Women & Mitzvos

The title is a link to an article that I read and greatly enjoyed over Shabbos. Rabbi Gidon Rothstein gives an entirely different take on the exemption of women from מצוות עשה שהזמן גרמא from those I have seen in the past. In supporting his thesis, he also uses it to explain the ברכה of שלא עשני אשה. His analysis emerges naturally from a close reading of the sources, and manages to be compelling without apologetics. Especially for those of you in my Halacha classes, who know how underwhelmed I am with the explanations we discussed in class, I highly recommend reading this (it reads shorter than it looks). He references other writings on similar topics that I look forward to reading. Faculty & students alike, I'm curious what you think about it.

Mrs. Appel's Reading & Movie List

• Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go
• For an interesting dialog about contemporary (or at least, 1990s) Orthodoxy: Haym Soloveitchik, "Rupture and Recontstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy", in Tradition 28:4 (1994) -- along with Dr. Isaac Chavel's response and Dr. Soloveitchik's response to Dr. Chavel, the latter two published in Torah U-Madda, January 1, 1997
• Heschel, The Sabbath
• The poetry of Leah Goldberg
• Chaim Potok, The Chosen
• Thornton Wilder, Our Town
• Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
• David Ben-Gurion's speech declaring Israel's idependence, recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJObtrw_E6g&feature=related

Movies:

• Schindler's List
• Life is Beautiful

Mrs. Kraft's Reading List

For thinking about Judaism on a deeper level and to be inspired at the same time:
1. Living Inspired by Rabbi Akiva Tatz
2. World Mask by Rabbi Akiva Tatz
3. The Thinking Jewish Teenager's Guide to Life by Rabbi Akiva Tatz

For the very intellectually sophisticated reader dealing with issues of faith in G-d:
1. Forgive Us, Father-in-Law, for We Know Not What to Think: Letter to a Philosophical Dropout from Orthodoxy by Rabbi Shalom Carmy
2. Faith and Doubt by Rabbi Norman Lamm

On why bad things happen to good people:
Kol Dodi Dofek (Hebrew) or Fate and Destiny (English translation) by Rav Solovetichik

Just good and enjoyable (and secular) reading on having the correct perspective and being productive, etc.:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

For Inspiration:
Just One Word. Amen by Esther Stern

To increase your kavanah in tefila:
Pathway to Prayer by Rabbi Mayer Birnbaum
The Art of Jewish Prayer by Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner
Rav Schwab on Prayer by Rabbi Shimon Schwab

פרשת שמות

The title is a link to an amazing resource - yutorah's page for the parsha this week. They construct it each week, and have an enormous amount of shiurim, audio and text, on all subjects. In the coming weeks, we plan to construct a list of Torah resources on the web that will remain on the side of the blog.

In the meantime, as there is no Stream this week (I think), I want to share a couple of thoughts about the parsha.

• After consistently referring to the baby in the basket (Moshe) as the ילד (child), it says that בת פרעה heard the cries of the נער (youth). Rashi quotes the midrash that Hashem miraculously made Moshe's infant cries sound older. What was the purpose of this נס? Perhaps, we can explain that with the decree that all newborn Jewish boys be drowned in the Nile (and we know there were many newborn Jewish boys), the sounds of crying, drowning infants were almost commonplace at the river; background noise that would not have penetrated even the compassionate בת פרעה. Only the unusual sound of an adolescent cry made her think twice. Looking back, the notion that even the desparate cries of babies could be so routine that they become inaudible seems horrifying, as many barbaric practices in world history do in hindsight. I wonder what future generations will think of us? Who are our world's crying babies? Whose desparate pleas fall on deaf ears today?
• Reviewing the Parsha with my head already on vacation, I was struck by a certain passage. When defending themselves to Paro, the heroic midwives defend themselves with a statement that would serve us well to remember as we head to our various exotic & less exotic destinations: כִּי לא כַנָּשִׁים הַמִּצְרִיּת הָעִבְרִיּת - The Jewish women are not like the Egyptian women. As integrated as we are into our American culture, with all of the benefits - of all types - that we get from it, it's important to keep in mind that we are different, and that should be evident for all to see.

