Articles by Dovi Nadel

Editor’s Thoughts: Reflections of an Unrepentant Tanakh Enthusiast

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
R. Simeon b. Eleazar testified on the authority of R. Simeon b. Hanina: He who reads a verse at its proper time brings good to the world, as it is written, “And a word spoken in its proper time, how good is it.” [i] [ii] These days, children’s games have fallen quite far from their ... Read more →

Joining the IDF - An American Religious Zionist’s Dilemma

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
Of the Korahites. A Psalm. A Song. The Lord loves the gates of Zion His foundation on the holy mountains, More than all the dwelling of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you O city of God.   Selah. I mention Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me; Philistia, and Tyre and Cush – ... Read more →

Editor’s Thoughts: The Dark Corner of the Beit Midrash

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
We express gratitude before you, God, our God and the God of our fathers, that you have established our portion with those who dwell in the beit midrash, and have not established our portion with those who sit in corners (Prayer of Rav Nehuniah Ben Ha-Kaneh, Berakhot 28a)[i] In the Yeshivah is ... Read more →

Editor’s Thoughts: “Every Jewish Boy Deserves a Good Egyptian Education”

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
The first documented Jewish child to grapple with the nature of freedom did not do so through the luxuries of the “question-and-answer” style that typify the Seder night.  The child, Moshe, is born into a world of slavery, cast away by his parents at a young age, and raised in a ... Read more →

An Interview with Cantor Bernard Beer, Head of the Belz School of Jewish Music

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
Cantor Beer has been on the staff of the Belz School of Music since 1967, and has been the head of the school since 1985. DN: When were you inspired to become a professional hazzan (cantor)? CB: I would say, in a way, I was almost born into it. I lived in Borough Park. In […]

The Role of the Sheliah Tsibbur: A Historical Perspective

By Dovi Nadel | Comment ()
Long before Jews began to pray in a beit keneset, they had a sheliah tsibbur (messenger of the congregation). In fact, the concept of a sheliah tsibbur spans back to the time of the prophets. Yet, the connotation of this term and the function of this role has not always been the same. It is ... Read more →