Gil 89 comments, mostly indignant at the suggestion that there aren’t any good arguments for categorically prohibiting electricity on Shabbath, but this one tickled me: “Only thing gnarly here is your lack of knowledge and feeling that you have such a greater and clearer understanding about the subject” Let’s get one thing straight here, bucko: I … Read more
(Thoughts on the immediate situation… If you live in this country… Please read to the end. Stay safe my friends.) POTUS is threatening to attack every power plant and bridge in Iran, starting at 8 PM Eastern Time tomorrow night. I’m hoping for the best. Maybe this will all blow over, maybe he’ll move the … Read more
(Some thoughts on bomb shelters and missiles, with a request at the end:) For someone who’s been itching for a war with Iran for decades, our prime minister didn’t actually prepare this country for war with Iran. Of the 11,775 public bomb shelters in this country, around 1 in 9 are officially unfit. In some … Read more
Really enjoying this preliminary research situating the Arizal within the emergence of modern #Zionism and reading Lurianic kabbala as a Zionist project. Immigration, political organization, autarky, ecology – just a few of the relevant elements promoted in the Arizal’s teachings and activities.
As I wind down from preparing for #Passover, I want to share a politically incorrect musing on a recent development in the American culture war. Based on my understanding of gender (which I believe is a social performance, unlike biological sex, which I believe is a non-binary chromosomal fact), I don’t personally subscribe to either … Read more
“Emancipate yourself from mental slaveryNone but ourselves can free our minds” The Creator intervened in biohistory and through the imposition of a higher order, brought the regional empire to its knees and delivered a caste of foreign slaves to liberty. Every norm was challenged, every supposition overturned, every “rule” broken. The idols crumbled, the privileged … Read more
I have my thoughts about the death penalty and they’re complicated and truthfully undecided, but just focusing on policy for a sec: I’m just saying… if the death penalty is too harsh for a citizen, it’s too harsh for a resident. Not only does discriminating between them in applying the death penalty further entrench the … Read more
What’s on your seder plate? Five traditional options for the “bitters”: Ḥazzereth – cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa) (all identifications follow Rambam’s commentary on Mishnah Pesachim 2:6). An annual vegetable that develops a dense rosette of edible leaves. At first, its leaves are small and bitter. ʻOlashin – cultivated chicory (Cichorium intybus). A perennial garden plant … Read more
Peace upon my enemiesMay their cups overflowMay they lack for nothingPeace upon my friendsMay their journey in this lifeBe through paradiseMay they never enter hellPeace upon my teachersMay their wisdom be rememberedMay their sins be forgottenMay their life be everlastingPeace upon my criticsMay their pens never ceaseMay their sight be keenMay they merit to join … Read more
I don’t want to be an alarmist or pretend that I can predict the future. I hope that my concerns will be proven to be unfounded. But I want my family, friends, and neighbors to be prepared for what may be coming. If you’re going to read this – and fair warning, you might not … Read more