Links, random thoughts and opinions on Torah, books & politics
- Tweets 50,664
- Following 559
- Followers 11,782
- Likes 16,277
Pinned Tweet
My author copies of the book finally arrived and the book looks great!
I’m very excited about this publication.
I recently did a Q&A with the newspaper, The Jewish Vues. Links to order the book and read the Q&A to follow
17
4
64
29,667
Why hasn't this guy received a Pulitzer yet?
"I have worked undercover for months and I’ve seen with my own eyes how hundreds of so-called protesters work together to carry out acts of organized criminality against government and civilians."
Watch my full testimony to congress about #antifa: piped.video/0tNXomjObIA
74
274
2,259
Police in my neighborhood went around checking even small synagogues for social distancing over the holiday. They didn’t come when antisemitism raised its head but they did to check on social distancing. While the country was burning in anti-police riots.
49
481
2,246
If an ox gored a cow and the cow’s newly born offspring was found dead at its side, and it is not known if the cow gave birth before or after the ox gored, what should the ox's owner pay in damages?
All right, fellow Jews, since we’ll have Twitter all to ourselves tomorrow, what should we talk about?
119
109
1,144
Another area where Orthodox Jews differ from Catholics and many Evangelicals is regarding IVF. We are so pro-IVF that we have major charities that *aggressively* fundraise from the community to fund IVF for struggling would-be parents. We are pro-fertility, pro-life.
21
45
671
32,629
Credit to the 4 House Democrats who called out their colleagues for "reckless, irresponsible antisemitic rhetoric" @benshapiro jta.org/quick-reads/calling-…
23
80
650
People say Orthodox Judaism isn’t modern. But what’s more modern than living intentionally, setting boundaries with tech, building strong families and creating communities of meaning in a rootless world?
35
35
569
25,652
This says it all @benshapiro
Private schools/vouchers? Bad. Privately held pension instead of Social Security? Bad. Private health insurance? Bad. Privately-run prisons? Really bad. Defund the police and replace them with private alternatives? Awesome.
8
84
510
Rabbi Ya'akov Kamenetsky, one of the leading 20th century American Orthodox rabbis, called abortion "murder of unborn children." Jewish Observer, May 1976, p10 in reference to the at-the-time proposed abortion law in Israel. @benshapiro /
30
55
505
There might be a lot of Jews in Hollywood but Kanye didn’t go DeathCon3 on them. He went DeathCon3 on ALL the Jews, including the vast majority of Jews who have nothing to do with Hollywood. The poor Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn walking to synagogue bears the brunt of the hatred
For those who didn't see @DaveChappelle's antisemitic monologue on @nbcsnl earlier tonight, and who don't want to watch all 15 minutes, we have edited out all of the parts that many are rightly condemning as antisemitic. Here is all the hate in 2 minutes:
33
85
493
Associating @benshapiro with people who have issued death threats against him is journalistic malpractice, AKA journalism as practiced today
11
36
456
It’s hard to believe that anyone could read @benshapiro’s book and conclude he is against a Liberal Arts education. The book is a sweeping intellectual history of philosophical ideas.
I did an interview with @Salon. The interview deteriorated into the interviewer debating me. I asked for the audio (he asked for permission to tape). They refused. The fact that they did should show what the interview was designed to accomplish. salon.com/2019/03/23/salon-i…
29
46
443
Some say Shabbos is a break from real life. It’s the opposite. Shabbos is a taste of what real life should be—whole, present and deeply connected.
18
31
454
14,405
This is disgusting. Shame on @TimesofIsrael. The rabbi was a global leader of the Sephardic community and a lifetime teacher of Torah. This is what they highlight?
34
21
432
26,651
Critics complain that Orthodox Judaism isn’t spiritual enough. But it takes real spirituality to find God in the act of tying your shoes, eating bread or greeting a neighbor. That’s not a lack of spirituality. It’s its highest form.
25
28
414
15,215
I’m pretty sure when @benshapiro referred to the Judeo-Christian heritage, he meant the Bible. You know, Moses and Isaiah and stuff like that. You might want to check it out.
