21 February 2012
Check out my first article on the kippa, Observations of a Malcontent; Declaring Independence in a Religiously Structured Context for the pretext. Part 2/3 Through my encounters of refusing to wear a kippa people have continued to ask me the same question: why? Why pick on the kippa? Can’t you just wear it around [...]
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21 February 2012
Parshat Terumah, it would seem, is written for the compulsive engineer. Most of the parsha, indeed most of the rest of Sefer Shemot, details the plans and materials for constructing and servicing the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary of God. Every piece of the Mishkan, every building element and ornament, every utensil and holy vestment, receives [...]
Posted in Shma Minah0 Comments
20 February 2012
Rav Yanai: “Yoni, you spacing the chips?” Yoni: “No, Rav Yanai, I’m just…” Rav Yanai: “C’mon Yoni, save it for when you’re a Ba’al HaBus.”A Ba’al HaBayit (or in yeshivish: Ba’al HaBus) is loosely translated as “man/master of the house.” Okay, maybe not. That’s too loose a definition. But that’s the point. Today, the BHB, [...]
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20 February 2012
To most consumers, Monster dolls are just the latest addition to the long line of toys produced by American companies to give children something to put on their Christmas and Chanuka lists. To Peggy Orenstein, author of New York Times bestseller Cinderella Ate My Daughter, these dolls represent the extreme sexualization of little girls, the [...]
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20 February 2012
The World Around Us Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow… Here was the last to be seen of knights and their ladies fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind -Opening sequence [...]
Posted in Columns, The World Around Us0 Comments
20 February 2012
In today’s world, attending secular university is becoming easier and easier for the frum Jew. From kosher cafeterias to vibrant Hillel communities, more and more structures are being put in place to allow the average Jew to not only survive, but to thrive at any number of universities. Of course, university life also has a [...]
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20 February 2012
I wish to share a beautiful article that brought tears to my eyes when I followed the link on my Twitter feed. The article is written by a Jewish atheist. When her only child moved out of the house, she took up babysitting. Her favorite clients: Orthodox Jews. Why? In the author’s own words: “An [...]
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20 February 2012
In school, shul, and around the Orthodox community, your average Joe– Yosef– can identify two general types of rabbis: The one that tells you to listen to authority, and the one that pats you on the back no matter what you do. The former threatens you with damnation and your failure as a Jew if [...]
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20 February 2012
A bridge that I no longer cross, Which spans the gap from brain to hear, It’s drowned in rising mounds of dust, A bridge that I once traveled oft. The memory of what’s beyond, Forgotten by prolonged neglect. Connection lost to emotion, A bridge that used to serve as link. A heavy toll upon my [...]
Posted in The Written Word0 Comments
20 February 2012
The Rambam (Hilchot T’shuvah 3:8) lists one who denies Chazal’s Rabbinnic authority among those who have no share in the World to Come. That does not mean that we have to assume that every word that every Rabbi says is completely correct. Whichever “Rabbis” encouraged the recent violent protests outside Beit Shemesh were clearly wrong. [...]
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20 February 2012
There are two problems that every Jew encounters when he or she reads the stories in Chumash, especially the ones in Bereishit. First, these accounts seem fantastical and allegorical, and they are hard to believe on their own. Second, one must contend with modern science and archaeology which occasionally appear to contradict the accounts that [...]
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20 February 2012
Success does not come easily to aspiring writers, and for the four students who gather in an apartment on the Upper West Side for a private workshop in Seminar with a writer-turned-teacher who refuses to treat them with kid gloves, the process is almost defeating. This new Broadway comedy written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Sam [...]
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20 February 2012
Thoughts on the Tree of Life A bi-weekly column on the tension between rooted tradition and progressive change in Modern Orthodox Judaism. From the perspective of a Torah-observant college student with a deep love for food, justice, and community.Last week on a frigid Thursday night, I stood outside of a Queens Kosher supermarket with several [...]
Posted in Columns, Featured Article, Thoughts on the Tree of Life0 Comments
20 February 2012
Oftentimes, people try to categorize the Torah in black-and-white genres, as either completely factual or completely fictitious. In the former view, the Torah is a non-fiction recording of historical events beginning with the literal account of the world’s creation and culminating in the Jewish people’s entrance into the Promised Land. This view sees all the [...]
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20 February 2012
This article includes graphic details. Reader discretion is advised. Mordechai Twersky had guts to publish “Sexual Abuse in Institutions of Education.” It’s not easy to come forward publicly as a victim of sexual assault. I cannot bring myself to reveal my identity and I suppose that alone may prevent you from publishing this letter. Or [...]
Posted in Letters to the Editor0 Comments
20 February 2012
Freud’s Last Session, written by Mark St. Germain, explores the conversation that might have passed between founder of psychoanalysis Dr. Sigmund Freud and prolific author C. S. Lewis had they met near the end of Freud’s life. Although it deals seriously with many heavy issues, such as G-d, religion, death, sex, and happiness, the play still [...]
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20 February 2012
This column will explore the latest political issues that face the State of Israel and take a look at the countries around it. It’s tough to analyze how things will play out for Israel in the wake of any of the instances of instability in the Arab World over the past year. Virtually any article [...]
Posted in Columns, Featured Article0 Comments
20 February 2012
We would like to remind our readers that “The Written Word” is a section designated for student literary expression with both fictional and nonfictional content; literary works occasionally contain material that can be perceived as offensive by some readers, so reader discretion is advised. “Are you sure you you’re in the right place sir?” Shin [...]
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20 February 2012
The following article is not an editorial and as such does not reflect the official stance of The Beacon or its editors, but is written to reflect the opinion of the author. Due to excessive ad hominem attacks, we have closed the comments section on this article. As always, we welcome any and all sincere [...]
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06 February 2012
Two weeks ago, I walked away from a car accident. Inclement weather, of a familiar kind well-traveled in the past, proved a larger obstacle than I had anticipated. In an instant, I lost control of my car and found myself crossing traffic on the four-lane highway. As the car spun and my mind raced to [...]
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06 February 2012
If you view religion as something subjective, then with that goes its meaning. When you take G-d out of the equation, there really is nothing to keep someone in one religion over another. Religion becomes simply another lifestyle choice, like sports teams or political affiliation. Someone can think that parents are being hurtful and irresponsible [...]
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06 February 2012
“We are hurt by your choices, but we still love you, and we always will.” These were the words my parents said to me after I finally faced my fear of excommunication when I told them I was not religious. The relief was a kind of high which I had never felt before; a catharsis, [...]
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