Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel » Mike Kavitsky

Who’s driving this Bus?

Mike Kavitsky — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:20:04 +0000

Rarely has the outcome of an election seemed so certain. The Israeli electorate was fully expected to make a sharp turn to the right, but instead moved towards the center of the road. During the campaign, there was talk of Benyamin Netanyahu being the “bus driver” with the role of coalition partners being to “hold [...]

The post Who’s driving this Bus? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Bayit Yehudi and the Quest for National Unity

Mike Kavitsky — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:30:19 +0000

Election season in any country tends to highlight the ugly side of the political process. In Israel, election season often causes irreparable damage as divisions are brought to the surface and the Jewish people become embroiled in a very bitter and very public family feud. Around the same time that campaigning moved into high gear, [...]

The post Bayit Yehudi and the Quest for National Unity appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

The Biblical Paradigm for Anti-Semitism throughout History

Mike Kavitsky — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:18:39 +0000

Warning: may cause some Jews to experience discomfort, irritation and in rare cases anger. Endless volumes have been written tracing the roots, causes and manifestations of classical, modern as well as the “new” antisemitism from every social and scientific perspective possible. My intention here is simply to demonstrate the startling correlation between the recurring patterns [...]

The post The Biblical Paradigm for Anti-Semitism throughout History appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Master of Puppets – Beit Lavan and the White House

Mike Kavitsky — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:45:39 +0000

Beit Lavan translates to English literally as “White House,” and the parallels between Yaakov’s relationship with Lavan and Israel’s relationship with the executive branch of the United States government are unsettling, to say the least. After fleeing Esav, Yaakov seeks shelter only to find himself enslaved, reliant on the goodwill of his master, Lavan. There is [...]

The post Master of Puppets – Beit Lavan and the White House appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Seeing the Stairway to Heaven…Traveling the Highway to Hell

Mike Kavitsky — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:19:47 +0000

For the past week I’ve found myself doing something I promised I would never do again, something I hadn’t done since college – engaging in debate over my right to exist. Unfortunately, as Jews we’ve become used to this. We’re good at it and perhaps even enjoy it. It’s like some sort of ‘Jewish karate’ – [...]

The post Seeing the Stairway to Heaven…Traveling the Highway to Hell appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

C’mon, I Was Only Playing….

Mike Kavitsky — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:45:44 +0000

Generally speaking, I have never been one to subscribe to stereotypes. However, if we put aside political correctness and are honest with ourselves, I think we can all agree that many stereotypes are in some way rooted in truth. The problem arises when that original kernel of truth is hatefully distorted and blindly extrapolated to [...]

The post C’mon, I Was Only Playing…. appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

The Very First Oleh Chadash

Mike Kavitsky — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:07:53 +0000

Regardless of any rationalization, difference in interpretation or understanding of what it means to be part of the Jewish nation, I think we can all agree that it is no coincidence that Avraham, father of the Jewish people, was told to leave everything behind and immigrate to the Land of Israel. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ [...]

The post The Very First Oleh Chadash appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

Ma’aseh Avot, Siman L’Banim

Mike Kavitsky — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 19:16:05 +0000

My goal in creating this blog begins with but extends well beyond an attempt to bring the stories, events and lessons of the Torah to life. B’ezrat Hashem, with at least one entry per week, I intend to provide an explanation of a particular Biblical event from that week’s Parsha, what lesson(s) can be drawn [...]

The post Ma’aseh Avot, Siman L’Banim appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

The grand imperative of Jewish unity

Mike Kavitsky — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:36:03 +0000

I don’t pretend to know the answers to all or even some of society’s troubles. I do believe, however — and it is supported by Torah — that Jewish unity overrides all other concerns. Admittedly, many of the characteristics of modern Israeli culture which have become so commonplace – the lack of politeness, the aggressiveness [...]

The post The grand imperative of Jewish unity appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.

What’s a father to do?

Mike Kavitsky — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 07:35:40 +0000

I would like to think that I’m not completely irrational, nor an alarmist. It would be difficult to deny that I have a very strong grasp of world history, geopolitics and current events, and that, as such, I’m fully capable of making an accurate analysis of the situation we face, given the facts that are [...]

The post What’s a father to do? appeared first on Ops & Blogs | The Times of Israel.