41
15
332
One of the world's leading scholars of Jewish law and particularly Jewish medical ethics welcomes the overturning of Roe v Wade @benshapiro torahmusings.com/2022/05/why…
18
39
348
Once again, the @ADL is actively working against Jewish interests because of partisan politics
A statement will claim that Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Oxfam back the boycott Israel movement. The groups deny the claims. bit.ly/2Thv8NB
13
32
339
In honor of the #MarchForLife, here is a report of the late great Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky equating abortion with murder in an important speech @benshapiro torahmusings.com/2018/11/tex…
27
61
311
Pleasantly surprised to see that my son’s Charedi yeshiva in Brooklyn put up Israeli flags in the dorm rooms. Shocked, actually, but in a good way
17
15
348
20,600
Imagine if instead of crying anti-Semitism against the mayor and governor, we had said Ashamnu, no more big weddings, no more shul kiddushes, no more mask-optional shuls, etc. until the pandemic is over. We may have talking points right now but we aren't fooling anyone.
29
41
322
After seeing how many people caught Covid on Yom Kippur, I have completely stopped going to shul until the second wave is over. I encourage others to stay safe, daven at home and not be a part of this Chillul Hashem.
34
34
320
Counterpoint NY. The grandparents who managed to survive the carnage of March and April under de Blasio and Cuomo are now able to visit their grandchildren.
This is pretty scurrilous stuff. Nobody on this earth has the virus "under control" to the point that grandparents can feel supremely safe around younger people.
15
26
284
Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva in Queens encouraging all students (and their wives) to go to the rally in Washington
19
34
304
37,842
At this time more than ever, it is important to express support for the yeshiva students serving in the IDF. They represent values of Torah study and self-sacrifice. The generation of soldier-scholars from 1967 and 1973 merited becoming great roshei yeshiva through their /
18
25
326
14,101
I am moved by all the postings about the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s yahrtzeit because it means we all agree on at least one thing, he is no longer alive. (Of course we agree on much more) This was not a given 25 years ago.
45
9
318
36,153
The last time he spoke to his wife before he died, fallen IDF soldier Ari Zenilman asked for a Gemara Yevamos so he could review it. He was killed before he got the Gemara. In his memory, a shul near me is learning the entire Yevamos in time for his sheloshim. I have 3 blatt.
4
26
299
17,010
Someone asked me about supposed passages in the Talmud that say bad things about Jesus. Before we even discuss whether any of those passages refer to the Christian Jesus (probably not), I wrote this note rejecting the premise of the question:
13
31
280
29,754
This Simchas Torah, make a Kiddush Hashem
Daven
- without a mask
- without social distancing
- sing as much as you want
- dance as much as you want
- drink as much liquor as you should
... in the safety of your own home
Shuls might be safe. Your home definitely is.
13
38
254
I sometimes think that @benshapiro is the strongest force keeping Yeshiva U from going woke
At Baylor, math, science, and music classes must now make room for lectures on why America is systemically racist.
ftmag.co/3aOlCKJ
15
14
250
I am puzzled by those who say there is not enough God-talk in Orthodox Judaism. Are they listening? How often do we hear in common conversation phrases like Baruch Hashem, Im Yirtzeh Hashem, Be-Ezras Hashem. Orthodox life is full of God-talk because God is embedded in daily life
42
9
260
20,086
I have it on good authority that ancient Judeans also worshipped idols and intermarried when it was thought to have been prohibited in the Bible. This is according to an old study, i.e. said Bible.
Ancient Judeans ate non-kosher fish at a time when it was thought to have been prohibited in the Bible, according to a new study cnn.it/34i9iz7
8
27
252
I’m happy to share that after 14 years I am returning to the non-profit world and to the Orthodox Union, starting a new position as Director of Jewish Media, Publications and Editorial Communications. Looking forward to working on exciting projects with great colleagues.
20
10
251
11,273
Look what @korenpublishers just published, hot off the press — the long-anticipated Rabbi Sacks Chumash
26
18
225
21,147
/ away from it? Do Protestants say nasty things about the Pope? Do Catholics say nice things about Protestants? The very idea that Judaism has no right to reject Christianity and its leaders is obnoxious and hypocritical. /
2
6
203
4,352
I will never understand why Israelis think the fate of their country lies in some European music contest. The truth is that it doesn’t matter one iota.
