-Riders of the NYC subways) has some graphic proof that yes, people do study the Talmud on the subway.The Jewish Press reported on this in June 2012, "An Ultra-Orthodox man reading the Talmud on the subway from Underground NY Public Library. The photo blog is a project of acclaimed street photographer, Ourit Ben-Haim. In an interview, Ben-Haim said that...

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Is BVO Kosher?

The Times reports on the possible health issues of BVO, an additive found in Gatorade and other drinks. According to Jewish law, the chemical is kosher. But given the health risks, we don't think anyone should consume it.We are told that, "about 10 percent of drinks sold in the United States contain brominated vegetable oil, including Mountain Dew, also made by PepsiCo; Powerade, Fanta Orange and Fresca from Coca-Cola; and Squirt and Sunkist Peach...

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Koren Jerusalem Bible on an Israeli Stamp

Only in Israel. A bible edition, the Koren Hebrew Tanakh, [on Amazon, The Koren Classic Tanakh: A Hebrew Bible for Personal Use (Hebrew Edition)] was honored with its own postage stamp. The publisher informs:December 12, 2012, the Israel Postal Authority issued an official stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of The Koren Tanakh,  the first Hebrew Bible designed, edited and published in the State of Israel. The envelope...

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Our Great Grandfather Harris Epstein the Inventor

I am named after my great-grandfather, Harris (Tzvee) Epstein, aka, Epstein the Inventor, who lived in New York City and Spring Valley. I probably inherited my technical curiosity from him.He was the inventor and patent holder of many practical items, a folding umbrella, an extension ladder, a double sided toothbrush, a vegetable grater and more. Here are of his patents with their links from Google Patent search:SIGNALING APPARATUS...

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Google's "Rabbi" Swiffy will Convert Flash to HTML5

Our Samsung Galaxy S3 phone (which CNET calls the best device of the year) surprisingly does not support Flash. Our iPad never supported Flash. These devices do support HTML5. So we went out to look for ways to convert Flash to HTML5.Our initial result was good. We recommend Google's "Rabbi" Swiffy if you want to convert from Flash SWF to HTML5. It worked for us on a fairly complicated Flash animated graphic.Note, this free converter works in beta...

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Is Bruno Mars an Orthodox Jew?

As far as we know, Bruno Mars is not Jewish, Orthodox or otherwise... the pop singer is from Hawaii, part Filipino and part Puerto Rican.His new album is Unorthodox Jukebox and let us make this clear, this music is not suitable for Orthodox Jews (or others) who wish to avoid music with explicit themes about sex or swear words. Other than that, we like the album a lot.Previously on the subject of Bruno Mars (6/5/12) we waxed Talmudic:We like the popular...

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Moses vs Santa Claus and Is Snoop Lion Jewish?

We warn you. It does not get any sillier than this video on YouTube, "Moses vs Santa Claus. Epic Rap Battles of History".This image of the rapper wearing a Jewish star and playing Moses prompted our inquiry, Is he Jewish?No, Snoop Lion is not a Jew. According to Wikipedia, "A DNA test read by George Lopez on Lopez Tonight revealed Snoop Dogg to be of 0% East Asian, 23% Native American, 6% European, and 71% African descent."And see the additional...

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Times: Happy Madoff Investment Fraud Day

The Times' Paul Sullivan reminded us to wish everyone a happy Madoff day on this 4th anniversary of the discovery of the massive investment fraud, "On ‘Madoff Day,’ Think About How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Fraud".Just for the record we did not know until we saw it in the Times that today was called "Madoff Day" and indeed we are ambivalent about that.And further for the record, we are not sure there is much good advice in Mr. Sullivan's article,...

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A Hanukkah Analogy at West Point and a Plea to Light a Menorah in Protest

We'd like to see Cadet Blake Page retract his resignation from West Point, and go back there, and light a menorah in the Chapel as a protest against religious oppression in our day in our country. Here is our basis for that plan.Blake's story out of the US military academy at West Point reminded us of our Hanukkah narrative. The analogy is far from perfect but this sums it up. In place of the worship institution known as the ancient Temple in Jerusalem,...

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Times: Op-Ed Knows the Truth of the Hanukkah Meaning

In the opinion of Hilary Leila Krieger, the Washington bureau chief for The Jerusalem Post, there is "The True Meaning of Hanukkah" in the political triumph of the Hasmoneans, and then there is the (non-essential) miracle of the oil.Here they go again intruding politics into the synagogue. Along with the Talmud, which clearly states what Hanukkah verily is all about (i. e. the oil miracle), we will make our "true" opinion known. It is better to keep...

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Teaneck gets The Shalom TV Channel

Optimum in Teaneck has The Shalom TV Channel on 138 now as a full time channel in addition to the previous On Demand service. Via PR:Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today announced the addition of the new Shalom TV Channel to Optimum’s comprehensive line-up. Shalom TV, available on channel 138, is America's Jewish television network with a strong array of shows covering the panorama of Jewish life and of interest to everyone.Shalom TV programming...

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Hillary Gets a Boost from the Saban Forum

New Yorker' David Remnick reports that Hillary Clinton has some backing from some prominent Jews to be the next president of the United States....

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Times' Lazy Profile of Andy Statman and God

Our friend Andy is a great musician and a great person. But unlike the Times, we are sure that God has nothing to do with that.We don't know why the Times thinks Andy's religion is a factor. They just put his yarmulka picture up there and don't do the work to make much thoughtful connection between his religion and his music. Perhaps that is because there is little or no...

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Does the GOP Use Religion to Manipulate Voters?

Yes, in a cynical fashion, in the most obvious and in the least successful way, news stories are showing that the GOP does use religion to manipulate voters. See a brief account of some of the bad actions he...

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Big News: Jews Good at Sports

The New York Times knows that Jews is always news, and "Jews and Sports" is big time news. (Not exactly. Some might say, odd topic, odd book.)See the review of 'Jewish Jocks,' Edited by Franklin Foer and Marc Tracy -- Sporty Jews. 50 sports greats. Are they Jewish? If they are in the book, we should presume they are. But not all are Jewish and not all are Jocks. That's okay because the authors and publishers were not under oath when they put this...

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How much is that Torah in the Window?

In an article, the Times describes a new Jewish fund raising craze, Underwriting Abraham - Synagogues Offer Sponsorships for Torah Texts.Hey, it's kids, it's adults, it's a woman scribe, it's Brooklyn, it's money, it's so much more, it's a multi-faceted mitzvah (with a big ROI)...On Page One of the Times' Metropolitan Section. Hmmm. Shouldn't it be in the Sunday Business Secti...

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