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Richard Kronenfeld

Adult Ba'al Teshuvah Ph.D. Physicist

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Aug 3, 2023, 9:10 PM

Essentials of Judaism

ESSENTIALS OF JUDAISM It is difficult to find another parsha that encapsulates the essentials of Judaism as Parshas Va’eschanan does. Traditionally read on the Shabbos of the week in which Tisha b’Av falls, it contains the Torah reading for that...

Jul 28, 2023, 7:27 PM

‘Sound of Freedom’ review

“SOUND OF FREEDOM” REVIEW I have been aware for some time that the Times' editorial policy differs greatly from my own views, but I'm equally aware and truly appreciate that you publish opposing views, much to your credit. There are...

Jul 25, 2023, 11:58 PM

Through the Looking Glass

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS “WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” George Orwell, 1984 Watching the uproar in the Israeli Knesset chamber Monday morning online reminded me of a scene from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the...

Jul 21, 2023, 11:03 PM

History is replete with one-sided trades: Eisav trading his birthright to Yaakov for a bowl of lentil stew with a side order of bread; Native Americans trading title to Manhattan Island to Peter Minuit for $24 worth of trinkets;...

Jul 15, 2023, 9:02 PM

Will the Real Racist Fascists Please Stand Up?

Back in the 1950’s and 1960's, the Golden Age of Television, there was a game show entitled To Tell the Truth. Its premise was simple: a panel of celebrities (Orson Bean, Kitty Carlisle, Tom Poston, and Peggy Cass) were...

Jul 10, 2023, 5:30 PM

Iran’s plan to drive Jews out of Israel

Every adult Jew needs to read this story and take it to heart. Those who demonstrate against the government need to rethink their activities. This is a time of national emergency. In particular, the secular majority in Tel Aviv...

Jun 23, 2023, 11:03 PM

Our Own Worst Enemy

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” (Originated by cartoonist Walt Kelly (Pogo) for an Earth Day poster in 1970.) Indoctrination + Intimidation → Insanity (my newly invented nuclear reaction) While studying Parshas Shelach in The Midrash Says, I...

May 5, 2023, 1:18 PM

Censorship in Science: The Environment

“Man has lost the ability to foresee and forestall. He will end by destroying the Earth” Albert Schweitzer Censorship in science can be traced back at least as far as the early 17th century, when the Catholic Church compelled Galileo...

Apr 28, 2023, 2:37 PM

A Message for Israel and Her Detractors

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” -- George Orwell As the State of Israel observes its Memorial Day for the fallen (Yom HaZikaron), followed immediately by its 75th birthday, Yom Ha’Atzmaut, commemorating...

Apr 20, 2023, 4:33 PM

Are oats really chametz?

ARE OATS REALLY CHAMETZ? Acknowledgment: The following inquiry was inspired by a drasha given by my friend Oren Ephraim at Young Israel of Phoenix on Shabbat HaGadol 5783. All together now: “Wheat, barley, rye, spelt, oats.” These are the five grains...

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About Me

I'm a native New Yorker (Brooklyn, to be precise) transplanted to the desert as a teen-ager. I hold a Ph.D in Physics from Stanford and have taught mathematics and physics at the high school, community college, and university level. I'm an adult ba'al teshuvah and label myself as centrist Orthodox and a Religious Zionist along the lines of OU, Yeshiva University, and Mizrachi.

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