I discuss Rosh Hashanah with David Suissa. Read More »
Your Moral Leader 
How Do You Keep God Alive In Your Life?
In his 1999 lecture on Exodus 34, Dennis Prager says: The Torah says you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. This is how you keep faith in God, by observing regular rituals. If you don’t observe regular rituals, you won’t keep God alive in your life. No generation of Jews that has not remained God-oriented has stayed Jewish. Read More »
God Is Good!
In his 1998 lecture on Exodus 33, Dennis Prager says: I’ve always been intoxicated, not with love, but with goodness. God tells Moses that his goodness will pass before his eyes, not his love. What is the difference between goodness and love? Love is more emotion. Goodness is more action. Read More »
Mazal Tov! Shannon Orand Married!
Here she is on onlysimchas (wedding was Aug. 19 in Houston) ! Jack Nuszen is the lucky man. Here’s the dramatic back story to Shannon Orand’s Jewish journey . Read More »
Adopt Me!
I want to be adopted. Ever since I’ve been a kid, when I’ve met loving families, I’ve wanted them to adopt me. I still get this yearning. I’ve wanted some of my therapists to adopt me, or to at least to hold me very close. I wanted Dennis Prager to adopt me. I’ve been sick the last nine days. Read More »
Widow Gets Victory In Court
The Los Angeles Daily News reports : The widow of a North Hollywood rabbi who has fought for years to regain four Torahs that once belonged to her late husband won another battle this week when a civil court ruled in her favor. Read More »
Blaming Ourselves For The Holocaust
In his 1998 lecture on Exodus 33, Dennis Prager says: Jewish history holds the Jews responsible for leaving their land. It’s the only history I know of where the people have taken 100% responsibility for their own misfortune. The Holocaust is the first time Jews started to think they didn’t deserve what happened. Read More »
It’s Been A Couple Of Months Since Somebody Called Me Inappropriate
“Inappropriate” is the most used description of me next to “insecure. I was starting to feel good tonight. I was reflecting back on the past couple of months and I couldn’t think of anyone telling me, “That was inappropriate!” Then I read this Facebook response: “Maybe people realize the futility in pointing out your inappropriate behavior. Read More »
They Got Me!
I opened up my email this evening to find one from an “Al Ha-madaf.” Oh, man, I thought. The terrorists have got me. They’re coming to get me. I open it up and find out it is from AJU . Why would a Jewish university send out emails from “Al Ha-madaf. Read More »
Is Dennis Prager High Maintenance?
On Dennis Prager’s radio show today, he devoted the male-female hour to a discussion of high maintenance people. Dennis said he was not high maintenance. Ralph calls from Manhattan: “Dennis, I would think it would be impossible for you to not be high maintenance because of what you do for a living. You’re seeking the approval of others. Read More »
Why I Love Orthodox Judaism
Heshy Fried blogs : Hot Chani: I like the fact that frum people can’t escape the evil of sexiness, I love the fact that you can be frum tznius and sexy. Although tznius is definitely a relative term in this case as is hot – since we haven’t found a term for the ugly hot chani’s as of yet. Read More »
Automatic Citizenship for Children of Illegals?
Jeff emails: “I think all foreign-born nationals should have their citizenship reviewed periodically, and if they aren’t productive it should be revoked, just like conversion. Particular attention should be paid to Australians.” From CIS. Read More »
Los Angeles Judge Orders Torahs To Be Returned To Rita Pauker Within 10 Days
Background Attorney Baruch Cohen emails: Los Angeles Judge Zaven Sinanian confirmed Rita Pauker’s 2nd petition to confirm the arbitration award of the Rabbinical Council of California – ordering that the four Torahs be returned to Mrs. Pauker within 10-days. Read More »
Circumsicion
David Kelsey emails: You know the writer is a Jew when she notes the benefits of circumcision and then insists the decision is a “deeply personal one. Read More »
What To Do If A Stripper Sits On Your Lap
It is important to talk to people softly, because if you yell at them, you might lose your voice and then you couldn’t tell a stripper to get off your lap. Watch the whole Torah talk . Read More »
The Ten Commandments Of Chabad Jews
Watch the whole Torah talk . Rabbi Rabbs goes off on the Ten Commandments of Chabad Jews (I love Chabad and Aish HaTorah, but I enjoy hearing Rabbs’ rant): * You shall accept the Rebbe into your heart as your personal Lord and savior, and even though Read More »
Friends In Trouble
Rodger Jacobs writes for the Las Vegas Sun : As I write this, taking a brief late night respite from packing books into boxes, I am just days away from an uncertain future, a Black Tuesday when the Sword of Damocles will, under legal edict, fall upon Read More »
Torah Talk With Rabbi Rabbs
Click here to join the fun! This week in the diaspora we have two Torah portions — Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29: 9–30: 20) and Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31: 1–30) . Read More »
State Department Condemns Incitement By Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
JTA reports : The Obama administration condemned what it said was incitement by an influential Israeli rabbi. “We regret and condemn the inflammatory statements by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Sunday in a statement. Read More »
Three Nuns and a Donkey
In a 1997 lecture on Exodus 22: 18-24, Dennis Prager said : “The pursuit of pleasure for its own sake, unless it has parameters and is deep, it doesn’t give the same thrill as the last time. Read More »
Three Iranian Jews Shot Dead In LA Thursday Night
The Los Angeles Times reports : A triple murder late Thursday night inside a West Hollywood apartment building may be tied to a robbery attempt. Read More »
Overwhelmingly White
On his radio show today, Dennis Prager says: Glenn Beck deserves congratulations on pulling off what he did. It was a remarkable and loving and warm event for hundreds of thousands of people. What’s most interesting is the coverage by the American news media. From DennisPrager. Read More »
I Found Six Hairs On My Chest!
