Tuesday, October 27th 2026 |
THEODORE “TED” ROBERTS was a humorist and writer, who lived in the Deep South of Huntsville, Alabama and wove stories based on his lifelong love of Judaism. Roberts’ collection of columns that ran in the CCJN with his sobriquet “The Scribbler on the Roof,” are archived here in the hopes that reading his homespun brand of Talmud will bring you continued joy and love of Jewish learning and culture. Roberts, 89, died on March 2, 2020 and was buried in his hometown of Memphis.
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
I used to be a father. I still am, and now I’m a grandfather, too. But it’s a load I can handle because the job description is just about identical. It calls...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
“Is it time already?” said the slim, gray-haired man in jeans and the “Pesach Is Coming” T-shirt.
“Certainly,” boomed the voice from the cloud. “TRADITION, you know. Tomorrow night is the first...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
On a cloudless, heavenly morning, well before the Almighty turned the dust of the earth into man, He announced the Holydays to the assembled Heavenly Hosts. The angels listened solemnly, especially to...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Financial analysts tell us there’s no need to worry about the future of the agricultural sector. Forget cotton, corn, soybeans, and other unpredictable crops. They have a new bumper crop – as...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
It had been a busy time for the King of the Universe. The earth and all its contents – well, that was accomplishment enough. But the galaxies and the rules governing their...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Trends, like friends, come and go. 1. Chewing gum is out of style. 2. Men rarely smoke cigars. And in the old days, cigars were a social icebreaker. “Have a cigar, pal,”...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Science, culture, civilization – call it what you will – has conquered the flames of faith. Can anyone doubt this? How many of us who will end up in Heaven or Hell...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Tu B’Shevat, Tu B’Shevat,
I like you a lot.
Tu B’Shevat.
No tears, no fasting.
Only wonder at G-d’s plot.
Tu B’Shevat, degraded, diminished, and deluded by Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Why do they call it Black Friday? This Friday after Thanksgiving, when drunk with turkey parts and cranberry sauce, we run out of the house and into the nearest retailer of whatever...
By TED ROBERTS, the SCRIBBLER ON THE ROOF
Some say that Judaism stands, in order of sanctity, on the bedrock of the Ten Commandments complimented by the Torah and the Talmud. The Decalogue – those two stone tablets that Moses carried...
