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Orthodox Conundrum

The Orthodox Conundrum is a forum in which we look honestly at the Orthodox Jewish community, identifying what works well and what does not, so that, through an honest accounting, we can find solutions that will be successful. We will examine some of the major issues that affect the Orthodox world, without exaggeration, whitewashing, or pretending that they don"t exist. Our hope is that the Orthodox Conundrum will spark wider discussion that will enable Orthodox Judaism to continue moving forward

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All Episodes

01:07:37

A Blight Unto the Nations: The Decline and Fall of...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/08/14

Is the biggest danger to Torah coming from Israel's own rabbinic establishment? Over the past thirty-plus weeks in Israel, there has been lots of talk about the pros and cons of judicial reform, and about the ways that it should and should not be done. While that issue has taken center stage, other important legislation has also been proposed or passed which has been largely ignored... yet many of these changes will have far-reaching - and potentially detrimental - effects on the nature of religion

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01:03:18

Hedonism, Materialism, and Conspicuous Consumption:...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/08/07

In Episode 99, entitled "The Orthodox Community's Obsession with Materialism," Scott spoke with Rabbi Jeremy Wieder about lavish weddings, luxurious vacations, over-the-top camp programs, and more. But unfortunately, the topic wasn't exhausted; the problem is still here, and there are many other issues that need to be addressed. Among these are whether materialism per se is a violation of Torah, or only if that consumption is conspicuous; in what ways hedonism is inimical to spiritual growth and

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01:19:12

"Leadership Is Not Comfortable": Discussing Jewish...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/07/31

Many people are troubled by what appears to be a dearth of moral leadership in the Jewish world in general, and in the Orthodox world in particular. Of course, no one is asserting that there are no admirable leaders; rather, in addtion to these good leaders, there are too many leaders who are incompetent, cowardly, selfish, or immoral. For that reason, Scott was honored to talk with Dr. Erica Brown about whether this common impression is right, what constitutes good leadership according to Jewish

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01:08:19

Santa Claus, Tisha B'Av, and a Necessary Corrective...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/07/24

“What does Eichah have in common with climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, Holocaust deniers and those that claim that the 2020 presidential elections were stolen?” Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman sent this to Scott, who was intrigued and immediately invited him back onto this podcast to discuss what he meant. More than anything else, we need a way to relate to Megillat Eicha in a world which seems so distant from that described in the book. And even the world described in Eicha is complicated; it’s often

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01:19:53

The High Price of Orthodox Life & the Dangers of...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/07/17

The high cost of living an Orthodox life is a big problem. In the United States, for example, the high cost of day school or yeshiva tuition, combined with everything from the need to purchase kosher food to buying a lulav and etrog for Sukkot, adds to a family’s annual bills significantly. When we factor in the reality that standards are getting higher - semachot, for example, are very expensive, while overnight camps often have increasingly elaborate programs that in turn make the price go up -

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53:16

Ascending the Temple Mount, and Finding Meaning...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/07/10

It’s sometimes challenging to feel the aveilut, the mourning of the destruction, when the Jewish people live in a time of unparalleled prosperity, when we can visit and live in a thriving State of Israel, and when we see a beautiful city of Jerusalem filled with Jewish people from around the world. Am Yisrael still absorbs terrible blows; terrorism, the deaths of young soldiers, antisemitism and more continue to plague us. For many people, however, our day-to-day lives are comfortable enough that

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01:01:03

Authority Versus Autonomy in Orthodoxy Today, with...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/07/03

One of the most important conflicts that many Orthodox Jews face in the 21st century is the clash between authority and autonomy. Orthodox society is largely based upon following the tradition that has been handed down to us, and that tradition is often seen to be largely in the possession of great scholars. Accordingly, it seems like a violation of Torah principles to ignore the directives of gedolei Torah and to do what we want instead. On the other hand, autonomy - the ability and right and even

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55:41

Converting to Judaism at the Hotel California:...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/06/26

Many people give little thought to the issue of conversion, and the challenges that people who convert face. In contrast, Rabbi Chuck Davidson, a leader in establishing non-coercive Orthodox alternatives to Israel’s’ Chief Rabbinate for over a decade and the av beit din of an independent conversion court, has spent years researching the halachic background of conversion. In this episode, Scott and Rabbi Davidson address the debate over the halachic requirements for conversion, what is being done in

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01:01:20

The YU Pride Alliance, Chassidic Schools &...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/06/19

Several well-publicized events in the Orthodox world over the past year have brought the issue of the separation of church and state into sharp relief. These include Yeshiva University’s refusal to recognize the YU Pride Alliance - a refusal which, one year ago, Judge Lynn Kotler of the New York County Supreme Court said was a violation of the New York City Human Rights Law; the case is currently under appeal. Another important situation is the recent uproar over the apparent refusal of numerous

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01:15:20

A Staring Contest with Hashem: Living with Disability...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/06/12

When Rivka Herzfeld was younger, she had a feeling that her muscles were not working the way that they should. During her year in Israel after high school, things got serious enough that her research intensified - and she soon discovered that she has an extremely rare degenerative condition that has seriously impacted her ability to use her muscles effectively. Doctors don’t know what to call it, so they use the inexact term “childhood-onset ALS” - and this condition has affected her life in many

