The “I was born in the wrong body” rhetoric favored by other trans people doesn’t work any better and is just as offensive, reducing us to our collective breasts and vaginas. Imagine the reaction if[…]
Month: June 2015
“The motivations and ideology of Second Temple sectarian groups appear primarily in Rabbinic tales…, yet employing these stories for the purpose of writing history is problematical”
The motivations and ideology of Second Temple sectarian groups appear primarily in Rabbinic tales (as opposed to halakhic discussions), yet employing these stories for the purpose of writing history is problematical. As Fraenkel has insisted,[…]
“…the threat of losing Israel’s character as a Jewish state is also seen not only as a matter of values and identity but also as an existential threat”
Some people in Israel and abroad have a dismissive or even contemptuous attitude toward this fear. They invoke Israel’s enormous military might, including its reported nuclear weapons, as evidence that this fear is unfounded and[…]
“There is no real reason for Modern Orthodoxy to be, in any way, connected to Brisk”
There is no real reason for Modern Orthodoxy to be, in any way, connected to Brisk. It just so happens that the two dominant religious figures of our movement in the past eighty years happen[…]
“Creative work isn’t a regular job. Sure, eventually your skills improve and you get better at structure”
Creative work isn’t a regular job. Sure, eventually your skills improve and you get better at structure. You learn to compress the process. But it’s still a herculean extravaganza. A journalist I know calls this[…]
“…although much of Second Temple and Rabbinic literature can be read in light of the Greek and later Roman-Christian context in which they were composed…”
…although much of Second Temple and Rabbinic literature can be read in light of the Greek and later Roman-Christian context in which they were composed, we should be wary of attributing all differences to a[…]
“The difficulty in starting companies is not just about finding the right technology, but also getting the timing right”
The difficulty in starting companies is not just about finding the right technology, but also getting the timing right. It’s easier to predict what might happen in the future; it’s harder to predict when the[…]
“Incivility shuts people down…”
Incivility shuts people down…. Employees contribute less and lose their conviction, whether because of a boss saying, “If I wanted to know what you thought, I’d ask you,” or screaming at an employee who overlooks[…]
“The Jedi…had unwittingly trained their students to be the perfect fugitives, able to cut and run at any moment”
The Jedi had always preached against forming connections, to prevent their acolytes from putting too much value in any one relationship. In so doing, they had unwittingly trained their students to be the perfect fugitives,[…]
“When a version of a myth is told (orally or in writing), it is always an account of the past in intimate connection with some conclusion to be drawn in the present experience of the person recounting the tale”
When a version of a myth is told (orally or in writing), it is always an account of the past in intimate connection with some conclusion to be drawn in the present experience of the[…]