This morning’s shower was very exciting. LQ emails: Does the six refer to the number of days on which we may do Malachah or is it the number of times either Monica O or Rabbi Ally will turn you down for a date before they realize that you’re their besheret? You’re the Aussie Jacob who needs his Rachael and Leah. Read More »
Whatever Happened To Pico-Robertson?
Joe emails: I grew up in Pico Robertson – I was probably the first customer of Nagilla Pizza. When you went there on a saturday night, it was the who’s who of YICC (already the self important place it is), Bnai David (which had just started being the Read More »
Should Christians Keep The Sabbath?
In his 1998 lecture on Exodus 30, Dennis Prager says: The Greeks thought the Jews were lazy because of their Sabbath observance. The Sabbath was the most appealing part of Judaism in the Roman Empire. The Jews weren’t the first people to say be nice. What distinguished the Jews was the Sabbath. Read More »
The Artist As Thinker
In his 1998 lecture on Exodus 26, Dennis Prager said: The artist is called a thinker in Hebrew. Art without thought is not considered valuable. What great art does not have an intellectual element to it? Breaking your guitars over your knees doesn’t take thought. There’s something in me nervous when such people are described as artists. Read More »
I Found A New Disorder
A therapist told me I had schizoid tendencies so I Googled the term and I think she’s right: “Schizoid personality disorder (SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary lifestyle, secretiveness, and emotional coldness. Read More »
Are We All Equally Holy?
In his 1998 lecture on Exodus 25, Dennis Prager says: The first area of the sanctuary is copper, then silver, then the holy of holies is gold. This teaches that there are gradations of holiness. There are at least two themes to the sanctuary. One is order and symmetry, which represents that God, an orderer, makes order. Read More »
How Do You Give Ethical Principles?
In a 1997 lecture on Exodus 21: 26-36, Dennis Prager says: It’s easy to give rituals laws. How do you give ethical principles? You would have to have an encyclopedia the size of the Encyclopedia Brittanica on how to behave because on every given Read More »
Scammed
Ely Akim emails: Dear Mr Editor, My name is Ely Akim and I would like to invite your organization to look into this Jewish criminal that is accosting several women in the Los Angeles area. Unfortunately, my daughter Leah and I were victims. Read More »
Honoring Parents
Says Dennis in a 1997 lecture on honoring parents (Exodus 20): I was at a speech and a woman came over to me and she said, ‘Dennis, I read your books and I got involved in Judaism and let me show you the product of my involvement. I am working on this whole syllabus on how children can obey their parents.’ It was frightening. Read More »
High School Game Of The Week
I was just watching ESPN and it advertised that on Friday night at 7pm PST, it will show this high school football game between the Grant Pacers and the Folsom Bulldogs . I went to the redneck Placer High School (class of 1984). For my last two years there, we were in the same athletic league as Grant, a predominantly black school. Read More »
Rabbis At An Exhibition
In a 1996 lecture on Exodus 20, Dennis Prager says: There was a great hesitation to use art for anything but worshipping God . The rabbis didn’t sit down, generally speaking, and paint. We didn’t have Hillel giving an exhibition of his works. The exhibition of Hillel’s works is in the Talmud and they are words. Read More »
Employment Prospects Grim For Least-Educated
David Deutsch emails David Kelsey: “This is pretty insensitive–think of how many American-born bloggers Luke has driven out of business?” From CIS.org : WASHINGTON (August 27, 2010) – Less-educated, younger, and minority American workers face the worst job market in decades, far worse than their more educated counterparts. Read More »
I Got An Email From Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky
Yesterday, I emailed Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky this comment by a blogger : “Two weeks before Rosh Hashana and in the context of an apology, Orlofsky feels free to insult bloggers who objected to the Slifkin ban. Read More »
Did The Nazis Like Bach?
