Shlissel Challah: A Nice Minhag or a Forbidden Anti-Torah Practice? Well, It Depends
There’s a minhag to bake challah with a key in it on the Friday after Pesach. Alternatively, people bake challot with the design of a key. Both options are brought down in the name of Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of Apt, the Ohev Yisrael. Although it may originally come from non-Jewish sources – the Ohev […]
A Note From a Post-Jewish Idolater
Some people say that I am going to become very sick. Some people say that I’m very likely to get COVID-19. Some people say that I risk paralysis. Some people say that I’m a willing dupe of the government. Some people say that I have undermined my own DNA. Some people say that I have […]
Hosting Conspiracy Theorists on my Podcast
Several people have asked why I haven’t hosted anyone who disagrees with the scientific consensus regarding Covid-19 on my Orthodox Conundrum Podcast. Today, one individual argued that since it’s my show, where I can challenge my guests and argue against them as I see fit, there is no reason to keep them off the air. […]
The Heroes’ Bookshelf
We have lost so much in the past year. We have lost many precious souls, gone too soon because of a worldwide pandemic. We have lost faith in humanity, our misguided belief that we completely control our own destiny. And we have lost respect for people who, when the hour called, failed to provide the […]
Modern Holocaust Minimizers in the Jewish Community
My wife’s grandfather was one of eleven children. Seven of those eleven children and their parents were murdered in cold blood by the Nazis. Again: this was a family of thirteen; four survived. My wife’s grandmother was one of five children. Three of those five children and their parents were murdered in cold blood by […]
The Laws of Tekiat Shofar – get your copy today!
This Rosh Hashanah will undoubtedly be different from any Rosh Hashanah we have experienced in the past. Many of us will be on our own, perhaps without the rabbinic or communal guidance that we normally have. I’m therefore proud to present my new minibook, The Laws of Tekiat Shofar. This short PDF tells you everything […]
The New Orthodoxy and the Orthodox Heresy Hunters
On Tuesday, July 14, Bari Weiss resigned as opinion editor and writer at the New York Times. She had been hired by James Bennet in the aftermath of President Trump’s surprise victory in the 2016 election, when the Times’ editorial board recognized that its Opinion section had become univocal, and largely unrepresentative of the wider […]
Individual Rights, Societal Responsibility, and Wearing Your Mask
In his classic essay, “The Community,” Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik notes that G-d created a single, lonely individual in Genesis 2:7. Eleven verses later, G-d declared that it is not good for man to be alone; He introduced Eve to Adam, thereby forming a community. Which of the two – the individual or the community […]
THE FREEDOM TO NOT BE OFFENDED…. EVER
On June 3, the New York Times published an opinion piece by Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas which advocated using the United States military in order to quell the riots taking place on America’s streets. This opinion is one with which many disagree; I do, too. Senator Cotton also included several dubious claims, such […]
Ninety Days of Breaking Records Here At JCH!
Hey, audio coffee drinkers! I’m excited to report that the past three months have been our biggest, most-listened-to ever. Since November 1st, our flagship podcast, the Orthodox Conundrum, has over 5500 downloads; the Maimonides Minute has over 8500 downloads; Chochmat Nashim has 9500 downloads; and Intimate Judaism has 12,500 downloads. (Makes you wonder why Orthodox […]
Welcome to Jewish Coffee House!
DEAR COFFEE DRINKERS AND OTHER PEOPLE OF EARTH, I’m very excited to present our revamped website, now much more user friendly, as well as our new lineup of podcasts. Every JCH podcast is enlightening, entertaining, professionally produced, and deals with authentic issues in the Jewish world. The JCH website will also include my new blog, […]