This post has been cross-posted to DovBear. For more discussion, click here.
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky is making headlines with his front page Jewish Press article in which he thoroughly disposes of Orthopraxy and ousts the Orthoprax from Modern Orthodoxy.
For a thorough fisking of the main parts of the article go to XGH’s blog, this is his [...]
Posts under ‘Musings & Observations’
The Real Orthoprax Issue
Reverse Discrimination and Oversensitivity
Yesterday I wrote about a great film in Simple Justice | The Story of Brown v. Board of Education: The End of Separate But Equal in Schools. Civil Rights made tremendous strides in the wake of Brown. It was a tumultuous time and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the way to racial equality.
Today, we have [...]
Simple Justice | The Story of Brown v. Board of Education: The End of Separate But Equal in Schools
Last week I spoke at Pepperdine University about Jewish Lessons in Parenting. I began my talk by complimenting my parents and expressing my desire to emulate their parenting in the raising of my own children. One such example occurred today.
At Law School we are reading some of the most well-known Supreme Court Cases. A few [...]
The Whales Are Mounting A Counter Attack!
I am sure you have already heard the news. If you have not, here goes.
Today, a killer whale named Tilikum at Sea World Orlando killed a trainer. Yes. A whale. An animal that has no instinct to kill a human, killed a human, IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE! That was certainly more than the spectators [...]
Mishloach Manos Packing on the Beach 2/14/10
Yesterday was a great day for Pacific Jewish Center and our community.
A little while back, we decided that it would a lot of fun for the community to get together and pack mishloach manos together at the Shul on the Beach.
The event had a triple purpose. The goals were all met and exceeded. The first [...]
RETRACTION: Tim Tebow Ad WAS Harmless NOT Reckless
So like everyone else, I bought into the hype.
I thought the Tebow ad was going to “tell his mother’s story”. It did not.
She still called him a “miracle baby”, but that is not that big a deal.
I apologize for the previous blog post.
An American Idol Contestant With a Huge Heart
This clip was sent my way and I’ve got to admit it is amazing.
American Idol Season ~46,281 is underway and the most memorable moment so far has certainly been the Pants on the Ground phenomena. If you have seen or heard of it – you MUST go here right now and watch it (come back [...]
Why The Earthquake in Haiti Happened
This post has been crossposted to DovBear. More discussion there.
Since the Earthquake in Haiti many have attempted to figure out “why” the tragedy occurred.
There are 4 prominent versions going around the web right now.
Rabbi Shafran Version 1: God punished the people of Haiti because of evil speech.
Rabbi Shafran Version 2: We don’t know why God [...]
Johnny Weir Gives Into Bullies and Changes His Fur Costume
Figure skater Johnny Weir set off animal activists with a small fox fur trim on his skating costume.
Most Olympic skaters wear pretty outrageous costumes for their routines during the Olympics and Weir is known for his “over-the-top” designs. His outfit was supposed to have a small trim of fox fur on the left shoulder. After [...]
Tim Tebow’s Pro-Life Superbowl Ad is Heartwarming and Reckless
This post has been crossposted to DovBear.
UPDATE: RETRACTION AND APOLOGY HERE
The most well-known athlete in America might be Tim Tebow.
Tebow is possibly the most celebrated, successful college football player of all time. He was a 2 time national champion with the Florida Gators and a Heisman Trophy winner. His success, as well as his good [...]
The Joy is in the Anticipation: Thoughts On Waiting For The iPad
Everyone likes surprises, right?
Surprises can be great, but they also take away one of the greatest joys of life. Anticipation.
Imagine you want to celebrate your grandmother’s birthday. Someone suggests a Surprise Party. Someone else with a little more brains says, wait, we don’t want to give grandma a coronary! And someone else with yet a [...]
I Am So Proud
Last year, there were a large number of public incidents that shed a negative light on Jews in general and particularly on Orthodox Jews. These events were not representitive of the average Jewish person, yet their notoriety put them front and center in the media.
It seems that the Earthquake in Haiti has marked a reversal [...]
The Zen Master Speaks on Curses, Karma and Mitzvahs
A very interesting news item came my way today.
