If you’re reading this blog, odds are you’ve read something about Jewish Law. You might have seen one of the many codifications such as the Mishnah Torah or Shulhan Aruch. Perhaps you’ve come across a commentary on one of these codes, common ones being the Ramo or Mishnah Berurah. You may have even read published rabbinic teshuvot – responsa addressing specific questions – like Yehaveh Da’at by R. Ovadia Yosef or the Iggros Moshe by R. Moshe Feinstein. Contemporary publishers such as Feldheim or Artscroll compile popular positions of Jewish Law on selected topics. All these works contain Rabbis’ opinions, rulings, and occasionally reasonings for their halakhic decisions. In all of these works, the Rabbinic writers intend to shape Jewish practice – albeit to different degrees depending on the intended audience and the intended effect of their decisions.
If you’ve seen these types of sources, you’re also probably aware that for any given issue, there are multiple opinions. Considering all the halakhic debates, it’s hard enough deciding whom to follow, let alone making a decision for other people. Each posek has his own methodologies for reaching his conclusions, and to fully understand each one requires a complete and detailed study of their individual works. However, all “poskim” share similar challenges in publishing their works. One such challenge is distinguishing normative Jewish Law with statements of public policy.

I’ve always had an odd relationship with NCSY. I was chapter president of Springfield for 4 years – 2 Junior and 2 Senior – but that was mostly because there was no one else around my age to do the job. At the shabbatons themselves I found myself somewhat marginailzed, due to a combination of adolescent awkwardness (read: geek) and having an alternative hashkafa which emphasized independent thought.
This past shabbat there was a Senior NCSY shabbaton in Springfield. An old friend my high school NCSY days, is now the regional director of some sort – despite swearing repeatedly that, “I am *never* doing NCSY when I graduate.” Aside from him, I knew a maximum of four other people who were involved with the shabbaton.
Anyway, it got me thinking back to my days as an NCSY’er. Since I’m home, I dug up a poem I wrote for the yearbook.
This was my last year in NCSY. I was outgoing Sr. President of Springfield, and my sister Esther was advisor of Juniors at the time. The Etz Chaim region has a thing called the “Torah Fund,” where they hit up the chapters for arbitrarily assessed amounts – loosely based on membership. This money went to the usual causes of supporting students for Israel programs and getting nice things for administrator’s families.
Fortunately, a chapter could fulfill its requirement by purchasing ads in the yearbook, and Springfield’s was so low that we were able to cover it by getting two ads. Esther and I decided to split one of them for Juniors and Seniors and I knocked out the following poem in roughly 15 minutes (she can vouch for that).
One editor of the yearbook was so offended by it she almost didn’t let it get published. In the end, she let it go through, but only after she mangled the meter on most stanzas. I don’t care enough to fix it right now, so you’ll have to deal with someone else’s horrible editing of a high-school senior’s 15 minute poem.
I present, now with additional annotations,

The NCSY Shabbaton Experience

I was wondering why the hit count jumped recently. It turns out that we’ve been linked from BangItOut.com – specifically the chords archive.¹
Rabbi Week will continue shortly…

1. Although they complain about the lack of Karduner chords, I’ve been trying to correct this problem for some time and hopefully it won’t be an issue.

This is what would have been part one of the comically misnamed Rabbi Week. Yes, I’m back writing, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to get everyone out in a week’s time. Many apologies for the delay. I might even write something at a later point about it, but it does get somewhat personal. At any rate, better late than never.
Let the fun begin.

I finally read the entire Kol Magazine over Sukkot.
“A wife is for eternity, a size 8 is not.”
However, all major social changes need to start somewhere,

A little while ago, Rabbi Josh Joseph of the Orthodox Caucus contacted me about a publication they were putting out about dating. Someone tipped him off to this website,¹ and they decided to publish the post called Mixed Blessings about the phrase “Im Yirtzeh Hashem By You.” I had no idea it was going to be distributed in this past week’s edition of the Jewish Week.
I haven’t had time to look at all of the articles just yet, but some of them seem worth checking out. In addition to the website, you can download the PDF version.
It’s an interesting development considering I never expected this blog to have any such effect and I’m curious to see how this might develop. Of course, I suppose I’ll have to get more consistent about posting….

1. Apparently, I’ve written a few times about my take on dating.

The Moscow Times is reporting about a wave of Russians moving back from Israel. What’s really ironic is that they’re moving back for economic reasons as well as social and religious acceptance. Some stories are unfortunately old:
“One of them is that most highly educated immigrants have to take blue-collar jobs in Israel. “Doctors, physicians and mathematicians were cleaning the streets,” Gorin said.”
Personally I find the social and religious tensions more upsetting. I heard a line once where a Russian said, “When I was in Russia, I was a Jew. When I was in Israel, I was a Russian.”

Another reason for returning was what Dzhadan called the “sectarian” structure of the society. In order to rent an apartment or find a job, a person has to operate through members of his party or immigrants from the same country or area.
“I didn’t like it,” he said. “I’m used to operating in an open society where people don’t ask you to what community you belong.”

In another context, I once complained that for all the efforts put in to people making aliyah, there is relatively little effort in maintaining the people who are actually there.
Think about how bad it is when someone can seriously write, “Russia’s capitalist economy ‘allows you to exist regardless of your religious beliefs.'”
“Olam Hafuch Ra’iti” – (B. Pesahim 50a).