In every field and profession, there are the good guys, the bad guys and the mediocre guys. Rabbinics and Jewish education are no different. Our sages were very aware that not every rabbi will be the right fit for every person or frankly even qualified for the job. So they empowered we the people with […]
Dear JITC- I just saw Spider-Man, which seems to be about the Christian version of justice. Christians believe in turning the other cheek. Desmond Tutu, who just died, said Holocaust survivors should forgive Nazis! Jews believe in compassion but also in stopping and punishing evil. Why does Judaism believe in vengeance in addition to compassion? […]
As 2021 comes to a close, there’s a lot of talk about what a difficult year it’s been. And it has been a difficult year in a lot of ways. A year filled with pain, disappointment and loss. Yet there have been many positive things that have happened this year, both on an individual and […]
People Love Dead Jews. If those words make you uncomfortable then award-winning author Dara Horn has begun to do her job. A recently released essay collection, “People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present,” is a space where Horn delves into the nuances of antisemitism with an unmatched poignancy and recounts painful exiles and pogroms (like in Harbin, […]
Chaim Walder (pictured left), a haredi author who was most known for his “Kids Speak” children’s book series was recently accused of multiple accounts of sex abuse. He had been summoned to appear before a rabbinic court and then apparently took his own life. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Tzfat, had formed this special […]
Dear JITC- I read your post on Jews and alcohol. What are your thoughts on the fact that many Orthodox Jews have some liquor and say “l’chaim” at Shabbos meals? They often will then say something like “May we all have brachos in parnasa and health and besuros tovos.” Is there a source for the […]
