Why Lubavitch Does Kiruv Best

Hey, all you kiruv professionals from the yeshiva world, if you haven't yet taken a lesson from Chabad on how to do kiruv, now would be a good time.

See this article on Bloomberg News, from which I quote:

There was the world’s first whisky menorah, the nine- branched candelabrum of Judaism, which had its debut on the third night of Hanukkah at the Chabad-Lubavitch center of Buckhurst Hill, England. The seven-foot high menorah, built with clear tubing, was filled with 65 liters of single malt donated by Tullibardine Distillery.

Shopping Cart Religion

Good article on religion in the U.S. in the WSJ a few days ago. I know some who believe that "religious drifting", "cherry picking", or "shopping cart Judaism" is a problem even within Orthodox Judaism, but I'm not going to go there.

Potential Problem with Orthopraxy

Can an orthoprax Jew drink non mevushal wine? Shulchan Aruch Y"D 119:7 cites responsa of Rashba that one who does not believe the words of Chazal is a heretic and his wine is prohibited. This is problematic for Jews who want to keep halacha but have issues with dogma.

Bitter Jews

I've noticed something interesting in shul lately. A number of "reb Shlomo" people (aka "Carlbachians") have continuously complained about the overall stinkiness of davening at shul.

On this point, I am in agreement. But what is most interesting, to me, is their deep bitterness and disgust. Their feelings of superiority. The negative way they refer to others who don't have as much "fire" as they do. It seems they have completely missed the essence of their own Rebbe - absolute love of and respect for every Jew. How easy it is to slip into bitterness!

Anti Semitic Disgrace

I was appalled to find while shopping today, of all things, chair cushions, named after the great Ritva, an absolute and certainly deliberate disgrace by the no doubt anti-semitic European home furnishing company whose name I don't see fit to mention here. Swedish, Dutch, Germans, they're all the same, liberal, Palestinian loving, Jew hating, Rishon-defaming anti-semites. I can't even bring myself to tell you what product I found they'd named after Rashba. Just horrible.

Orthopraxy

Hey, I'm giving some thought to starting an Orthoprax shul in northern NJ. If anyone is interested or has ideas about candidates for rabbi, please comment. Thanks!

Christian Bluegrass

How come there's no Jewish music like this?

Questions for Am Haaretz Echad:

Where does Modern Orthodox Chassidus fit in the TIR spectrum?

Will there be a TIR academy of higher learning, to train the future leaders of TIR? No movement can survive without one...

Is TIR really the same thing as Torah im Derech Eretz (TIDE), except that TIDE Jews loved German high culture, and TIR Jews love American middle class rock n' Roll culture? Maybe we should go ahead with our shabbaton at Breuers...