יום שישי, כ״ה תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 10, 2026
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Harry Maryles runs the blog "Emes Ve-Emunah" which focuses on current events and issues that effect the Jewish world in general and Orthodoxy in particular. It discuses Hashkafa and news events of the day - from a Centrist perspctive and a philosphy of Torah U'Mada. He can be reached at hmaryles@yahoo.com.
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What is really being gained by continuing to force Haredim to stay in the beis medrash full time via a draft that exempts Haredim?
If Shas does agree to allow a secular core curriculum in their schools, that will put Ashkenazi Haredi leaders between a rock and a hard place.
the title rabbi (or its equivalent) is more than about recognition of achievement.
The issue is not our obligation to listen to our rabbinic leaders. It is about whether we should listen to the rabbinic leaders of others.
With all the good intention of Israel’s rabbinic leaders, how could they not see that this was going to happen?
What I do not understand is the harshness of his condemnation.
We are a people whose mandate is Torah observance in all matters - between man and God as well as between man and his fellow man.
There is only one word that can explain the over the top reaction by Haredi establishment to this: Paranoia.
I must ask, where is the hotline for victims of sex abuse? Or victims of financial fraud? What are the remedies for the victims? Or the sanctions for the perpetrators?
Sexual dysfunction can take various forms for both men and women. If those statistics are right, it is a much bigger problem that I ever thought.
I, of course, have no problem with such a library. But is this what the State of New Jersey had in mind in approving $10 million dollars to Lakewood?
In the spirit of 'elu v’elu' we should just agree to disagree and respect each other’s views and lifestyles as long as they do not impinge on the rights of others.
The record number of kipa-wearing Jews in the new Knesset surely shows that secular Jews do not really hate religious Jews.
For the vast majority of students who truly want the best of both worlds, I would strongly recommend YU over any Ivy League school.
In Israel today, how many of our religious leaders instill pride in being Jewish into the secular public?
Our battles with the Conservative movement are over. They no longer pose a threat to Orthodoxy.
Those who carry the herpes virus cannot always tell when it is present in the mouth.
When it comes to immigration policy, ignoring Islam’s part in this because of a misguided form of political correctness is why things like the Boston bombings happen.
A lack of patriotism is not a cause for punitive measures.
It is Islamism that is the enemy and not al Qaeda. Al Qaida is but one tool of many dedicated to the cause.
Universal army service will help integrate Haredim into the workplace so that they can earn a livable wage and support their families.
The suggestion is intriguing, self serving and frankly somewhat humorous.
They can say all day long that they are not protesting Israel. The fact that they will be out there in the middle of Manhattan talking about 'gezeirot' says otherwise.
When a Jew who appears to the world as the most religious among us acts like a fool that is a hilul HaShem.
Public protests of the expansion of the Robinson's Arch area for egalitarian prayer would only generate more enmity.
I personally see no problem with what Satmar did. They lobbied for the land and they got it. Black and Latino leaders could have done the same.
I agree with Alan Dershowitz that Carter's presence at Carodozo Law School should be used as a positive.
Ben Caspit says the Shalit's kidnapping may have been prevented. That’s easy for him to say. He was not under rocket attack when he made these judgmental comments.
Digitally removing women from Holocaust photos dishonors those women and the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.
As long as rabbinic leaders live in the past and insist on calling the idea of ‘sharing the burden’ a 'shas haShmad,' antagonism toward Haredim will not change.
Rabbi Pirutinsky discussed the issue of 'metzizah b'peh' at length, concluding that if medical experts determine that there is a danger to the child, metzizah should be performed by other legitimate methods.
Divinity exemptions are designed to produce clergy that will serve the populace, not so that every single member of it becomes a member of the clergy.
Yeshiva University needs to admit that mistakes were made by leaders both past and present.
The fifth cup is based on a machlokes in the Gemarah.
I think Obama is genuine in his expression of appreciation and even admiration for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
We were all sitting around Rav Shachter in a circle. And we were all thinking the same thing.
Who individuals are attracted to is none of our business and shouldn’t influence our encounters with them, but that is different than the normalization of gay sex.
There is no reason why Haredim should continue to be the single biggest and fastest growing welfare demographic in all of Israel.
Unlike some of his biggest detractors, I believe that the President actually likes Israel and values the friendship of the Israeli people.
I would love to consider all people who observe Shabbos as observant. That was once the case.
I would love to see Mrs. Freier become the role model for all Hasidic women – and not just for those like the ones she attended school with.
Most of us know right from wrong and live as though it matters because it does. This is what David Brooks reported.
Even though his prognosis was never good, it was still a shock when it happened.
Once again we see a great rabbinic figure who apparently does not understand what it is that really upsets the non-Haredi public, including many observant Jews.
Haredi leaders could not care less if Israel retains Judea and Samaria - as long as their Mosdos (religious institutions) get funded.
The draft is but one area Haredi leaders badly stumble over.
When journalists question why a black woman won a beauty contest - even if it is disguised as referring only to this particular black woman - I think that is sad.