35
7
205
12,263
Rav David Yosef, during the ceremony of his appointment as the new Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel: “Let’s make the Rabbanut great again”
13
23
201
18,898
Now let's do that to yeshiva tuition
Jewish philanthropist gives $1 billion to Bronx med school, waving all future tuition timesofisrael.com/jewish-phi…
16
10
201
16,182
People say Orthodoxy is obsessed with rules. But rules are how love shows up every day. You don’t pray three times a day because you’re a robot. You do it because you care enough to keep showing up, even when it’s hard.
13
23
198
8,175
The claim that there are six (or seven) genders in the Talmud is not only ridiculous, it is offensive. It requires saying that an infertile woman is a woman! And that an impotent man is not a man! The only reason people who say such things aren't called out for their /
6
18
188
22,814
*Everyone* agrees that Judaism prohibits abortion. The question is under what circumstances an exception can be made. Rav Dovid Cohen of Flatbush was recently interviewed in this podcast podcast.headlinesbook.com/e/…
17
20
182
My 11th grade child is currently taking AP Calculus in a black hat yeshiva that was open whenever legally possible and at one point had to move to the Catskills to avoid punitive NYC rules. But please tell us about the bad math and english education in yeshivas
18
16
175
They say Shabbos is outdated. Meanwhile, the modern world is rediscovering digital detox, mindfulness and family dinners, which Shabbos promoted ages ago.
6
18
183
7,018
Rabbi Soloveitchik "it is quite legitimate to speak of a cultural Judeo-Christian tradition for two reasons: ...Second, our Western civilization has absorbed both Judaic and Christian elements" @benshapiro traditionarchive.org/news/or…
16
24
164
This is why Brandeis was started and Einstein Medical School. Also why Goldman Sachs was started. Now we have Yeshiva University and Touro also
It might be time to start our own Jewish Ivy League
Ivy League campuses are now too hostile to Jewish students; we need to take the cue and build new, safe institutions.
My Editor's Notes ahead of the weekend.
@Jerusalem_Post | #Colombiauniversity
jpost.com/opinion/article-79…
10
19
165
11,284
My head is spinning over the magnitude of this tragedy for Klal Yisrael, for so many of my colleagues and friends, and for me personally. The few months I had of personal mentorship with him was eye opening and inspiring. The more / theyeshivaworld.com/news/gen…
9
15
176
13,679
All the gentiles are like, what? And all the Jews are nodding their head, recalling the classic Talmudic discussion in Bava Kamma (Answer: half damage for the cow, quarter for the calf)
30
9
156
In retrospect, maybe the millions and millions of dollars Jewish philanthropists spent on Holocaust museums in order to futilely prevent antisemitism might have been better spent on, I don't know, Jewish education
25
14
166
Some argue Orthodox Judaism is too focused on the past. But remembering the past is what gives our present its weight and our future its direction. Forgetting is what’s truly dangerous.
21
12
162
8,367
After the Jewish holidays, NY government officials publicly shamed Jews for a Covid spike. There is now a Covid spike after Christian holidays. No public shaming. I’m not /
8
22
151
I was just forced to watch the NYS jury training on bias, made by the Perception Institute. It is full of images of people of different races and colors. Multiple visible Muslims. One visible Sikh. Zero visible Jews. Zero Jews in Brooklyn, NY. This is social justice in NY
11
28
159
7,433
This kid is an amazing Kiddush Hashem. May he see continued success in all he does and grow into a talmid chacham google.com/amp/s/www.espn.co…
3
16
151
17,617
My general thought is that the premise of the accusation is faulty. Christianity is a religion that broke away from Judaism and has nasty things to say about the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders. Would it be surprising if Judaism has nasty things to say about a religion that broke /
2
6
148
3,435
I'm getting messages about piles of bricks appearing on streets in Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Strongly advise people to stay inside tonight and move your cars into garages/driveways if you can.
28
84
126
I interpret the election results as the Yad Hashem saying that every yeshiva should offer decent secular studies
31
9
140
This is a refreshingly balanced article about @benshapiro from a very liberal newspaper
Ben Shapiro Continues To Rise, Buoyed By Kavanaugh Controversy forward.com/news/national/41…
2
12
134
If you want to hear unkind words, ask a Seventh Day Adventist for their opinion about the Pope
4
6
135
3,501
I am scheduled to finish Bava Basra during the Nine Days and am leaving the last few lines for the following week to avoid making a siyum during this one week a year we refrain from eating meat. One week. Is it that hard?
49
4
137
48,282
People think Shabbos is restrictive. But in a world that never stops shouting, Shabbos is the one time we’re free to just listen... to ourselves, to each other, to God.
