Darkness and the Moment of Truth

Chazal famously teach that 80 percent of the Jews in Egypt died during the plague of darkness. These Jews did not want to leave Egypt – they considered it home in spite of everything – and they left Hashem no choice but to exterminate them. They died during the plague...

The Best Galus Ever

I like to keep things simple. The arguments in favor of residing in galus over Israel inevitably boil down to two tracks: 1) Life in galus is better. 2) Life in Israel is worse. The rest is commentary. People will only move to Israel, or choose to stay there, if they...

A Desperate Warning to American Jews

A year ago this time, American Jews were concerned. On Pesach of 2019 the Chabad of Poway was attacked by a gunman, who murdered one person and wounded three others. It was miraculous that many more were not harmed. Several months earlier a synagogue in Pittsburgh was...

The Chillul Hashem of Galus

In a recent Jewish Press article I asserted that the very presence of Jews in exile is the ultimate chillul Hashem, which cannot be neutralized by good behavior. I referred to Orthodox Jews who are not bothered by this, and are not actively striving to rectify it, as...

Assimilated Orthodox Jews

Assimilation is like a virus in many ways. It spreads primarily from close contact with those who are already infected, though casual contact is also dangerous. Carriers may exhibit a variety of symptoms, and may even be asymptomatic. Many get away with only mild...
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