Rabbi Besser's List

I think I'm going to enter my list piecemeal, to allow me to give it some more thought, and talk a bit about why I'm recommending the books that I do, without having a post so long that no one reads it. I'll start with four.

• As a Driven Leaf (Milton Steinberg) - I add my vote to the others but attach a warning: What makes the book so wonderful (in addition to the issues of faith & doubt highlighted by Mrs. Goldberg) is what scares me a bit too. It is the fictionalized story of a real historic figure -Elisha ben Avuyah (Acher) - a Tana who became a heretic. For the first half of the book, the primary characters are Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir, Bruriah, Ben Azzai etc. Many of the Talmudic figures we study every day, and getting to know them in a real-life way is thrilling. And much of the story is based on legitimate sources. The disclaimer is, that it's not real-life. The gaps filled in by the author dwarf the actual historic content, making the finished product truly fictional. That said, the glimpse into their lives, the very readable style, the big issues raised in an intriguing but not ponderous way, and just the wonderful drama make this a book you will love.
• A Return to Modesty (Wendy Shalit) - This is unlike any other "Tzniut" book you'll ever read. Ms. Shalit's story makes the book so unique. She grew up non-observant, and what drew her to Orthodoxy was the appeal of the rules of tzniut. Therefore, with no pre-existing agenda, she lived the secular system, straight through the typical University campus and found it wanting, and found what was missing in classic Judaism's halachik and philosophical view of women. Using all sorts of data (very much including womens' magazines), she makes the case that modern sensibilities about gender relationships are doing major damage to women, and that the formula to repair that damage lies in the roots of our tradition. You can disagree with her at the end, but her perspective is eye-opening. (Disclaimer: I'm not endorsing the cover, which was not chosen by the author, and was removed from my copy).
• Turbulent Souls (Stephen Dubner) - The memoir of a successful journalist, raised as a fervent Christian, who lapsed into a secular adulthood tracing his Jewish roots.
• The Geography of Bliss (Eric Weiner) - I read it on Ms. Socken's advice, and though it took me a bit to get in to, I ended up enjoying it a lot. A reporter for NPR travels to the happiest and least happy countries on Earth to see what lessons about happiness he can learn. The chapters that spoke most to me (though I doubt many of you will choose the same ones) were Iceland (which contains what I consider to be the single most important line of the book - I won't give it away) & Thailand.

I'll give some more a different time, but I have midterms to grade. Please let us know what you think of the blog so far, submit questions you would like to see addressed or helpful suggestions at questions@maayanot.org.

Chazal & the Economic Crisis

Speaking of interesting articles in the Wall Street Journal, while I'm not sure I agree with everything inside, this was a fascinating modern application of an ancient Takana. (The title is a hyperlink to the article.)

Interesting article about Antisemitism in Europe

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180033807075069.html

Special Guest Submission: Ms. Socken's List!

• (non-fiction) The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner
• (non-fiction) Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
• (novel) The Alchemist, Paulo Coehlo
• (film) "Amazing Grace" (2006) trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Cv5P9H9qU
• (extremely brilliant "short film") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Ms. Gordon's List

• As a Driven Leaf - Milton Steinberg
• Jewish Matters - Articles by different authors on different topics (God, Faith, Tzniut, Prayer etc.)
• Exodus or Mila 18 - Leon Uris
• O Jerusalem - Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
• Anything by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Chief Rabbi of England)
• Anything by Rav Aharon Lichtenstein (Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Posek of Maayanot)
• Lonely Man of Faith - Rav Yosef Dov Soloveichik
• The Modest Way - Rav Ellensohn's book on Tzniut. Has all opinions and sources with English translations.
• Jewish Literacy - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Movie: Hiding & Seeking

Mrs. Knoll's Reading List

• East of Eden - John Steinbeck
• The Chosen - Chaim Potok
• Mrs. Knoll's response to the Frumteens moderator to his attacks on Maayanot teaching Gemara to women:

