Morning Machsom L’Fi – No Loshon Hora from 9:00 Am – to 10:00 Am Each Day

In the Tisha B’Av videos yesterday, the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation (CCHF) announced the start of a World Wide Machsom L’Fi program where people would accept upon themselves not to speak Loshon Hara from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM each day. As the CCHF site explains over here: One of the prime benefits of participating [...]

Do We Have the Courage to Accept Some of the Blame?

It seems like we have a lot of work to do to rebuild the Beis Hamikdash. Most of us are fairly good Jews, so it’s easy to blame the other guys for the problems and perhaps to some extent it’s true that it is their problem. But could it be that we are collectively to [...]

Upper West Side Story: My True Jewish Story

By Mr. Cohen It was approximately 1985, and in the summertime, on a Saturday night, that I saw her. We were in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood. She looked very lost. People of various races and ages passed her by, indifferent to her plight. I, as a native of New York City, wanted to help [...]

Bittersweet – Rosh Chodesh Av

This morning it hit me. Rosh Chodesh Av is amongst the strangest of days. As we’re aware, Rosh Chodesh Av marks the commencement of the nine day mourning period culminating in the most tragic and mournful day of the year, Tisha B’Av. As the gemorah states “MiShenichnas Av MeMa’atin B’Simcha” when the month of Av [...]

How Can The Average Orthodox Jew Achieve Kiddush HaShem and Reduce Chillul Hashem?

What can the average mitzvah observer do to achieve Kiddush HaShem, sanctification of G_d’s Name? In other words: What can Orthodox Jews who are not millionaires and not Rabbis do to improve the reputation of Judaism and Jews? What can average Orthodox Jews do to reduce or avoid Chillul HaShem?

Lakewood vs. Lakewood

By CJ Srullowitz I recently had the distinct American pleasure of attending a minor league baseball game. Though New York City boasts two major league teams, the greater New York metropolitan area has several minor league ball clubs, teams filled with kids still in their teens, dreaming of one day playing in “The Show.” Often [...]

Searching For Brilliance

By Michael Gros Growing up in Atlanta, GA, Asher Siegelman was surrounded by the values and culture of America. But he felt that the society was empty and he was disappointed by the ideals around him. He was especially frustrated by the lack of genuine role models he could follow. “In my senior year of [...]

Introduction to Learning Gemora

My Partners in Torah chavrusa wanted to learn Gemora. We are learning the second perek of Bava Metzia about returning lost objects. We started a few months ago and we are using Art Scroll for the basic flow and translation and learning in depth on each step of the Gemora. It’s causing a good deal [...]

How Are You Dealing With The Distractions of Life?

We all have a lot of stuff on our plate, families, making a living, Torah learning, community service and more. In addition, people seem to have shorter attention spans these days. How have the Beyond BT readers deal with these challenges? Do you use time management systems to organize your life? Do you make time [...]

A Tale of Two Michaels

As music icon Michael Jackson was planning his return to the stage, basketball icon Michael Jordan was appearing in a less familiar arena. At the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, Mr. Jordan shot an 86 — not bad, but a little off his game. His foursome included Justin Timberlake, Ben Roethlisberger, and Larry Giebelhausen, a [...]

Jewish Media Coverage of the Torah Observant World

The Jewish Week ( “JW”) caters to LW MO and gives some token space to Chabad. It has long had no use for the RW MO world and only negatives for the Charedi world and now seems as if its role on Middle East affairs is ala ultra left. Like it or not, one learns [...]

What Seforim Would You Recommend?

It’s summer time and the school break should afford us a little extra time to pick up a new sefer. What seforim are must reads for your fellow co-religionists?

The Shy Student: An Adventure in Shidduchim

by Ross Kryger Every character trait has its benefits and detriments. On my very first day in Israel, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, I decided to visit a popular tourist site called “The Wailing Wall” (whatever that was). Glancing around, I was intrigued by so many people praying outdoors, and although I wondered could [...]

Darchei Noam’s Internet and Technology Initiative

6/25/09 Dear Readers: About five years ago, I formulated an Internet policy for Yeshiva Darchei Noam where I serve as Dean. It was designed to be “real” — something that parents would be able to respect and adhere to, rather than one that would be so restrictive that it would be ignored. Recently, our Rosh [...]

Telling My Story

Mazal Tov to early Beyond BT contributor Shoshana on her recent wedding to Mordechai Goldberg. In honor of this wonderful simcha we’re reposting this piece from December 5, 2006. When people meet me, and find out a bit of my background – being from Alabama, not growing up in an Orthodox home – they often [...]

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