When it comes to victims of abuse the overriding approach should be one of compassion and understanding. But school officials' mishandling of a situation should not automatically result in termination.
There has been much reluctance by rabbinic groups such as Agudah to be more forceful in their approach to abusers. They find the allegations hard to believe.
Making gay marriage not just value neutral but something positive. It is in effect koshering a forbidden lifestyle.
The era of Godless leadership in the Knesset ended with Menachem Begin. One might even say it ended with the Six Day War.
There ought to be a process of exempting yeshiva students via bechinos (tests).
The fault lies with both the executive and legislative branches of government. Neither wants to budge from their ideological positions.
It is to Jonathan Rosenblum’s great credit that he has written this critical essay in a Haredi publication.
As a youth, MK Dr. Ruth Calderon was not satisfied with the secular treatment of Judaism she got in Israeli schools. So eventually she founded a secular yeshiva.
Gedolim are not perfect. They are human, just like the rest of us. A true Gadol will always try to do the right thing. And the public should not lose out because of occasional errors.
Do these rabbis really think that Naftali Bennett, an observant Jew, or Rabbi Dov Lipman have “risen in our generation to destroy the Jewish people”?
It is ethical and moral behavior that makes us a light unto the nations.
The relationship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church has never been better. And the current Pope deserves credit for that.
With this comment Rabbi Schneierson wiped out of Orthodoxy most of observant Jewry including many Haredim.
Despite Chabad’s success in spreading Torah, they are not really integrated with the rest of Orthodoxy.
I am surprised that burkas aren’t standard apparel for the woman in the street.
Metzizah b'peh is not even required by many Orthododx poskim. In fact it is actually discouraged by some.
The implication of such statements is that anyone who serves in the army is guilty of violating a yahorog v’al ya’avor.
Lapid is a patriot who is both honest and who has a clear vision for the future. A vision that is inclusive of all!
This is the 'tznius chase,' a subset of the 'Frumkeit race,' also known as the move to the right.
Taking advantage of desperate people by getting them to part with their money in exchange for segulot is not what I believe God intended for us as a holy nation.
Even though there will be an unprecedented number of religious Knesset members, Haredim are closer to being drafted than at any time in Israel’s history.
No one should see Weberman's 103 year sentence as excessively harsh. Instead they should see this as a victory for the abused.
In his new book Movers and Shakers, Elliot Resnick was able to capture the essence of each of his subjects.
Although I allow people to post anonymously (albeit with at least an alias) I would prefer that people stand by their words and not be afraid of them.
There are always people who in cases like this will cast the victim as a provocateur.
Individual therapy can be very helpful as long as the therapist does not turn his or her client against the spouse without hearing their side of it.
Among the many things Judaism can do for you is to give meaning to your life.
By now a critical mass of Charedim has learned and internalized that the evils – which are real – are not the only thing the internet has to offer.
Should a university be sued because their officials at that time misread those events as relatively harmless?
I said I am proud of the President for choosing the best man for the job at Treasury even though he is Jewish.
No matter how altruistic one is - if he is afraid to speak the truth out of fear of being attacked, that is not leadership.
While it is the right of every American to lobby congress for their legitimate needs, I think our case has already been well made.
I fear that if Israel ever faces existential danger such as that threatened by Iran, Hagel might just say that he is not the Defense Minster of Israel.
Modern Orthodox Jews will join the ranks of Moderate Charedim as a socially cohesive group.
I don’t know what is in the air in Israel that makes some people think that they are doing the right thing by God in sticking knives into the heads of their opponents.
I wish to thank all of my readers for your support in helping to make this blog the success that it is.
Inspiring the unaffiliated can be done through inspirational stories or through our own behavior as role models.
A Chareidi rabbi lamented the attempt to denigrate a kiddush hashem preformed by a dati-leumi (national-religious) student.
The extreme emphasis on tznius (modesty) has even led to husbands and wives being buried in separate locations.
I believe that the massacre in Newton would never have happened if guns were made illegal.
My harsh criticism is reserved for extremist behavior that is a result of those Hashkafos – even if it is from my own.
How many times do we have to hear statements like 'the Jews have too much Power' before we realize that the people saying it are anti- Semites?!
A Haredi organization helps Haredim be brought up to speed to meet the challenges of the modern work place.
If we are going to survive as a Jewish people, we must revise the system.
It isn’t only important how hard a student studies, but what he studies.
My own view of things is that there is a tremendous amount of disillusionment in the Orthodox world.
I hope that the Jewish Press stays the paper of record for Orthodox Jewry. If it were to fold - the loss would be a devastating blow to moderation.
I do not see this as a feminist issue at all. This is a human issue.
In every move the Prime Minster has taken since the Presidential election, he has had complete U.S. support. Now Israel has taken a step backward.
'Shomer negiah,' the halachic bar on physical contact with the opposite sex, is wrongly treated by many as a Chumra that many do not observe.
The facts of the case are so revealing that one would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to think this man is innocent.
According to Rav Meir Porush, it is better for Yeshiva students to sit in jail than to serve their country.
Really? They had to ask the Rosh Yeshiva if they could help people?
July 10, 2026 
