The Evolving Jew

I've just moved to Eastern Pennsylvania. More on that in another post. But I had a question that I was hoping some of my blog visitors had some insight into. I left some chametz in a storage unit in Ohio. I did leave a key to the unit with someone local to it so it's theoretically accessible by the purchasing non-Jew during Pesach. I also have chametz in my new house, in PA. Should I use one Rav to sell the chametz or two, one in each locale? More importantly, can I use the Chabad website to sell my chametz online? How halachically valid is that? And even if it's fully halachically valid, what about with my situation? Can an online contract handle the complexity of my multistate chametz locations in a halachically valid manner?

On Monday, when signing the order to reverse Bush's policy and allow federal funding of stem cell research, Obama said : This Order is an important step in advancing the cause of science in America. But let's be clear: promoting science isn't just about providing resources -- it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient -- especially when it's inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda -- and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology. By doing this, we will ensure America's continued global leadership in scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. That is essential not only for our economic prosperity, but for the progress of all humanity. And that's why today, I am also signi

About 5 years ago, when my wife & I were first considering moving away from the NYC area to some "out of town" location, I started & moderated a Yahoo Group list (remember those?) called “ Moving On Out ” to search for and encourage more LWMO communities in "out of town" areas. Specifically, I was looking for "open orthodox" type shuls, but in places way out of the usual cities they'd be found in. This was in the days of fresh excitement about Edah, YCT, etc. The list ended up focusing on any shul of this type, irrespective of location, and had some lively discussions for about a year or so. After that, the blogosphere really came into its own and those Yahoo Groups saw much less traffic. The list still exists and is still officially active, but it gets a post only once every few weeks. I just looked back through some of those old posts and there’s some good stuff. What I wanted to post here today was what I wrote about what I considered the