In a 1996 lecture on Exodus 20, Dennis Prager says: We always have a debate in our country about funding for the National Endowment of the Arts. The people who argue for funding say the mark of a civilization is its arts. That’s not true. Germany was the most artistically advanced civilization. Read More »
If You Can’t Believe In God
I’m listening to Dennis Prager’s 1996 lecture on Exodus 20. Says Dennis to his assistant Laurie: “If I don’t , feel free to resign. Read More »
Dennis Prager’s Favorite iPhone App
It is soundhound , which allows you to identify songs. Dennis wants an app that you can hold up to a tree or plant and get an ID. I’ve found that iPhone users tend to be on the left and Blackberry users tend to be on the right. I have a Blackberry. It is a serious work tool. The iPhone is for trendies. Read More »
How Do Libertarians Sleep At Night?
On his radio show today, Dennis Prager says: “I want to know how leftists and libertarians sleep at night knowing the slaughter that will take place in Afghanistan if we leave?” I’m not a leftist nor a libertarian and I have no position on how the Read More »
I’m Tired Of Dating Girls From Broken Homes
Pick-up artist and author Neil Strauss told me that he does not date women from broken homes. They don’t know how to love the opposite sex. I found that a fascinating insight. At the grand old age of 44, I think Neil is generally right. Read More »
The Rabbi Orlofsky Mess
Background Rav Adlerstein posts : “When Rabbi Weinreb (to whose ankles in Torah R. Orlofsky will never rise)…” Rav Adlerstein blogs on another topic : Unlike many New Yorkers I know, I do not have an easy time listening to Michael Savage. I squirm when caught in a car in NY when the driver tunes in to his show. Read More »
Pro-Israel Group Battles IRS Discrimination
Glenn Reynolds writes : WEEKLY STANDARD: Is the IRS Discriminating Against a Pro-Israel Group? In a lawsuit filed in federal court today, the pro-Israel group Z Street alleges that it has been discriminated against. Read More »
The Ten Commandments
In a 1996 lecture on Exodus 20, Dennis Prager says: It’s called The Ten Words. The Ten Commandments is an English or Christian statement. The Hebrew Bible does not call this the Ten Commandments. The Decalogue is the Greek for ten words. The idea of a covenantal relationship between God and an entire people is brand new. Read More »
Log-In With Facebook Connect To Leave Comments On My Site
I’ve added Facebook Connect to my blog to make it easier to leave comments . Log-in on the upper right of the page. I paid somebody $50 to install this, so you better use it! PS. One of the best things I’ve done since I bought a real computer in 1997 was to have people on hand who would help me with my computer issues (for around $50 an hour). Read More »
What Converts Can Teach Us About Judaism
Oy, if only some lofty journalist would write such sentiments about me! Adam Dickter writes in The Jewish Week : But what struck me most was one line from Yoseph himself that he posted on his website bio, that he chose Orthodox Judaism “as a means to surrender control, accept humility, and educate. Read More »
The Sexy Wife
From Dennis Prager’s radio show today: A woman calls. “My husband loves for me to dress in a very provocative way, especially when we take our daily walks. I’d rather wear a sports bra and spandex leggings.” “He really likes looking over and gazing at this beautiful package. Read More »
LAWeekly, Village Voice Media Officially Launch AfterDarkLA.com
Sex-centric news, information site shows off its makeover with VIP bash in Hollywood, Calif. LOS ANGELES – Aug. 26, 2010 – LAWeekly and parent company Village Voice Media have officially launched AfterDarkLA.com, a new sex-centric website that unabashedly dares readers to explore the sexier side of the other city that never sleeps. AfterDarkLA. Read More »
Orthodox Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky Attacks Bloggers
Here’s the controversy . Rabbi Shimon Kurland writes : Thank you for your email regarding Rabbi Orlofsky. The clip you heard on the internet was from a shiur Rabbi Orlofsky gave over five years ago to a group of Kollel students in the Ohr Lagolah program. Read More »
Heshy Fried Needs A New Car So He Can Get Married
Heshy Fried blogs : “My car almost died. It overheated and we had to stand around picking blackberries on the side of a dirt road before I could get it started again. I need a new one and I’m asking you – the loyal fan who gets free entertainment day in and out — to help me get a new one. Read More »
Morning Miracle: Inside the Washington Post A Great Newspaper Fights for Its Life
I’m reading this new book by Dave Kindred . Here’s what is grabbing my attention: Walter Pincus says the reason he became a news reporter was to “change the world.” (Pg. xx) I don’t want to get my news from people who are motivated to change the world. Such people should become activists. I don’t trust them to be objective when reporting the news. Read More »
Qualifications For A Good Judge
In a 1996 lecture on Exodus 17, Dennis Prager says: What isn’t listed? Even hinted at for what a judge in Israel ought to be? What’s missing is loving and compassionate. Nothing about that is mentioned. The Torah has words for that. It’s not like I’m using modern words. God is constantly described as a God of enormous compassion. Read More »
