Articles in Religion and Jewish Thought
Reclaiming the Yom Ha’atzmaut Prayer Service
By Mark Symons
Every year, the Melbourne Orthodox community conducts a communal Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) prayer service. But it is a community service in name only. The rabbis and presidents of most Orthodox congregations …
The Dog Test
By Vadim Chelom
With another Pesach now behind us I am sure that this year, as in the past many of you have spent nervous moments agonising over the permissibility of usage on Pesach of many …
Understanding Chabad and Messianism
By David Werdiger
As an active writer and blogger, I have often found myself in discussions about Chabad with people from outside the Chabad community. In addition, I recently had the opportunity to review some of …
The Melbourne Beth Din – This Problem is Fixable
Following his previous article outlining what’s wrong with the Melbourne Beit Din, Rabbi Yaron Gottlieb puts forward some solutions.
The Beth Din (Jewish court) is unique. No other communal institution has anything like its power. My …
The Cost of Kosher
By Rabbi Meir Rabi
Cost is a strong negative influence that most people consider when evaluating Kosher foods and Kosher services. I distinctly recall being very uncomfortably unable to answer the plaintive question; “Rabbi, why is …
How Frum is Frum enough?
By David Werdiger
Many posts and comments on these pages have had a go at some of the Orthodox Jewish institutions in Melbourne, such as those associated with kashrut certification and the Beth Din, for a …
The Melbourne Beit Din – Please G-d you will Never Need Them
By Yaron Gottlieb
The Melbourne Beit Din is in an enviable position in the community. We are aware of their presence, but we are glad to ignore their day-to-day actions. Nonetheless most of us have heard …
Six reasons why you might already be keeping kosher
By Robert Efraim Bel
So you only buy kosher meat, stay away from crustaceans, never mix meat and milk, and always check the food labels. You try your best but all this is of course a …
Hanukah Today: Living with Miracles
By Michael Fagenblat
The significance of Hanukah has vividly transformed in modern times. The Talmudic rabbis were conspicuously reticent about the historical and political connotations of the festival. The Book of Maccabees, which records the historical …
A Distorted Conclusion
By Rabbi Meir Rabi
A Great Story, a Disastrously Distorted Conclusion, or What’s Wrong with Super-Orthodox Thinking
Let me say at the outset, I am making observations about a frailty of humanity ; its ability to inflict on itself outrageous, mind …
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