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Jul 15, 2026, 7:27 PM

Devarim: Raw Reckoning

On to the Promised Land - Grok XAI

It’s that time of the year again, where we get to review our status and state. Are we truly thriving or are we just pushing our luck for another week or two? Have we really set ourselves up properly or are we riding a train...

Stephen M. Flatow

Jul 14, 2026, 8:30 PM

Does protesting the draft count as Torah study, too?

Haredi men block Route 4 during a protest against the jailing of draft dodgers, near Bnei Brak, June 17, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)

Here’s my religious Zionist response to Israel’s Haredi draft bill, the IDF manpower crisis, and the tension between Torah study and shared national service. I believe deeply in Torah study. I believe it sustains the Jewish people, shapes the Jewish state and gives meaning to...

Joseph C. Kaplan

Jul 10, 2026, 7:37 AM

I never caught the jigsaw puzzle fever, but my sister is an avid assembler, and during covid, my wife, Sharon, also took them up. Following their lead, I’ll try to construct a metaphoric jigsaw puzzle column, presenting three pieces of events and ideas that I’ll...

Jul 9, 2026, 6:50 PM

Matot Masai: Time and Patterns

Time and Patterns - Grok XAI

Matos Masei 5786 – David Lemmer Patterns The combination of these two Parshiyot is one to behold. To preface this essay I will start with this: I sit down to write a paper each week as my journal, blended into the weekly Parshah....

Stephen M. Flatow

Jul 6, 2026, 3:28 AM

The Presbyterians’ war against Israel: A call to action for American Jewry

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) vote accusing Israel of genocide is the culmination of a 20-year anti-Israel campaign—and a warning to American Jewish organizations that statements of disappointment are no substitute for sustained action. By a vote of 454-15, the denomination’s General Assembly declared Israel’s...

Jul 2, 2026, 11:26 PM

Passionate action need not lead to zealotry

On this Fourth of July, we Americans remember our imperfect founders. The majority of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence, including its primary author, Thomas Jefferson who wrote the opening assertion that “All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with the...

Jul 2, 2026, 6:27 PM

Pinchas: Love for the Holy Land

Love of Israel - Grok XAI

Much goes through my mind on a weekly basis, from writing one paper to the next. At times I scramble my mind to see what topics or lessons I learnt over the week and which ones I’d like to cover, and at times the Parshah...

Stephen M. Flatow

Jul 1, 2026, 2:22 PM

A joint Hamas-Palestinian Islamic Jihad demonstration (source https://farsi.palinfo.com/Uploads/Models/Media/Images/2017/11/18/397972304.jpg?h=500&w=947&crop=auto&scale=both&quality=80&404=default&format=jpg)

A woman in upstate New York is charged with funding the terror group that murdered my daughter in 1995. The organization survives. Will this prosecution? Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) does not need a state. It does not need an army. It needs a wire transfer...

Jun 24, 2026, 10:19 PM

Chukat Balak: The Apple and the Parshah

The thoughts Behind the Apple - Grok XAI

Part 1: The Apple and the Parshah Ever hear of the fruit tree? It’s an amazing invention, isn’t it? I’m sitting here trying to get myself into a topic to speak about, and as I ponder the first words and find myself stuck,...

Stephen M. Flatow

Jun 22, 2026, 7:35 AM

From Casals to Cage Fights

From JFK and Pablo Casals to Trump and UFC, the White House guest list has become a revealing measure of presidential taste, national dignity and America’s idea of greatness. There was a time when the White House knew the difference between a national stage and...

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