Baruch Horowitz

Hareidi Modesty Guidelines and Rabbinic Authority

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Although no one knows yet exactly what the role of the new modesty beis din(court)will be, there has already been internet comment, both positive and negative, depending on ones's hashkafic(philosophical) inclinations. See here.

Daas Torah and Secular Knowledge: Towards a Minimalistic View

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Mon, 28 May 2007 02:28:00 +0000

I argue in favor of a more minimalistic view of daas Torah, insofar as the interface between Torah and secular knowledge impacts on the concept of daas Torah

Voice from the Middle

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:54:00 +0000

A comment that caught my eye, contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of the Right and the Center of Orthodoxy. See here.

Elements of the Daas Torah Concept

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Wed, 09 May 2007 05:27:00 +0000

Some musings on the concept of Daas Torah

On Accuracy, Fairness and Precision

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:16:00 +0000

This post is based on my impressions which I have had for some time about Ynet, and is obviously, not an exhaustive study. As above, if someone wants to cite examples from Ynet, supporting or disagreeing with my view, I welcome that as well.

Letter Submitted to Mishpocha Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:06:00 +0000

My letter submitted to Mishpacha Magazine concerning an over the top critique of Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz's columns in the magazine.

Chulent, The View from the Fringes, and Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 03:27:00 +0000

While we rightfully take satisfaction in the growth of Torah Judaism in America, we also need to face the problems and challenges which that very growth has brought I discuss an article titled "Hasidim on the Fringe", and the issue of support groups in the Frum world. See link.

The Challenge of Constructive Criticism

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:47:00 +0000

I discuss here the fine balance that one needs when critiquing the viewpoints of Open Orthodoxy, or when engaged in other critiques, for that matter.

Don't Be Frum

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 05:43:00 +0000

Is frumkiet a good thing? See here.

Meditations on the Kuzari

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:08:00 +0000

In this post, I linked to some discussions concerning the oft-quoted Kuzari:

Heaven forbid that there should be anything in the Torah to contradict that which is manifest or proved.

Credo quia absurdum is Not a Jewish Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:04:00 +0000

There is an interesting discussion going on at “A Simple Jew”, and I wrote a short Mishmar post to link to it.

Chareidi Insularity and Blogger Emotion

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 18:02:00 +0000

I'm trying to figure out why many non-Chareidi bloggers react strongly to every headline in the Yated, Jerusalem Post, or Haaretz regarding Chareidi insularity. Okay, let's say that the Chareidi world is moving in the direction of greater insularity. But why the strong reaction? Each to his own, live and let live! See link.

Balance and Extremism in Judaism

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 17:06:00 +0000

The issue of extremism and moderation is being discussed in the comments section of a previous Mishmar post, and I would like to dedicate a post of my own to the subject. I would divide the topic into the following parts:

Cosmic Balance
Personal Avodah
Communal Decsions
Tolerance For Others
Bloggers and Extremism

See link.

On a Lighter Note: Facing the Ontological Realities of Lomdus

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:54:00 +0000

... If philosophical terminology aids, abets, assists or facilitates greater clarity and precision in comprehension, explanation, or, to use Artscrollese, elucidates the Talmud, then I say: go for the philosophical and legal jargon and skip the yeshivishe reid ! See here.

Frum Community and Children's Safety

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 05:45:00 +0000

There has been much discussion in recent years on the issue of sexual abuse and the frum community. The Orthodox Jewish community is a subset of the general population, and despite the community's strong points, it is not immune fron the ills of general society. See here.

Touch Goeth Both Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 22:30:00 +0000

Beyond BT, links an article discussing the election of Jason Bedrick, a 23 year old Orthodox Jew and Lubavitcher Chassid elected to the New Hampshire State Legislator. This is quite an accomplishment for New Hampshire, which is home to fewer than 10 Orthodox Jewish families and has a population that is about one percent Jewish, according to a source quoted in the article.

The article is interesting because it sheds light, in general, on the interaction of an Orthodox Jewish person with the New Hampshire legislature, but also because it discusses how Mr. Bedrick deals with situations when he is offered a handshake from women.

See link.

Difference Between Segulos and Avoiding Cheeseburgers

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 19:00:00 +0000

Do we have an unbalanced approach towards segulos? See link.

The Danger and Tragedy of Neturei Karta

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:24:00 +0000

Neturei Karta has been in the news again, this time, regarding their participation in the Teheran Holocaust denial conference. Earlier this fall, a CBS film showed Jews in charedi garb embracing the Iranian president when he visited New York. Understandably, this embarrassed Jews everywhere, and desecrated G-d's name. See link.

Extremism, Commitment Ceremonies, and Effective Rebuke

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:15:00 +0000

Since there is discussion on Mishmar and elsewhere about the zealotry of extremist elements in the charedi community, I wish to reflect on the concept of effective tochacha, or rebuke. The connection is obvious: acting violently, or in an anti-social way is done to protest acts of evil. However, upon reflection, such conduct is seriously flawed even on its own terms. See link.

Development Opportunities in Yeshivah Education

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 09:00:00 +0000

This post discusses various important issues in the yeshivah education of boys. See link.

Two Forms of Emunah II

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:32:00 +0000

In my previous post , I emphasized that Gedolie Yisrael, following a mesorah, choose an educational policy which they felt was best for the charedi community on a whole, as far as emphasizing emunah peshuta(simple, experiential faith). I also wrote that it is important to make clear that emunah al pi chakirah(faith supported by inquiry) was not totally rejected from Yahadus, even though it has weaknesses, and also that much depends on the particular person.

In "There is Only One Yeshiva College: A Memoir"(11/16/04/ Commentator) one leader of the Yeshivah University community discusses his formative years. See link

Two Forms of Emunah: Another View

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 03:23:00 +0000

In the spirit of stimulating interesting discussion which we hope Mishmar will become famous for, I present my comments stimulated by Bari's post in the form of a separate posting. I do not so much disagree, rather I am giving a little different balance to the issue of the two types of faith. I also discuss the Iggeres Teiman regarding a person's tendencies towards belief.

See link.

Chovos HaLevavos

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:03:00 +0000

When we speak about emunah, we say, b'emunah s'hleimah, "with perfect faith". The mitzvah is to grow in emunah, to experience a clarity, and to reach levels of deep-seated, genuine belief. There have been traditionally two different approaches to faith, one more experiential, and one more rational. However, all agree that one's emunah must run deep. The mitzvah is also constant; the Biur Halachah and others speak of "six constant mitzvos". See link.

On Creativity and Potato Chips in Chinuch

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 05:10:00 +0000

Since the very profound subject of potato chips is now receiving a great deal of attention in the blogosphere(blogging can be unpredictable), I thought I would post on a story of Rav Mendel Kaplan and potato chips, which illustrates an important chinuch(educational) principle. I will also comment on creativity techniques.

Big Tent Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (Baruch Horowitz) — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:42:00 +0000

In politics, the Big Tent Policy maintains that one should attract members with as diverse ideologies as possible. A group blog can maintain a similar diversity. See link.