Last Friday night, The Zen Master, Phil Jackson, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach, was asked about the Los Angeles Clippers. It seems that the Clippers are cursed.
A near perpetual resident of the cellar in the NBA standings, the Clippers have been blessed with [...]
Jewish Relief Efforts For Haiti Earthquake Victims
In the wake of the tragedy in Haiti I write this post.
This post comes on the heels of my last post which quoted David Brooks and his admiration for the accopmlishments of the Jews. And now, we have an oppurtunity to show our stripes.
Haiti is not a very Jewish place. It is not frequented by business [...]
Ode To The Jews
Today’s NY Times has some glowing praise for the Jewish People. David Brooks holds nothing bakc in his effervescent article chronicling the great succeses of the Jewish People in the modern era and particularly in Israel.
It is something of note that such a small people makes up such a large number of success stories. Brooks [...]
Truth in Advertising: Cigarettes
This is a Public Service Announcement.
Don’t Smoke. Smoking is very bad for you. If you are really cool, please do not smoke around kids. They will think you are so cool and your cigs make you so cool and they will want to be like you and they will start smoking too. You don’t want [...]
Can Criminals Change Their Ways? | Introduction to “The Thief”
Last semester at Law School I studied Criminal Law. Crime is ugly. It hurts the victims and negatively affects the criminal’s life forever. Families can be shattered and communities can be destroyed by crime.
The system we have today only looks at the criminal. The goal of our criminal justice system is to incapacitate criminals and [...]
Okay, Somebody Really Messed This Up
In my last post I reflected on the Aughts.
There was something I neglected to mentioned. Whoever is “In Charge” Has got some ’splainin’ to do.
The full name for 1950 is Nineteen-Fifty. The proper name for 1999 is Nineteen-Ninety-Nine.
The proper name for 1908 is Nineteen-Oh-Eight. The proper name for 2010 is Twenty-Ten.
So then who was asleep [...]
My Thoughts On The Aughts
Aughts?
That is the unofficial term for 2000-2009. The decade that is passing us by in another time-zone every hour today is called the aughts. That’s how they rolled in 1900-1909. It worked for them, it works for me too.
The aughts are a special decade for me.
In 1999 I was a high-school senior. In 2009 I [...]
A Powerful Film
This short film is a “must-see”. It is part of Liberty Mutual’s “Responsibility Project”. Watch the film all the way through the very end.
Call me a sap, but this film brought tears to my eyes. Real, wet, tears.
Which left me wondering, the film is certainly nice, but why did it elicit such a strong reaction?
I [...]
PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Wrap Up and Photos
The 2009 PJC Chanukah Party was a tremendous success.
As the Shul on the Beach, a community institution, we are charged with the responsibility and opportunity to bring Judaism to the boardwalk. Our Chanukah party, the first in a series of events and programs designed to reach that end was incredible.
Thank yous are in order to [...]
My Chanukah Message To You: Light Knows No Friend or Foe
This was the main message of my sermon for the first Shabbos Chanukah. I hope to publish the sermon in its entirety in the coming days.
I would like to share with you an important message that strikes me as central to Chanukah and in particular to Chanukah in 2009.
In Friday’s NY Times, David Brooks writes [...]
A New Chanukah Message
More discussion on DovBear: Click here.
A cute news item has been circulating the Jewish internets recently. I have seen links to the NY Times story on Twitter, Facebook, VIN and YWN.
I was tipped off by my friend who works at YU media relations.
The NY Times picked up on a story about a student duo at [...]
Gatorade Becoming Kosher, Drops Tiger Woods From Endorsements
In the last few weeks Gatorade has been in the news for two separate reasons. One relates to its kosher certification and one relates to an endorsement deal with a famous athlete.
Is there a connection?
[Disclaimer: Please read the rest of this post tongue-in-cheek. I'm no expert on writing in general and certainly not humorous writing. [...]
It’s A Small World After All
Every once in a while I head to our Shul on the Beach on a Sunday afternoon to drum up some business. I hang out on the Venice Boardwalk hoping to meet anyone interested in our shul or Judaism. I show interested passers-by the shul, sometimes we take a picture, (I tell them about the [...]
