I. Secession and Authority On July 28, 1876 — 150 years ago — the Prussian parliament passed a law allowing secession from a Jewish community without formally renouncing affiliation with Judaism. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch had lobbied heavily for this...
I. Peace and Religious Crisis We live in an age of polarization, of partisan conflict and cancellation. We need to overcome these divisions through unity and peace. Jewish tradition holds shalom, peace, communal harmony, as a high value. The...
Twelve score and ten years ago, on July 4, 1776, the United States of America was declared with the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence. At its most basic level, the Declaration proclaimed the start of a new...
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) forces us to ask how to classify it within biblical conceptions of property and responsibility. This entirely new technology, which is still forming and developing, requires categorization within the realm of halachah. For example, if...
Society cannot function if witnesses remain silent. Whether the issue is a crime, a contract or a disputed transaction, justice depends on people who are willing to step forward and tell what they know. If those who know...
I. AI as a Human Tool Lately, people are rightly debating the moral and philosophical questions raised by Artificial Intelligence (AI). We need to keep one point firmly in mind and all other conclusions follow: AI is a...
Hospitals, airports and universities often include interfaith chapels which are intended to accommodate individuals of all faiths for individual or group prayer. This religious accommodation raises an important question: May a Jew pray in a room that also houses non-Jewish worship, potentially...
The Orthodox Jewish world is watching closely as the House of Representatives, once again, addresses a proposal for all- year Daylight Saving Time, a change that could have profound implications for Jewish religious practice. On May 21, 2026,...
This article is dedicated to the memory of my longtime friend, Stephen Tolany, who passed away on May 14, 2026. I discussed this issue with him many times, and he repeatedly said that he admired this approach. I. Misplaced Priorities Religious...
I. Kosher Isn’t Always Kosher Lately, I’ve seen kosher pizzerias offering vegetarian pepperoni pizza. Additionally, more and more kosher restaurants are serving kosher cheeseburgers, either with vegetarian burgers or non-dairy cheese. These faux-treif dishes raise a question of maris ayin,...