R' Aharon Lichtenstein profiled in advance of receiving Israel Prize

Who Is Aharon Lichtenstein? » Mosaic Magazine

"To those... who are acquainted with or have been touched by [Rabbi Lichtenstein's] life and work, this award, to be conferred on May 6, Independence Day, will signify one of those rare instances when government committees get things right."

Holy Schlissel?

If it's the first Shabbos after Pesach, you know everyone's looking forward to their challah. You also know that someone, somewhere, is going to be going on about "schlissel challah" and inauthentic minhagim (ritual customs). Schlissel challah, literally key challah, refers to the key-shaped challah bread that many Jews bake on the first Shabbos after Pesach (many, place an actual key inside a normal loaf, instead). Many explanations have been suggested for this custom, including focusing awareness on the gates of Heaven that are believed to remain open during the month after Pesach, as well as a thanks and request for material sustenance (see article).

Teachers: Save the First-Day Freshness

Happy first day of school!

There's something special about the first day of school, for students and for teachers, that's hard to replicate at any other time in the school year. Sure, it's a little hectic and a tad stressful, but that's all overshadowed by the wonderful freshness of the day. We're excited to see the kids and to have them enjoy the rooms we worked so hard on, and we're eager to throw ourselves into reaching our curricular and personal goals.

A Conversation With Rabbi Arele Harel

AN ORTHODOX RABBI EXPLAINS WHY HE IS PAIRING GAY MEN WITH LESBIAN WOMEN 

Time magazine yesterday posted an article and video about Rabbi Harel, an Israeli rabbi with a novel approach to addressing the dilemma faced by Orthodox homosexual men and women. In March, JewPsy wrote about Rabbi Harel's work in an extensive piece discussing the possible merits of his approach for gay Orthodox Jews who are committed to their communities and halacha, Jewish law ("A New Proposal: Gay Marriage, Orthodox Style"). Harel plans to unveil his online match-making service for Orthodox gay people this September. "This is the best solution we can offer people who want to live within the halacha," Harel says. "This may not be a perfect solution, but it's kind of a solution."

See the video after the jump (click "Read more")

Summer Camp 2.0

Reflections on Jewish camping in the age of social media

When I was growing up, going to camp meant putting my regular world in exile while I continued with life somewhere far away. There were no phone calls and if you wrote a letter you had to wait at least a week for a response. There was no email delivery and, even if cell phones were around, no kids were hiding them in their camp trunks. Children had a break from their parents and parents from their children.

My, how the bunkhouse walls have fallen.