For many people, the texts of Torah learning are themselves the biggest obstacles. They are dense, difficult, often unpunctuated and written in a foreign language. Where are the Torah graphic novels? Where are the books[…]
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Month: May 2017
“…if misrepresented as a rabbinic ordinance, a custom may be seen as more sweeping than it actually is”
…custom, even when considered obligatory, derives its authority from the practice of either a community or a family; if misrepresented as a rabbinic ordinance, a custom may be seen as more sweeping than it actually[…]
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“…denominations are more than just ideas and orientations…”
It seems kind of obvious that, if there is a denominational shakeup and a reclassification of the religious-behavioral map, there is an emerging denomination that constitutes a hybrid of conservative Conservatives, the Open Orthodox, and[…]
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“The people of Israel will not prove itself worthy of its land by listing more companies on NASDAQ or with an increased number of start-ups…”
The State of Israel exists, first and foremost, as the nation-state of the Jewish people, not because the Jewish people is particularly deserving or fit for it, but by the grace of God toward a[…]
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“…it will be fascinating to see if the term ‘Conservative’…makes a comeback in the form of the Conservative Jews who want to ‘hold the line’ on intermarriage”
…it will be fascinating to see if the term “Conservative” – which many Conservative Jews have tired of, either because it does not reflect their more progressive outlook or because it implies a history and[…]
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“The truth is that no thinker worth remembering has some monolithic ‘project’ to undertake…”
The truth is that no thinker worth remembering has some monolithic “project” to undertake; all express a personality inevitably double, and full of the tensions and contradictions that touch any real life. Voltaire was greedy,[…]
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“Ancient Israelites, with the possible exception of a few teetotaling Nazirites and their moms, proudly drank beer—and lots of it”
Ancient Israelites, with the possible exception of a few teetotaling Nazirites and their moms, proudly drank beer—and lots of it. Men, women and even children of all social classes drank it. Its consumption in ancient[…]
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“…the term halakhah pesukah need not be considered the opposite of minhaga. It may simply mean a rule that cannot be questioned or supported on the basis of conventional talmudic dialectics”
Perhaps it can be argued that the ḥumra of the daughters of Israel is termed a halakhah pesukah not because it is “a ruling that all agree to,” as explained by Zimmerman (this is an[…]
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“I can’t believe ‘Across the Stars’ is in Star Wars – it’s so rich”
I still listen to this piece and I get chills. I can’t believe it’s in Star Wars – it’s so rich. I mean there’s this sort of like very gentle love story emerging and then[…]
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“Now ownage communicates dominance, but it also belies an underlying impotence”
In the hacking context, owning someone is all about a display of superior technological abilities. When the word migrated from hacking to gaming, “owned” became a mantra for those who had mastered the game play[…]
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