6
9
145
6,942
I’m old enough to remember when a WAR CRIME meant a violation of international law and not just an act of war. And when GENOCIDE meant trying to destroy a people and not merely defending yourself from attempted genocide.
There once was a time when words had meanings
5
16
131
2,520
Shut down Hillcrest High School permanently
“A bunch of kids decided to make a group chat, expose her, talk about it, and then talk about starting a riot.”
Every student involved in RIOTING against a Jewish teacher should be expelled @NYCSchools
The teachers know exactly who these students are.
12
12
121
12,009
All of Klal Yisrael refrained from saying tachanun today, Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s yahrtzeit
14
3
134
10,495
This is interesting. Apparently 11th century France had visitors from Israel. And when those visitors read the Torah with cantillation (trop), they gestured with their hands
13
6
121
Rav Chaim Kanievsky was the kind of man that if he hadn’t lived during my lifetime, I would not have believed that such a man of total devotion to and mastery of Torah could exist. /
3
8
128
I’m late with a take on this but here’s my take: may this young man see berachah and hatzlachah in his Torah learning and his growth in yiras Shamayim. May Hashem bless and protect him and his siblings in their Yiddishkeit #FutureTalmidChacham
In My Unorthodox Life, Julia Haart stresses the beauty of her Jewish religion and explains her decision to leave a fundamentalist community
11
1
126
I made a point of eating cholent in shul tonight so as not to imply that by refraining I think it’s assur
15
6
129
8,244
Wow, Rav Soloveitchik’s great-grandson is engaged to Jackie Mason’s great-niece. It’s a pretty good bet that their home will be full of Torah and simcha
12
7
127
18,881
/ As I wrote over 20 years ago, if you are looking for Christian fellowship, Jewish texts are the wrong place to look.
talmud.faithweb.com/
1
4
119
3,643
The antisemites accidentally pointed out a Kiddus Hashem. Observing God’s commandments, especially when it’s hard, is something that constitutes praise of God.
It’s called a Jewish holiday.
The holiday of Sukkot started on Monday evening. The Bible commands us to “rejoice” on this holiday—which is exactly what I did.
I was doing far more meaningful things than responding to the latest lunacies of a certain high-profile mental patient.
9
16
124
15,465
To be fair: the police did show a presence near larger synagogues over anti-semitisn but the not the small ones, including the four small synagogues within a few blocks which include mine. For social distancing, two patrol cars drove down the avenue checking each synagogue
4
12
113
Over the weekend, I signed up for Spotify for the first time to listen to Joe Rogan. Doesn't interest me much but I'm doing it to protest Cancel Culture
52
6
117
It is a mitzvah to learn Torah tonight. Your Torah is needed especially tonight, when many fine people will follow an old European custom not to learn Torah. So learn a little extra Torah tonight.
21
10
111
Rav Hershel Schachter about the theory (not any individual) of playing professional sports on Shabbos torahweb.org/torah/special/2…
29
7
113
There are a lot of troubling things about this post that aren’t really my place to discuss. It is my place, though, to note that in the unusual feminized blessing below there is a grammatically incorrect mapik in the hei of matirah. That’s just inexcusable.
"בְּרוּכָה אַ֤תְּ, מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים. מַתִּירָהּ אֲסוּרִים:
Praised be Source of Life, who frees the captives!"
I would love to stop here, but can't.
Wish we could just celebrate, but over 200 people, over 80 innocent children, were killed in just 2 hours to make it happen 😪
13
4
116
13,641
Lowering the number of deaths is a real integrity move. It shows that honesty is more important than scoring political points through an inflated death count.
You will never see Hamas lowering its death count.
Israel lowered its official estimate of the Oct. 7 death toll from 1,400 to 1,200, as its efforts to identify remains after the massacre draw to a close.
forward.com/fast-forward/569…
4
14
109
7,250
A friend told me that today is his son’s last day in yeshiva in Israel and he is attending three funerals. Tragic
11
10
120
6,048
I’m surprised how the @nytimes has mobilized so many people in favor of Chasidic education. I’m seeing so many people who were completely unaware of the issue now support yeshivas
4
2
104
Nobody in my community blames the beat cops. They are unfailingly polite and respectful when having to do stupid things required by the higher ups.
3
11
97