Mrs. Goldberg' List

• As A Driven Leaf - Milton Steinberg - Questions of Faith
• Books by Daniel Gordis - About Israel
• Song- Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDc9qNPD94Q

Rabbi Prince's Reading List

• All books by Rabbi David Aaron
• All Books by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan
• All Books by Nechama Lebowitz
• Discover by Rabbi Dov Moshe Lipman
• By His Light – Essays of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein
• Ner Uziel - By Rabbi Uziel Milevsky
• Off the Derech – by Faranack Margolese
• תורה לדעת – Rabbi Matis Blum
• הררי קדם - "Harerei Kedem I & II" by Michal Zalman Shurkin
• On Repentance: The Thought and Oral Discourses of Rabbi Joseph Dov Soloveitchik
• A Student's Obligation: Advice from the Rebbe of the Warsaw Ghetto
• The Promise – Chaim Potok

Mrs. Sinensky's Reading, Movie, Game & Activity List

• The Matrix (movie)
• Redemption, Prayer, Torah Study in Tradition 17:2, R' Soloveitchik (my favorite Rav Solovetchik article)
• Wit, Margaret Edson (play that's fun to analyze)
• Halachos of Brachos, R' Forst (super-practical, well organized, clear, comprehensive book about Brachot. Great to learn with a friend!)
• Set (the game-great for sharpening your Gemara skills. Someone once told me that it should be renamed the "tzad hashaveh" game!)
• Watch your favorite T.V. show and write down all the "hidden" messages that you can pick up on
• Abraham's Journey, R' Soloveitchik (Essays about the life and character of Avraham Avinue. I read it on Pesach and couldn't put it down!)
• The Sabbath, Heschel (A book that will change your perspective on and appreciation of Shabbat and Chagim)

Mrs. Schapiro's Reading List

• Orthodox Forum Series (several books on timely topics such as feminism, relating to non-Jews, relating to non-traditional Jews, etc. Sometimes the Enlish is difficult but there's always http://www.dictionary.com/)
• Me'am Lo'ez, translated by Aryeh Kaplan (Enlish translation of pesukim and various midrashim on Tanach)
• If You Were God, Aryeh Kaplan

Mrs. Cohen's Reading & Movie List

• Awakenings (inspirational movie)
• My Left Foot (inspirational movie)
• Kol Dodi Dofek, ed. Woolf (one of Rav Soloveitchik's most famous articles--must read!)

Mrs. Bieler's Reading List

• Articles from the Tradition journal
• Articles from the Journal of Halakha & Contemporary Society
• The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster & Feiffer

Ms. Wolf's Reading & Movie List

• Hiding and Seeking (movie)
• The Lonely Man of Faith, R' Soloveitchik
• As A Driven Leaf, Milton Steinberg (historical fiction based on the Gemara)
• Exodus, Leon Uris (historical fiction about Israel)
• Mila 18, Leon Uris

Ms. F's Reading List

• The Source, James Michener (historical fiction about the Crusades)
• Sabbath Shiurim, Rabbi M. Miller
• Shiurei HaRav, Epstein (lectures of Rav Soloveitchik)
• http://www.tanach.org/ (awesome Parsha material from R' Menachem Leibtag)
• http://www.vbm-torah.org/ (more awesome Parsha material from Yershiva Har Etzion a.k.a "Gush")
• A Return to Modesty, Wendy Shalit (discussion of Tzniut from a secular perspective)
• The Magic Touch, Gila Manolson (about negiah)

Mrs. Ausubel's Reading List

• Permission to Believe, Lawrence Kelemen (Approaches to the Existence of God)
• Permission to Receive, Lawrence Kelemen (Approaches to Revelation)
• Lights Along the Way, Twerski (commentary on Mesillat Yesharim-how to work on yourself)

Mrs. Billet's Reading List

• 9 Questions People Ask About Judaism (Telushkin & Prager)
• To Pray As A Jew-selected chapters (Chaim HaLevi Donin)
• Holy Brother (Carleback stories)