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01:12:35

Kol Isha and Orthodox Women Performers: A Panel...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/06/05

It is forbidden to listen to the voice of a woman singing if she is not his wife. (Aruch HaShulchan 21:3) One of the issues that bothers many poeple in the Orthodox world is the halachic concept of kol isha - that is, broadly defined, the prohibition for men to listen to a woman when she is singing. The exact parameters of this halacha are debated, such as whether this includes recordings, if it applies to a woman singing by herself or to a choir as well, and much more. There are, frankly, a wide

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01:00:15

Helping Frum Jews Die: What We Need to Know When It's...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/05/29

In our last episode, Scott spoke with Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody about bringing greater awareness to issues associated with end-of-life and organ donation. This opened up an important conversation - but there’s much more to say, particularly as it relates to clinical insights from people who actively work with dying patients and their families. To that end, Scott spoke with Dr. Blima Marcus, who was a guest in episode 81 of this podcast. Blimi spoke about the very serious questions regarding how

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53:19

Organ Donation, Living Wills, DNR, Dementia, and...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/05/22

The 49th chapter of Bereshit describes the vivid scene of Yaakov Avinu offering his final words and testament as his children, the progenitors of the twelve tribes, stand around his bed. In many ways, this represents an ideal death: confronting it with time to prepare, with nothing left unsaid, with a faithful family surrounding the person whose life is ending. Of course, very often it doesn’t work that way. Frequently, there are difficult decisions that the patient, or the patient’s family, needs

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01:25:44

A Person is a Subject, not an Object: New Traditional...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/05/15

Tzniut is triggering. That became clear when the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast released episode 145 entitled, “The Challenges of Teaching Tzniut & the Challenges of Being Tzanua, with Shayna Goldberg.” That episode, in which Scott asked Shayna to focus on issues related to tzniut (modesty) and clothing, addressed some of the most pressing concerns, and the conversation generated quite a bit of discussion. Today’s conversation is again about tzniut, this time about tzniut as a whole, and from the

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01:12:50

Orthodox Women & Talmud Study: Setting Higher...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/05/08

Last month, it was reported that due to low enrollment, the beginners and intermediate Talmud courses for women at Yeshiva University’s Stern College would not be offered next year, meaning that the only remaining Talmud course would be the advanced class. We also learned that GPATS - the Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies - would only have one Talmud track instead of two, as it did in the past; and that YU was not going to hire a new teacher to replace Rav Moshe Kahn z’l, who

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01:10:26

Casual Cruelty, Social Media, and Troubling Orthodox...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/05/01

An important issue raised by our increased reliance on social media is the question of what it has done to the quality of our discourse: that is, the things we say, and the way we say them. It seems that too often, a willingness to engage in casual cruelty has emerged along with the social media revolution; and this has a serious effect on the way we live our lives away from our screens. And, of course, it raises many issues regarding the halachic propriety of how we write and talk. Is it a

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01:04:46

Don't Put All Our Eggs in the Israeli Basket:...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/04/24

In last week's episode, Episode 155, Scott spoke with Rabbi Mark Wildes of the Manhattan Jewish Experience about whether diaspora Jews have enough engagement with Israel, whether they care enough about Israel, and if they have the moral right to actively try to affect Israeli policies. They talked about whether diaspora communities have independent integrity, or if they should instead be seen as waystations on the way to encouraging all Jews to move to Israel. They addressed other issues, too, like

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01:11:22

Do Diaspora Jews Care About Israel... Enough? (155)

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/04/18

With the terrible and heartbreaking news that came out of Israel over the course of Pesach - a mother and two children murdered by terrorists, a car ramming in Tel Aviv with an Italian tourist dead and others injured, plus rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon and Gaza - some have noted a disconnect between the attitudes of Jews who live in Israel, and those who live in the diaspora. The two groups sometimes seem to possess different mindsets - that is, very different ways of thinking about events

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01:19:37

Making Your Seder Engaging and Meaningful for...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/04/03

As we approach the first night of Pesach, many people are looking for ideas that will enhance the Seder, and divrei Torah that will be meaningful to people who sit with us around the table. To that end, Scott spoke with the morning seder faculty of Yeshivat Yesodei HaTorah, the yeshiva that he directed alongside Rabbi Pesach Wolicki for eleven years. Along with Rabbi Wolicki, he was joined by Rabbi Yaakov Arram, Rabbi Yisrael Herczeg, Rabbi Adi Krohn, and Rabbi Moshe Lichtman. In this conversation,

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48:35

Crisis in Israel, Judicial Reform, and the Future of...

Orthodox Conundrum ·

2023/03/30

Israel is in crisis, and Israeli society is deeply torn over the government's proposed reforms to the judiciary. However, while many people talk about what the Likud-led government is trying to do, there is less information about what is actually happening and its ramifications. With the dramatic events of this past week, when Defense Minister Yoav Gallant publicly suggested that the government needs to pause the reforms, then was fired by Prime Minister Netanyahu the next day, which then led to

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306 results

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